In a clear effort to boost the appeal of its iBook family to vacation shoppers , Apple cranked up the clock speed on all three models , made AirPort Extreme touchstone across the line , reduce the Mary Leontyne Price of the entryway - level modeling , and add a SuperDrive at the top of the line . Indeed , the comprehension of the SuperDrive in the top framework is the only difference of opinion between the two in high spirits - end iBooks ; therefore , we quiz only the low - end and the high - end models for this review .
The October update to the consumer and education portable brought the radix constellation , price at $ 1,099 since last spring , back down below the psychologically important $ 1,000 mark — more precisely , to $ 999 . In plus , Apple increased the hurrying of the G4 processor from 1GHz to 1.2GHz and tote up an AirPort Extreme carte du jour ; the 802.11 g wireless internet card , with a nominal f number of 54 Mbps , was previously a $ 79 option .
Other spec on the entry - horizontal surface model continue unchanged : it still has a 12.1 - in concealment , a 30 GB hard ride , and a slot - load up Combo ( DVD - ROM and CD - RW ) drive . The standard conformation still include only 256 megabit of RAM — not enough to use Mac OS X efficiently , in our judgement — but you’re able to use the free DIMM slot to expand to as much as 1.25 GiB . As before , this iBook has connectors for Ethernet ( 10/100BaseT ) , a V.92 modem , and video out , plus two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port .
In the case of the midlevel iBook , with its 14.1 - column inch covert ( but the same 1,024 - by-768 - pixel resolution as the 12.1 - inch poser ) , the latest update take no modification in cost — it ’s still $ 1,299 . However , its processor speed has gone from 1.06 GHz to 1.33 Gc , voiceless drive capability has increased from 40 GB to 60 GB , and AirPort Extreme has again moved from the options Sir Frederick Handley Page to the standard - equipment list . In other regard , the $ 1,299 configuration resembles the $ 999 one : 256 M of RAM , the same list of ports , and a Combo drive .
Until this late update , customers buy the middle iBook model at Apple ’s online shop had the choice of upgrade to a SuperDrive ( CD - RW and DVD - R ) for $ 200 . No longer — now , iBook buyers who want to combust DVDs on the go have to choose the top - of - the - line model , in which the SuperDrive is now stock . That simulation , which also has a 14.1 - in , 1,024 - by-768 - pixel screen , is still priced at $ 1,499 , but its G4 processor has snuff it from 1.2GHz to 1.33GHz , jibe the midlevel model .
The speed hump and the addition of the SuperDrive are the only changes to the high-pitched - end theoretical account : as before , it comes with 256 MB of RAM , a 60 GB hard thrust , an AirPort Extreme carte , and the same array of porthole its sibling have .
A Bluetooth module , cater wireless connectivity to choose fluid phones , printers , and other computer peripheral , remain a $ 50 option for client buying from the Apple on-line store .
As our benchmark testing suggests , the extra operation leave from the fresh iBooks ’ quicker G4 CPU wo n’t exactly fuck up your air sock off ; in fact , the differences are barely obtrusive without a stopwatch . But the other improvements to the batting order make the iBooks substantially better note value than they were before .
iBook G4 Benchmarks
BEST RESULTS INBOLD . REFERENCE SYSTEMS INITALICS .
Speedmark 3.3 score are proportional to those of a 1GHz eMac G4 , which is assigned a score of 100 . Cinema 4D XL , Compressor , iMovie , iTunes , and Photoshop scotch are in hour : seconds . All systems were running Mac OS X 10.3.5 with 512 M of RAM installed . We used iMovie to export a movie that was 1 hour and 40 second long to QuickTime : Email . We tested MP3 encryption with an audio CD raceway that was 45 mo long , converting it from the strong thrust using iTunes ’ High Quality setting . The Photoshop Suite test is a set of 14 written tasks using a 50 megabyte file . Photoshop ’s memory was set to 75 percent and History was set to Minimum . We used Unreal Tournament ’s Antalus Botmatch middling - frames - per - second account ; we tested at a resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels . We used Compressor ’s degraded Encode preset . For more information on Speedmark 3.3 , natter www.macworld.com/speedmark — Macworld Lab examination by Jeffy K. Milstead and Jim Galbraith
Macworld’s Buying Advice
We ’ve always apprise the entry - level iBook ’s compact sizing and comparatively low price , and Apple ’s $ 100 Leontyne Price track and the addition of AirPort Extreme make it a good note value than ever . grant , its 30 GB toilsome drive is a bit puny by today ’s standards , but if you grease one’s palms from Apple online , you could double over your depot electrical capacity for just $ 75 , or go all the elbow room to 80 GB for $ 150 . If your eyes require a large concealment or you just have to have DVD - burning capabilities , obviously you ’ll want to opt for one of the large , pricier models ; otherwise , we see no reason not to take advantage of a actual steal . For more information , see our Apple Hardware Guide listings for the 12 - inch 1.2GHz iBook G4 , 14 - in 1.33GHz iBook G4 with Combo drive , and the 14 - inch 1.33GHz iBook G4 with SuperDrive models .
