IBook

The title of this article is incorrect because of technical limitations. The correct title is iBook.

The iBook is a line of laptop computers made by Apple Computer and targeted at the consumer and education market segments.

History

After the iMac was released, Apple simplified its hardware strategy, dividing its hardware into “Pro” and “Consumer” desktops, and “Pro” and “Consumer” notebooks. Instead of the common market practice of selling “Yesterday’s Pro technology” to the consumer market, Apple designed from scratch a notebook which diverged from the existing PowerBook line.

The Consumer Notebook

After much speculation, Steve Jobs unveiled the iBook during the keynote of Macworld New York on July 21, 1999. The design philosophy was obviously influenced by the iMac of the time, with a large distinctive shape, and translucent clear and coloured plastics. Its marketing slogan was “Your iMac to go”.

The target audience included young children, so a carrying handle was built into the hinge. Apple touted the durability of the casing by demonstrating someone holding on to the iBook jumping off a height (onto cushions). Like the iMac, the iBook ran a PowerPC G3 chip, and included no legacy Apple interfaces. USB, ethernet, and modem ports were standard, as was a optical drive. The ports were placed uncovered on the side, as a cover was thought to be fragile. To attract sales to schools, the iBooks had power connectors on the underside of the machine that allowed multiple iBooks to be easily charged on a custom-made rack.

Importantly, the first iBook was the first mainstream computer ever to be sold with optional internal wireless networking; Apple partnered with Lucent, creating a standard that trailblazed the rest of the industry. Apple released the Airport wireless base station at the same time.

Heated debate was made over just about everything—the aesthetics, features, weight, performance, pricing and so on. The iBook was heftier than the PowerBook of the time, with lower specifications. Long rumoured features of touch-screens, and ultralong battery life were absent. The iBook was labelled as “clamshell” or “toilet seat” due to the distinctive design.

Despite that, the iBook was a sales success. The line continually received processor, memory, and hard disk upgrades. As with the iMac, multiple new colours were introduced; FireWire and video out were added as well.

White iBooks

The design of the iBook was totally revamped in 1 May 2001. These machines abandoned the child-like colours for a much sleeker white look. They were smaller, lighter, had a higher quality LCD screen and largely thought to be a superior design. Apple received industry accolades for brilliant design, which has since been widely copied. Apple has also adapted the underlying design to their PowerBook line.

The iBook design has stayed largely the same since then. A PowerPC G4 chip and slot loading optical drives were added on October 23, 2003—finally ending Apple’s use of the G3 chip. Today, Apple continues sell iBooks alongside the PowerBooks.

Footnotes

The current iBook design is also notable for being incredibly difficult to open, such that hard disk upgrades are all but impossible for the layperson. To replace or even access the hard drive, about thirty screws need to be removed. For comparision, most Intel-based laptop form factors allow removal of a hard drive caddy after removing one or two screws.

On the contrary, adding a wireless card or extra memory to an iBook is easier, as the keyboard is designed to easily open with two spring-loaded latches.

Quality issues

In late November 2003, a number of iBook users started to report a display problem with their laptops [1] (http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=5554). At one point, a group of users [2] (http://blackcider.com/) even sought to file a class action suit against Apple. In response to the problem, in January 2004, Apple initiated the “iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program” [3] (http://www.apple.com/support/ibook/faq/), which covers any expense of repairing “affected iBooks for three years”—essentially an extended warranty for the affected products. According to users reporting problems and Apple, products manufactured during May and April 2003 have problems with their main logic board. The program has since been applied to other similar problems in Apples hardware range.

External Links

• Apple Computer | iBook
• Apple Computer | AppleSpec consumer specifications listing
• | Apple – how to identify your iBook
• Apple Developer Connection | Comprehensive technical details
• Everymac.com | iBook
• TidBITS issue 490