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Hey guys this is Austin and today I’m here with a review of the
Apple iBook. The iBook was first announced in 1999 and even though
many things have changed it’s interesting to take a look back.
First let’s go over the design. There’s no doubt that it’s unique
even today with its rounded corners and rubber coating. Open it up
and inside you’ll see a fairly standard keyboard and 12 inch display.
While things have obviously advanced in the last 13 years there’s
actually a lot that’s the same. Take the keyboard and trackpad for
example, the layout of the keys isn’t too far off from Macs of today
and the trackpad, while a bit small really isn’t half bad.
The iBook also had several firsts. For example you could get one with
an AirPort Wi-Fi card which made it the very first mainstream laptop
with wireless internet. While it’s something we take for granted in
everything from our phones to thermostats today it’s kind of amazing
to realize that just over 10 years ago this was a feature that wowed
an entire audience. And uh, maybe I'll go to Disney here, you know,
come over here. Another impressive thing were the ports. Within a year
Apple had introduced the iBook Special Edition which is what I have here
with a 56k modem, Ethernet, USB, FireWire 400 and a headphone jack slash
composite video out for running a second display. Not too different to
what you’ll see on a MacBook Pro today. Oh, and did I mention it has a
handle? Yeah. The first iBook Clamshell models came with a 300MHz PowerPC
G3 processor, 32MB of RAM, 3.2GB hard drive and a CD drive. The final
Special Edition models came with a 466MHz CPU, 64MB of RAM, 10GB hard
drive and DVD drive. Not exactly cutting edge specs but since I’m crazy
I’ve upgraded mine to 576MB of RAM as well as a 32GB SSD.
The iBook Clamshell was released with OS 8.6 however you can upgrade
it to OS X easily. While the 800x600 screen was impressive back in the
day it definitely looks dated today as most web sites struggle to be
viewable with the low resolution. Even some OS X menus aren’t usable.
That said the iBook actually does a respectable job as a laptop as long
as you keep your expectations low. Everything is slow but it gets the job
done. What’s most impressive is how the iBook actually passes newer
laptops in some areas. For example there are no fans in the laptop as
everything is passively cooled which makes it silent except for the noisy
stock hard drive. With an SSD it’s 100% quiet unless you’re using the
optical drive. Battery life is also really impressive, giving about 4-5
hours on a charge which is right on par with my MacBook Air.
While it’s little more than a novelty these days there’s still a lot to
like about the iBook Clamshell. The design is definitely one of those
love it or hate it things but personally I like it as it still looks
unique without being obviously dated. If you want to upgrade it a bit
you can even get a computer that’s still usable today. Regardless
though, the iBook Clamshell definitely remains one of my favorite Apple
products ever. If you enjoyed this video definitely be sure to leave
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