The Ultimate iBook ReviewPart 3Michael
Munger
2001.08.14In part 2 of this review, we discussed
the screen, the keyboard, the
iBook's multimedia capabilities, and its autonomy. Those are
typical characteristics of a portable. But what about performance? We know that people who buy a
low-price consumer portable are not necessarily looking for the
ultimate speed demon, but it is nice to know how the iBook stacks up
in terms of power. PerformanceWe found the iBook to be fast enough for day-to-day use, but we
needed to test it formally in order to have more than just a feel for
how it performs. As we did not find any standard benchmarks that
satisfied us, we decided to do our own hands-on tests. We put the
iBook up against our other machine, a dual
processor Power Mac G4 (2 x 450 MHz, manufactured in 2000).
Important note: we conducted all tests with the iBook plugged into
its power adapter. Users who run the iBook from the battery with
optimized energy saving settings may notice slower performance.  We
used Photoshop for our first test. We scanned a sunset panorama (see
the picture to the right) at 600 DPI, which resulted in a 24.3 MB
file, 3602 pixels in width and 2352 pixels in height. We ran two
filters separately, not one after another, and we calculated the time
that both machines took to get things done, timing from the moment we
hit OK to the moment when the filter was applied. To make sure that
the test was fair, we allocated the same amount of memory to
Photoshop on both machines and ran the filters while nothing else was
running.
Our first filter was Dry Brush, a slightly demanding action. The
G4 executed it in 27 seconds. The iBook, to our surprise (because it
is a single processor machine) held its own by completing the test in
31 seconds! The second filter was Watercolor. The G4 applied it in 37
seconds. The iBook applied it within 44 seconds. Not only did the
iBook hold its own against the G4 in the filtering department, it did
rather well when opening files, resizing images, and all the everyday
commands. When computers do not handle the little things correctly,
it can be frustrating, but the iBook handled them well. Although we were happy with the iBook's Photoshop performance, we
did not find the tests conclusive. We ran tests with iTunes, where
processing power has a lot to do with encoding speed. We saw quite a difference between both machines, which leads us to
think that the G4's power definitely showed up and put it in front of
the iBook. When encoding songs, the iBook managed a sustained
encoding speed of 3x, and toward the end of a CD - encoding speed
goes up gradually as you reach the end of the disc - it went up to
3.5x. On the other hand, the G4 roared with sustained 7x to 13x,
reaching 14x at times. 
The iBook did not get past 3.5x when encoding music.
This iTunes benchmark was slaughter, but we believe that stacking
up two G4 chips against one G3 chip in a processor intensive test is
a little unfair. We believe that the results can be used as a guide
to understand how one G3 performs in comparison to two G4s. However,
we found 3x to 3.5x to be painfully slow for day-to-day use when
encoding a good chunk of our personal CD collection. We own about 80
CDs, and it goes without saying that the iBook spent many hours
encoding music when we were away from the machine. For general use, we found the iBook rather fast, but as we
observed above, it does have its shortcomings. This has to be
expected from a machine that's designed with price and maximal
portability in mind. NetworkingSince AirPort is the big thing for networking with the iBook, we
did all our networking with the wireless system. As we explained in
the first part of this review, we installed
an AirPort card in the iBook and another in the G4, using the latter
as a software base station. We made sure to keep encryption turned
on, just in case.... Setting up AirPort was easy, as we described in Part 1. Networking
with AirPort was even better. One has to understand how neat and
useful it is to roam around the house with no wires, exchanging files
with the other computer and surfing the Web from a kitchen table, a
counter top, a bed, a couch, etc. It is no revolution, but quite an
evolution. The iBook's signal was always strong, and it remained
decent around our property. It did very well when we were outside,
too. 
File transfers went from 350k to 400k per second.
When we exchanged files (we used Timbuktu software for many
networking tasks) we did not get the best throughput speeds, but
AirPort is not the ultimate fast lane for file exchange. Most of the
time the transfer speeds went from 350 to 400 kilobytes per second.
The FireWire target disk mode would have been faster, but, to us,
this was the tradeoff of doing things wirelessly. We found the
physical freedom more important than raw speed for day-to-day file
transfers. Our wireless Internet experience was nice, too. As far as we could
see, there were no major problems with doing email and surfing with
AirPort. Or course, downloading data from the Net was slightly
slower, but we expected that. We also used Timbuktu to control our G4
from the iBook (or vice versa) through AirPort with AppleTalk
connection. We were very satisfied with the connection's
responsiveness, even when the other computer had a desktop picture,
which normally slows things down in Control mode. We are very impressed with the iBook's AirPort capabilities.
Unlike the Titanium PowerBook, the
iBook responds very well to the wireless signal. CD driveWe were pleased with the 24x CD-ROM drive's performance, but quite
disappointed that it featured a CD tray instead of a slot-loading
drive. PricingThis basic model sells for US$1,299 ($1,249 for educators and
students). Is it a fair price? Yes. We believe that the iBook offers
enough bang for your buck, since its mission is to provide a good
portable for a rather low price. You can get much more power for much
more money or a stripped-down PC laptop for less, but we believe that
this model is the right compromise between price and specifications.
In our opinion, despite the default 64 MB RAM, the iBook is a great
value. Conclusion| Pros | Cons | - • Neat casing
- • AppleWorks
- • AirPort
- • Bright screen
- • 1024 x 768 resolution
- • Low price
| - • 64 MB RAM
- • Optionless OS install
- • Poor audio
- • Easy-to-scratch surface
| | Rating: 4 (out of 5) |
We find the iBook to be an excellent purchase for students and
users who need an affordable computer on the road. It has its
shortcomings, but it can serve users who do not go for raw power or
as an excellent extension of someone's desktop setup. This iBook is
not a revolution, but it is definitely a positive evolution. It is
much better than the first generation released by Apple, and its
screen's brightness stands out as its neatest feature.
The Ultimate iBook ReviewMichael
Munger is a French Canadian
living in Montreal. He discovered the Mac in 1994 while
studying journalism, the profession he loves and practices.
He also studied history and communications. He writes
iBasics
for Low End Mac, On
the Flip Side for The Mac
Observer, and cofounded MacSoldiers
in 1998. - <back to the
original article>
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