Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

iBook: Curse or Godsend?

Dirk Pilat - 2001.08.31

Hi everybody!

It's time again for another five minute meditation on overly long sentences, pan-Atlantic multiculturalism, and the odd thought on an Apple-related subject. So, while Jazz FM's Dinner Jazz show is providing the necessary atmosphere, I am typing happily in my new broom cupboard (you really can't call it a flat) in London (a doddle: 800 dollars per month iBook 2001 for a furnished flat I can't even invite my own girlfriend to for the fear of overcrowding) on my iBook, as the iMac had to go for being too big. But as I am quite happy about it's size and design, I detected during the last four weeks a couple of habits of the most expensive computer I ever bought that I find quite disturbing.

The first thing I noticed after only one flight was that the nice white plastic cover scratches easily and is a nightmare to keep clean. The next thing I noticed was that the screen is extremely unforgiving about any kind of attempts to clean it. I've got a nice collection of stains on it, which I dunno how to remove.

The palm rest on the left becomes pretty hot when you use it on the bed, as the soft mattresses and duvets remove any chance of circulation. Damn, a laptop you can't use in bed.

The trackpad is a nightmare to use in shoot 'em ups like Deus Ex, and I can't count how often I've been killed by some stupid terrorist just because I couldn't keep the gun steady. Oh yes, and it refuses to work when the computer overheats (see above).

Crashes: As I am using the odd beta version, I don't mind crashes, but every time the bloody thing freezes and I restart it using the reset button, the date resets to 1904. Surely the pram battery can't be empty already?

Speed: I expected a significant speed improvement compared to my 233 MHz iMac, but due to the performance restrictions with the battery saving mechanisms, it takes time to get its rear in gear.

Looking at Apples discussion sites, I seem not to be the only person to have these problems, but as this is lowendmac.com, let us rejoice in the concept of communal help. I eagerly anticipate your responses and advice, and I will post the most helpful comments on this very website in a week's time.

From that multicultural hotspot that is London,
Cheers,
Dirk

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac mini Core Solo, Feb. 2006 - The only Mac to use a Core Solo CPU, this model ran at 1.5 GHz, has integrated graphics, and includes a Combo drive
Group of the Day: SuperMacs is for those using Umax SuperMac clones.
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Best G4 iMac Deals, 11.24. Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $150; 800 MHz Combo, $229; 1 GHz, $289; 17" 1.25 GHz, $200; 20" 1.25 GHz, $509.
Best PowerBook G3 Deals, 11.24. Used 233 MHz WallStreet, $75; 266 MHz, $160; 400 MHz Lombard, $199; 400 MHz Pismo, $289; 500 MHz, $350.
Best MacBook Air Deals, 11.24. Used from $899; refurb from $1,099; new 1.6 GHz/120 HD, $1,150 after rebate; 1.8/64 SSD, $1,150 a/r; 1.86/128 SSD, $1,350 a/r; 2.13/128 SSD, $1,694 a/r.
Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.23. Used 867 MHz SuperDrive, $348; 1 GHz Combo, $379; SD, $519; 1.33 GHz, $529; 1.5 GHz Combo, $549; SuperDrive, $609.
Best Mac Pro Deals, 11.23. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,300; 3.0 4-core. $1,919; refurb 2.66 4-core Nehalem, $2,149; 2.93, $2,549; 2.93 8-core, $4,999; new 2.26 8-core, $2,290.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 11.23. Used 802.11g AirPort Extreme, $49; 500 GB Time Capsule, $150; new, $190; 1 TB dual-band, $280; 2 TB, $469; 802.11n AirPort Extreme, $170.
Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
Best Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac Box Set Deals, 11.18. "Snow Leopard", single user, $25; 5 users, $45; Mac Box Set, single user, $139; 5 users, $180; Server, $414. Shipping included.
Best Xserve Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $649; 2.3 dual G5, $795; 3.0 4-core Xeon, $1,899; refurb 2.26 4-core, $2,499; new, $2,888; refurb 8-core, $2,999; new, $3,449; more.
More deals in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Mac UK articles ©2001-02 by Dirk Pilat. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.