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iBook Design Flaw
In an effort to be a fair mac partisan (whatever that might mean), I just noticed a possible flaw in my otherwise wonderful iBook: The back of the screen is too transparent. This is a problem because if you use the computer in situations where bright light is hitting it from behind, your screen will dim significantly. Would this happen if the plastics behind the screen were more opaque?
See, I'm no mac fanatic. No, really, I'm not.
Posted May 1, 2003 06:09 PM | mac geek
On a little bit of a side note to this post, how happy are you with your ibook? I'm shopping for a new laptop right now, and for sure need a mac, but I can't decided between the ibook and powerbook. I don't do anything too heavy in terms of workload, but I still would love to have a powerbook. Have you have any problems with your ibook?
Posted by: matt at May 1, 2003 07:37 PM
I will resist the urge to make MAC jokes. It will be hard, but I will do it :)
LOL
DG
Posted by: DG at May 1, 2003 10:04 PM
Matt: Love the iBook. Worship the iBook. It is a little computing god. Translation: I've had no problems w/mine in the 1.5 yrs. I've owned it. I've been thrilled w/it, really. However, if I were buying a new laptop right now, I would be in the same position as you, thinking really hard about the 12" Powerbook. I love the iBook's small size, so the 12" would be the only option for me. I have a 600 Mhz iBook, and it does drag noticeably when switching btwn applications w/lots of graphic-intensive windows and when drawing big fat pdf files. The new iBooks have better graphics cards and faster processors so the graphics lags would be reduced, but the G4 would definitely be better. Also, iBooks can't handle Airport Extreme, which might be a big handicap in a few years if/when it gets more widely adopted. Finally, I decided to just get the DVD/CD drive to save some money. In retrospect, I wish I'd bought a model w/a superdrive for the simple convenience of being able to burn cds or dvds anywhere, anytime. Backups are hard enough to make time for w/out having to hook up an external cd-burner. Also, having the option to burn dvds will allow for even better backups because dvds hold so much more data.
Bottom line: The iBook's great, but if you have the cash, get the G4 w/all the bells and whistles (it can also accept more RAM, which you should definitely max out on). Macs are notorious for lasting a long time, so get the most you can afford now and you'll be buying yourself a little more time before you have upgrade envy.
DG: We all enjoy a good mac joke now and then. ;-)
Posted by: ambimb at May 2, 2003 11:08 AM
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll be picking up a powerbook, but I really like the 15", 12 is a little small for me. I'm hoping the new 15" comes out sometime soon, and then I might just hold out til august and see if I can get some kind of deal on a slightly used one.
Are you worried at all about the PC only requirement at GW? I emailed with the IT guys a little bit, and it seems the only thing that cannot be done on a mac running virtual PC is testing, but I figure I will just borrow a non-law school friends for those 2 weeks or so a year. And if it gets to be too much of a pain, I might try and pick up an old PC laptop for cheap if I can find one.
If nothing else, I'll look for you next year with your ibook, we might be the only two there representing apple!
Posted by: matt at May 2, 2003 04:13 PM
