10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Good while it lasted...for a short short time
Date of Review: Jul 13, 2008
The Bottom Line: Decent enough for home use but anything more rigorous and I recommend spending more money on the far superior MacBook series
When I was an art major, we were required to get an Apple laptop. The graphic design program recommended the MacBook Pro but at the time (this is a while ago) it was a $1000 more than the iBook which is why I picked this one out although the extra memory and increased everything I did to customize it for school ended up costing me a couple hundred more... It was an expensive investment but well worth it. The graphics are top-notch, giving me vivid colors on the screen that are the same when I print it out in hard copy. There are advances in PC displays nowadays but as an artist, I can still notice limited color range and a slight discrepancy between screen and hard copy.
Pros
I became a die hard mac lover from the first day. I loved the iBook's sleek white design, its user friendly menus and the great graphics. The interface is wonderful to look at and easy to use. The airport card is imbedded inside the laptop, so no having to carry one in addition to the laptop and no more unsightly bulky piece on the side of your computer taking up precious USB space.
I do love that all the ports are located together on the side of the computer so I don't have the hassle of closing the laptop to bend over looking for the right port upside down. It has a headphone jack, 2 USB, 1 6 pin Firewire, an ethernet and phone port
I haven't had a lot of troubleshooting problems. In the college environment, computer viruses are as common as flu viruses. Since most of them weren't Mac friendly, I was relatively unscathed while a number of friends had to buy new computers when their completely crashed.
Cons
I bought it at the wrong time for the wrong purpose. I had gotten it right mere weeks before they upgraded the iBook. It wouldn't have done me any good to wait for the new one since I needed this laptop for school but it's still bitter to think about. I got through school with this computer but it's definitely been through a lot of battles. The Art Department asked we buy MacBook laptops and when in the computer lab, we used G5's... The iBook is sadly lacking the power of the previous two computers. I probably asked more of this iBook than I should have.
Also, despite it's deceivingly light-weight-looking exterior, this laptop is shockingly heavy. I've seen other laptops that look more cumbersome and yet they are easier to pick up with one hand. This laptop easily weighs 4.5 lbs.
I've had lots of issues with the power adapter. The box shape is a poor design for the sideways wall jacks - it always looks like it's going to collapse or tear off because it's heavy and off-centered. The wire is thin and not as durable as other adapter cords. Three times now, I had to replace it because of exposed wire. Hopefully this current one will last because none of the stores sell this particular power adapter anymore.
The speakers are sadly inefficient compared to other laptops out there.
I had to buy a chill pad because the computer overheats easily. It has poor ventilation, gets very hot quickly, and then the screen grays over and the dialog box says I have to turn off the computer.
Overall
It may look like I had more bad to say than good about this laptop but I truly do love it. It's just that for the demands of my profession, it doesn't have the endurance I need. I still use it for some professional settings but mostly for home use. We do have a couple PCs at the house but I prefer the Mac platform and its sleek appearance. I've had this computer for about six years now, put it through the rigorous demands of art school and I can still use it today with relative ease. I am already saving up to get a new, better laptop but that in no way means this is a bad laptop. I would still recommend this for the average computer user looking for a quality Apple computer for an affordable Apple price.
