The Best $1000 Notebook Out There

Specs:
12 inch screen, 1.2GHz, 256MB Ram, 30GB HD, 56k modem, 10/100 LAN, Airport Extreme, 32MB ATI 9200 graphics card, CD-RW/DVD.

Making the Purchase:

I bought this laptop in December 2004 at the Apple store in my city. The Apple store was very nice and high tech looking. They had all their products out for viewing and I was not bothered by the employees while I browsed so I could look over all the laptops. I have always had PC laptops and desktops but I was tired of the Windows interface, crashing, viruses, and spyware. My research into Macs seemed to offer the best choice to alleviate all of these problems.

I was a little intimidated at first to get a Mac because I had never really used one except in college to access a statistics program to complete some stat homework and that was it. But, I knew I was tired of the Wintel monopoly and wanted a change. I went to the Apple store and started playing around with a 12 inch iBook. It was a beautiful cream white color and seemed very sturdy and not so plastic looking like most sub $1000 notebooks. The OS interface looked amazing and high tech. There was a just a simple row of icons for programs on the bottom of the screen called the Dock that looked similar to Quick Launch on the task bar for Windows. It seemed almost too simple to work. Then I realized that I use mostly the same 5 programs everyday so having a row of icons was just fine. It also freed up a lot of the desktop space. I also looked at the PowerBooks which were absolutely beautiful. Besides the PowerBooks higher specs, it seemed noticeably smaller and aesthetically more pleasing but not $600 more pleasing. Besides, this was a big jump going from Windows to Mac OS so I wanted to do it as cheaply as possible while still getting a decent notebook.

So, I decided to go ahead and get the iBook. The biggest negative in making the purchase was Apple’s return policy. It is subpar compared to most other PC manufacturers. You have 14 days from the date of purchase to make the return and then you get charged a 10% restocking fee. Worse than that, if you get something custom configured you cannot return it at all! My only real concern with returning it though was if the unit had any dead pixels. Of course, you have to buy the notebook first before turning it on to see so I was not comfortable shelling out $1600 for a PowerBook and being disappointed. I asked the Apple store employee what Apple's policy is on dead pixels but did not really get a decent answer. All I could get was if there were a bunch they would replace it but for just a few they would not. This answer was unacceptable as laptops have been around for a long time and this has always been a concern with notebook shoppers. But, I decided to forego my worries and just make the plunge anyway.

Using the iBook for the first time:

When I got home after getting the notebook I could not wait to start using it. Inside the neatly packed box was the notebook, power adapter with an extension cord, modem cable, TV adapter, and user guides for the unit and an intro to Mac OS X. I turned on the unit and was greeted with a startup tone sounding something like hitting a gong. After the OS was loaded, it wanted me to register the notebook which I tried but could not complete because my ISP was not installed yet to get online and Apple offered no 800 number to send the information to for some reason.

After completing setup I played around with most of the programs and was again amazed how clean and high tech everything looked. The hardest thing to get used to with each program was having to click the file menu at the top to close the program fully. Clicking the "X" in the program window only closes the box not the program. This was actually nice though because it made accidentally wanting to just close a window and not the program fool proof unlike Windows based programs. Mac OS X's version of the control panel was great. Very neatly laid out and divided. I bought a wireless Logitech mouse and after plugging in the USB connector it worked instantly without having to install any drivers.

Summary:

The Good

After my experience with the iBook, I will never again go back to a Windows machine for my main computer. I could only see myself getting a Windows based machine again to keep up with their "revolutionary" changes and keep my resume current as proficient in Windows. Otherwise, I am a Mac man now.

1. Mac OS X - I have used it everyday for over a month and it has never crashed or slowed down performance wise even with additional installed programs. The only oddity is the AOL icon disappearing from time to time on the icon bar. After using Mac OS X, it is the best OS I have ever used and cannot believe how archaic Windows looks to me now. OS X is just better looking, easier to use, and very simple to follow. The hardest part I had with switching to this OS was learning to think logically again. There just is not any need to sift through folders on the hard drive to find your app you want to use or to make changes to your system. Everything is just where it should be. Mac OS X has eliminated all the useless junk and confusing programs in the control panel. It also guides you more easily through setting things up, such as an internet connection. Also, anything you install works, period. You never get any error box advising some dll file or anything like that is missing. I can confidently buy software and know it will run fine as long as my specs meet the requirements. Mac OS X is simply clean, efficient, and beautiful.

2. Exposé - This is simply the best program I have ever used. It runs in the background so you never have to start it. If you have multiple windows open at one time this program is indispensable. Unlike Windows, Mac OS X does not place the windows you have open on the task bar to click in order to bring to the top. Instead, you point your mouse to one of the designated corners of the screen and it will neatly lay out all the windows you have open and you click the one you want to bring to the front. You can also use Exposé's hot corner to show the desktop and launch the screen saver among other things you configure.

3. The LCD - Very bright and no dead pixels on my unit. Appeared as good as the PowerBooks I saw. On par with other PC makers too. The 12 inch screen did not bother me at all. I really thought it would being that small. My other notebooks have always had 15 inch or bigger screens but going to the 12 inch was not as bad as I thought it would be. If you want portability it is the way to go.

4. Drives - Slot loading CD/DVD should be the standard for all notebooks. The hard drive is also silent during operation.

5. Ports - A single row on the left side, very smart.

6. 1.2Ghz Processor - In line with or better than anything from Intel I have used. Obviously not over clocked like Intel.

7. ATI 9200 32MB Graphics card - While I only see complaints about the 32MB card, I think it is great. It plays Civilization III without a hitch and runs SimCity 4 very well unless you pan out very far to view your city. Other Wintel notebooks offer shared graphics or 16MB cards in the same $1000 range.

8. Battery - Has an external smart button indicator to show energy left. Lasts about 3 hours with typical non-gaming use.

9. Cooling Fans - Very smartly placed on the left and back sides, not on the bottom to burn your lap or restrict airflow! The unit never gets very hot either.

10. Included Software - The iBook comes with a host of programs. You really do not need to go out and buy anything unless you do professional work. Apple Works is decent and sufficient for most people. No grammar check on the word processing program though.

The Bad

Okay, now for the gripes. No computer or OS is perfect, they were designed by humans. Apple's humans just seem to be more evolved.

1. The keyboard - It is not very impressive. On my unit, the spacebar and "n" key were a little lopsided but functioned fine, it just looked a little tacky. The PowerBook simply blows away the iBook in this area.

2. The closing latch - you have to be careful with the latch when closing the computer. It recesses when open and comes out automatically when closing. Obviously, it is magnetically operated. The problem, you cannot close it too quickly or you might beat the magnet operation and break the latch, or at least it appears that way to me.

3. S-video port - There is not one. While you do have a video adapter port, you still need to purchase an additional adapter to be able to use it as a S-video port.

4. Touchpad - Not the most responsive. No scroll button and no right click button. The one button pad was a real problem until I discovered you can mimic a right mouse click by holding the control key and clicking the button but it still should have one. Time to give up the Xerox roots Apple.

5. 256MB Ram - Every review I have read says this amount is just too little. Mac OS X needs 512MB to function correctly. Since Apple is always ahead of the game they should make 512MB standard. I plan to upgrade to 768MB soon.

6. Return policy - Poor. 14 day return policy with 10% restocking fee. Cannot return if you order a custom configuration.

7. Warranty - 90 day phone support and 1 year limited. $249 to get coverage for 3 years.

8. Software vendors - Finding software to run on Macs is a chore. You have to be near a CompUSA or Apple store to find what you want unless you shop online. Even then, the software is expensive and limited.

Closing:
Overall, I give the iBook a perfect rating. While not being perfect, it is as close as you can get for under $1000. It is hard to describe an OS in words, you just need to go to a store that sells Macs and test one out. If you are new to Mac, I really cannot recommend the 12 inch iBook enough. It is a great way to get introduced to a new world of computing. It is beautiful, portable, powerful, and has a long battery life. With the inclusion of Airport Extreme wireless networking, this is a no-brainer. Switching to a Mac really does feel like buying your first computer all over again.