[mjjunior16]

I am a 16 going on 17 year old high school student with my Sophomore year drawing to a close. I bought an iMac but realized I wanted portability and am now looking at the iBook series. The 12" model really appeals to me being so fairly priced compared to other Macs and how feature-full it remains. I will use it for word processing, airport wireless internet connection for school research/instant messaging, maybe some powerpoint presentations and possibly some C++ stuff if I can find the right program. So my main question is, Would a 12" iBook fit my needs and serve me well? I would max the ram to start, and another question I have is will WC3 run smoothly online on this machine with the ram maxed? I want it to last me a long time also, so weigh that in on your opinion. So, ask me your questions, give me your opinions/comments, and we'll see if we can get my mind made up. I want to thank any and all replies in advance. Thanks for your time.

[Deadline]

Im also 16 going onto 17 in march, I've had my iBook since november and i love it. I use my wirless @ school all the time and since it is internal.. i dont have to worry about knocking off the antenna like w/ my pc laptop. (sold now) Ive had a few problems w/ it but i did buy it used to i cant really complain. it has been good to me and i use it for photoshopin', word processing, internet/email, and like a personal organizer.. I love my iBook.

[xtal]

I think that it will fit your needs very nicely. I use my iBook for some work using Apple's X11 system, which allows the use of standard Unix packages to be used with the current GUI. Very useful if you need specific development software available only for Unix. The iBook is the one you should be looking at. I suggest the 800 MHz model, chiefly for the extra VRAM and combo drive.

[mkral]

If you want to use it "for a long time" I'd recommend that you don't go with an ibook. Much as I love mine, I don't think that I will want to be using it 2-3 years from now. It is the last G3 product in Aple's lineup. Chances are the ibook will move to a G4 within the year. I'd probably either save up the extra $$$ for a 12" powerbook, or wait until the ibook moves up to G4.

Other than the longetivity factor, the ibook is a nice machine, and would suit all of your short-term needs nicely.

[appledude83]

Yeah I think it would work out great for you. And while the G3 is old and probably will be gone soon it is plenty powerful for your needs. I mean you might not be able to play new games but besides that it's everything you could need for a few years.

[fibroptikl]

Yes, it is a nice little laptop; and would work great.

However, you may consider the fact that the G3 is at the end of it's life cycle.

[druber]

Figured I'd weigh in too. My little i500 came with me to Africa and has been plugging with no problems, no updates for 6 months (we just got the internet here at the school). Word/Powerpoint/Excel in X have worked great. They're more dependable than Office on the Wintel boxes we have here. Some waits while browsing, but then this is 10.1 on a 500mhz G3. The standard advice I've heard is to buy as much machine as you can, but don't hose yourself with the cost. A low-end laptop isn't made to keep up with the latest/greatest games. But as far as useability goes, they're great.