Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Apple Updates iBook

Posted by pudge on from the now-with-optional-superdrive-ha-ha-just-kidding dept.

micq writes "After the PowerBook was updated with a faster processor at the end of April, the iBook was sure to follow. Apple announced today that the popular iBook line has been updated, upping it to a 700MHz G3. It's good to see they're still keeping the 12.1" models, which are of the few remaining small screen, ultra-portables..." They've also improved the video card to an ATI Mobility Radeon. Prices range from $1500 to $1800 for the 700MHz model (12" and 14"), and there's a 12"/600MHz model for $1200.

4 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. Debian with IBook? by rutherford · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I really like these devices and want to try them. But I need Debian Woody on it. So had anybody already tried one of the new IBooks with Woody? Are there any special components (like soundcard) or ports (like usb) which don't work at the moment?

    1. Re:Debian with IBook? by Analog+Penguin · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I can't claim to be any kind of a Linux guru, but I've got Sid running on my iBook 600 and everything is working marginally well (save the internal modem, which is still a work in progress as I understand it...damn Apple decided to put a softmodem in here with this revision for some reason). If you run the BenH kernel, you should find yourself in decent shape, hardware support-wise. Sound works, USB works (as far as I can tell; all I've got plugged in is a mouse). The nice thing about putting Linux on this beastie is that you can steal other people's XF86Config-4 and kernel .config files, since they're all the same machine :)

  2. Re:Discontinue the G3! by raddan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You'd be surprised how much mileage you can get out of a processor. For most of my uses, my Thinkpad 365 (486DX75, 24 Mb RAM) running AbiWord, etc... does most of what I need to do (really!), and I find that when I need real firepower, I just jump on my desktop G4 system.

    A speedier iBook would be nice, but really, do you need it? I say just remove software that wastes processor cycles (read: MS). How many people (me included) really utilize their G4's?

  3. Re:This upgrade makes sense by gobbo · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I've owned both the old toilet seat model and the newer iceBook model, and they're darn near bulletproof.

    Macworld Mag had a pretty funny 'realworld test' article about the iClam model, called "dieBook"--which included testing the toughness with things like a blowtorch. http://www.macworld.com/2001/05/buzz/diebook.html

    I think MacAddict did something like this too...

    I remember lots of stories of 2-story drops and cars backing up over 1xx PowerBooks that still booted. Bragging about your trashed 'Book: a weird kind of macho?

    Power Page has some of these stories archived.

    --
    Damn those pesky terrorists