Apple iBook G4

The 12-inch Apple iBook represents what many consider to be the best deal in notebook computers: a stylish portable packed with pep, features, and an affordable price tag that starts at $999. This notebook works well at home or on the road.

This 4.9-pound system is at the low end of Apple’s portable lineup, but it is far from barebones. The latest generation gets a bump in processor speed and memory, plus a slew of new features trickled down from its more robust brother, the PowerBook. (Consider Apple’s products like a luxury BMW: the lower-end 3-series eventually gets all of the fun toys from the 7-series.)

The iBook continues to use the PowerPC G4, a processor that isn’t as fast as the desktop G5 or Intel’s Pentium M. The 12-inch model has a 1.33-GHz G4 with a system bus of 133 MHz. Comparisons with Windows-based machines don’t quite work because the iBook is amazing with its efficiency, and it’s quite capable at running demanding software.

The Web browser Safari seemed to take longer than usual to load a page at launch, but once it gets going, the iBook becomes the little engine that could. DVD movie playback was smooth, game graphics looked fluid, and Photoshop didn’t have a problem creating Gaussian blurs of high-res photos. Unless you’re working with CAD or Final Cut, most users won’t find this processor to be a hindrance.

Apple now offers 512MB of DDR SDRAM on all of its notebooks. That may seem enough to some, but that is the minimum required to run Mac OS X Tiger properly, and the minimum needed by some applications. With Apple’s frequency of OS updates, it won’t be long before you need more. We recommend buyers get more memory, preferably up to 1GB (the max the notebook can handle is 1.5GB). Keep your eyes peeled for special offers, as Apple’s memory-upgrade options tend to be costly.

That said, all of the applications we tested ran nicely, even when we ran a couple at once; we surfed the Web and Photoshop did its thing in the background. In Photoshop, a cutout of a high-res image took about 12 seconds and the watercolor filter took about 30 seconds.

Unlike low-end notebooks in the Windows world, the iBook uses a discrete graphics card, ATI’s Mobility Radeon 9550, with 32MB of dedicated memory. This allows the iBook to run entertainment and graphics apps, and run them well. With the included iMovie HD you can edit your holiday videos or watch a movie with no hiccups. We played Myst 4 at 800 x 600 resolution; the game’s graphics and cut scenes looked cinematic. (We dare say it played smoother than on an older PowerMac G5.) The Radeon enables smooth window resizing and the use of OS X widgets.

The new iBook uses the same exact design as previous models: a durable polycarbonate plastic casing that feels tough yet looks stunning. Designed for wear-and-tear in a classroom, dorm room, or apartment, it should hold up well for budget-conscious frequent flyers hauling it from airport to airport.

In keeping with Apple’s trademark streamlined aesthetic sense, ports and drives are kept to a minimum. The slot-loading DVD/CD-RW combo drive is on the left, and the I/O ports are on the right. We only wish that Apple would offer a memory card slot, as well as a DVI output to connect the iBook with one of Apple’s stunning displays.

Battery life was quite good. We achieved 3 hours and 12 minutes in our DVD rundown test, which means that you should expect four or more hours of endurance when performing less demanding productivity chores.

This iBook borrows a few useful features from the PowerBook line. In addition to Airport Extreme (802.11g) wireless networking, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR is standard  (few devices currently use the 2.0 spec, but it’s nice to know that it’s there). Mac OS X makes wireless connection 100 times easier than Windows: simply pull down the Airport or Bluetooth icons, and find the available network or device.

The TrackPad now allows page scrolling; to scroll vertically or horizontally, move around the pad with two fingers. To prevent damage to the hard drive, the iBook includes Sudden Motion Sensor, which parks the drive head instantly should the notebook fall accidentally.

Low-end Windows notebooks come with zilch software, but the iBook has iLife 2005 preloaded. This is a powerful suite of software that includes iMovie HD for editing video, iPhoto for photo management, GarageBand for music editing, and iDVD for DVD creation. These apps are simple to use yet they offer pro features found in pricier software, great for home users looking for something a bit more powerful. Unfortunately iDVD only works with a built-in DVD burner, which the 12-inch model doesn’t include. (For that, you’ll have to upgrade to the slightly faster 14-inch model.)

For those on the go, the 12-inch iBook hits the sweet spot: a capable, fun, and easy-to-use computer that doesn’t break the bank or your back. Compared with low-end Windows machines, the iBook blows them out of the water. Maybe we should stop calling this iBook low end.