Tangerine Fusion's Fun Facts: FireWire iBooks
- 2000.09.25
The new iBook SE
now has a feature called processor speed-stepping. Working similarly to
the technology that allows Mobile Pentium IIIs from running down
notebook PC batteries too quickly,
it allows you
to slow down the processor from 466 to 366 MHz, the same speed as the
base model. Say, for example, you're listening to a CD on an airplane:
you won't need the extra 100 MHz, and you'll save battery life. In the
energy saver control panel's Advanced Settings, it's called "Reduce
Processor Speed."
All new iBooks sport a new snow color for the white portions of the plastic. It's far less transparent: you can no longer see the AirPort antenna, and the keyboard scissor-switches are very hard to see. The trackpad is also snow, instead of the mylar color, and the trackpad button, which is now glossy and transparent, loses the stiffness characteristic to the older models. The snow plastic on the top surface of the iBook is glossy as well.
The iBook SE, with its A/V cable and special A/V jack, is Apple's first computer with the built-in ability to be a stand-alone DVD player for your home theater system. Even the newer PowerBooks, which come with an S-video to composite video adaptor, require a stereo-miniplug to stereo RCA audio adaptor to hook up to a TV or home theater system.
With the new iBook SE, simply hook up the AV cable to the audio-in
and video-in jacks on your TV, VCR, or reciever, and you're good to go.
You can, of course, use the base-model iBook to play VCDs the same
way, since both come with the A/V jack and cable.
The A/V jack behaves like a standard audio-out or headphone jack when
the A/V cable is not used.
All new iBooks accept the same PC100 SO-DIMMs used in the new PowerBooks, provided they're 1.25 inches long or shorter. These are 100 MHz modules, compared to the 66MHz ones the old iBook was limited to. However, since the iBook's logic board speed is the same, they'll only run at 66 MHz.
The new iBook battery is now rated at 50 watts (actually 48 - Apple rounds off the number). To give it the extra capacity, it now has a long, thin lump protruding on one side. Old iBook batteries cannot be used because of their higher voltage. Like the iMac has been for quite some time, the iBook is now losing color-specific plastic with each subsequent revision. On the new iBooks, the battery cover loses its silk-screened desktop background images, Quantum Foam (Graphite), Blueberry Union, and Tangerine Fusion, in favor of a plain Snow cover. Here's a chart of both computers' trends:
| iMac Revision |
|
|
Rev. A, Bondi |
original |
| Rev. B, graphics boost | no changes |
|
Rev. C, candy colors |
loses colored ring on port door hole drops colored mouse ball in favor of a gray and white ball |
| Rev. D, faster G3 | no changes |
| FCC labels and port surround loses holographic background | |
| speaker housings now clear keyboard and mouse now black and clear |
|
| iBook Revision |
Color-Specific Plastic Changes |
| Rev. A | original |
| Rev. B, RAM boost, SE | no changes |
|
Rev. C, FireWire |
battery cover/FCC labels background lose color-specific desktop background images in favor of all-snow cover on all models/colors |
The iBook's graphics performance is exemplary, especially for a portable computer, not to mention one that starts at US$1,499. The Rage Mobility 128 is still the fastest GPU (graphics processing unit) in the notebook industry, despite being about eight months old. Performance is faster than the new PowerBook. The graphics chip comes with 8 MB of video memory, and since the iBook has SVGA screen, you'll always have at least 6 MBs left over for 3D game and Photoshop acceleration.
Both new iBook models have a single FireWire port, which means you can now connect any FireWire device, including bus-powered ones, with full compatibility. However, since there is only one FireWire port, you'll have to connect, say, a DV camcorder into, say, a FireWire hard drive. You'll still get full control of the DV camcorder from iMovie. Since all Apple systems have their FireWire ports running from a single FireWire bus, performance will be similar to other Apple systems with both devices plugged into the computer.
Like the new PowerBooks, you can mount the iBook's hard drive on another Apple system, including another iBook, using a FireWire cable to connect the two computers and FireWire Target Disk Mode. Simply hold down the "T" key as the iBook boots up, and that iBook's hard disk icon will appear on the other computer.
The new Key Lime color, which has been a surprisingly popular color,
is restricted to built-to-order
sales from
the Apple Store and authorized resellers. Other BTO options include a
20 GB hard drive, which is sold only with an extra 64 MB of RAM, which
uses the iBook's sole RAM slot, for a whopping $500. Still, 128 MB of
RAM and a 20 GB hard drive is the exact same as the PowerBook/500,
which costs $3499. You can have an iBook configured like this for as
little as $1999.
What's the same? Same Dvorak-unfriendly industrial design, same
66 MHz system bus, same lack of a backup battery, same
mouse-restricting left-mounted USB port, same keyboard-venting design
that precludes running the system with the case closed, same dinky
speaker, same cool color-specific embedded keypad, same beefy 6 hours
of battery life, same external charging indicator, and the same rubber
and polycarbonate plastics that allow an iBook to be safely used as a
toy guitar and survive a two-story fall while running (don't try this
at home).
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Mac IIci, introduced 1989.09.20. The fastest Mac to date, the 25 MHz IIci was a real workhorse and a big hit.
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content
- Fix Home Button Delay, Tablet the Ultimate Mobile PC, iPad Notebook a Possibility, and More, iOS News Review, 2012.02.10. Also using your iPad at work, two photo editors, a new iPad text editor, Macally's magnetic iPad 2 stand, and more.
- White MacBook Goes End-of-Life, Logitech Touch Mouse Supports Gestures, Firmware Updates, and More, The 'Book Review, 2012.02.10. Also MacBook Air better than any Ultrabook, docks for MacBook Pro models, Intel offers improved SSDs, and more.
- Mac and iOS Browsers: Options Galore, Freeware Forum, 2012.02.10. Safari is adequate on Mac and great on iOS, but the range of good alternatives is stunning. LEM writers share their favorites.
- Apple's Support Lead Shipping, Smartphones Outsell PCs, OS X Ported to ARM by Intern, and More, Mac News Review, 2012.02.10. Also the power of Tex-Edit Plus, Google and Twitter are already censoring the Web, Snow Leopard Security Update, and more.
- LogMeIn: Remote Screen Sharing for the Rest of Us, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 2012.02.09. Configuring the Mac's built-in screen sharing to work over the Internet can be difficult or impossible. LogMeIn makes it easy.
- 15 Years Ago Motorola Unveiled the PowerPC G3, Low End Mac Round Table, 2012.02.06. The G3 processor was optimized for real world Mac software and made a big leap forward in efficiency.
- Don't Kill Caps Lock, Learning to Love the iOS Keyboard, and an Adaptive iPad Keyboard, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2012.02.06. The Caps Lock key has a useful function, the iPad's keyboard really is useful, and checking out an adaptive keyboard for the iPad.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best MacBook Air Deals
- Best iBook G4 Deals
- Best iPad Deals
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals
- Best Apple TV Deals
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals
- Best Power Mac G4 Deals
- Best Mac OS X 10.6 Deals
- More deals in our archive.
About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact
Follow
Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac
on Facebook
Low End Mac Reader Specials
TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct
from Strider Software.
Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac Museum
DealMac
Deal Brothers
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ
Affiliates
Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay

