30 Responses to “iBook”

1. strtj Says:
   October 22nd, 2007 at 12:18 pm

   You’re ignoring functionality here. While ugly, these were some of the sturdiest laptops I have ever used, and their wireless reception was excellent.

2. Brian Says:
   October 22nd, 2007 at 12:25 pm

   I hated these things. They were hideous. So much extra pointless round plastic.

3. Brad Naprixas Says:
   October 22nd, 2007 at 12:36 pm

   I heard the logo on the back/bottom left an Apple-shaped burn mark on somebody’s pillow, like the grilled cheese with the image of Mary. Anyonw know if this is true/false/the second coming of Jobs? Seeing’s how the first one’s still alive, this could mean the technocalypse.

4. Raul Says:
   October 22nd, 2007 at 1:10 pm

   I disagree.
   I loved mine until I gave it to my syster, like 4 years ago… and it is still going strong.
   I used it do do design and a lot of other stuff.
   So much fun!
   And when my syster buys a new iBook, the old tangerine will come back home to be use and more abused by my little daughter.
   That is a design that people hate or love, I know.
   I’m in the “love” side.

5. scott Says:
   October 22nd, 2007 at 1:26 pm

   I agree with the above. Love this design. I had a few over the years, and wish I still had that old blueberry ibook. I had some serious apple-lust for that thing before it was in my hot little hands.

6. Dalex Says:
   October 22nd, 2007 at 2:13 pm

   A great little machine that was designed to survive in backpacks; lots of shock absorbing plastic and rubber, no sharp corners, even the track pad was sealed. The handle was the best feature and the wrist rests sloped almost down to the table top. I only wish the current MacBook, it’s great grand child, were as comfortable to use.

7. m to the z Says:
   October 22nd, 2007 at 2:34 pm

   who the hell proofs the writing on this site!!?

8. calaveras Says:
   October 22nd, 2007 at 2:43 pm

   My roomate still has one of these. Just goes to show you, for the non IT inclined, obsolesence is a non issue.

9. Warren Says:
   October 22nd, 2007 at 8:19 pm

   I disagree with much of your list of the “worst” products, but I will concede that the original iBook was taking the “iMac look” to a place it didn’t really translate, and the computer itself was nothing to write home about. Apple was pretty much banking on selling lots of mediocre laptops to people who wanted style. I am a little embarrassed to admit I actually owned one of these for a while. It was woefully under-equipped on both RAM and hard drive, and the screen was small. I also did not find it to be particularly durable. Unlike others, I found that the “durable” casing cracked straight away - within a few months of buying it brand new. In retrospect it’s easy to bash, but at the time this was quite a popular computer. In fact, my iBook was stolen and I never saw it again. Probably for the best, in this case.

10. Kyle Says:
    October 23rd, 2007 at 3:39 pm

    Yes these things were ugly but they were tough as nails! I remember dropping one of these from my bike and surviving with just a few scratches! In fact I’m still using this to type documents up to this day. Very durable laptop.

11. Sprocket999 Says:
    October 23rd, 2007 at 4:03 pm

    My wife still uses her graphite coloured one almost everyday and really likes its simplicity. At work she has to struggle with an XP Pro equipped IBM ThinkPad that drives her nuts. My problem is, when I go and buy her a replacement for the iBook, I seriously doubt the MacBooks offered will last as long.

    Ugly? Perhaps. Engaging? Absolutely! Durable? I agree 100% with Kyle above.

12. natgab Says:
    October 24th, 2007 at 3:22 am

    Whoever suggested that the clamshell / toilet seat / barbie iBooks are bad is judging a book by its cover. (no pun intended) The design may not be to everyones liking, but then again some people think any Mac is too “showy / flashy”.

    I was able to upgrade to a large 40GB hardrive, add RAM up to 576MB and it works great. I have run OS X 10.4 Tiger on my iBook. It lets me have a portable machine to do website work, notes, websurf, etc.

    This is an extremely sturdy machine, I have had my 466SE graphite for a couple of years and love it. And of course, how many other laptops have such a convenient handle ? You don’t need to carry a diaper bag with you : )

13. Darrin927 Says:
    October 24th, 2007 at 4:27 pm

    I bought the graphite model when it was first released and I was just opening a new business, and I’ve never had a moment’s regret. Yeah… it didn’t look like the IBM model, but then, again, I wear denim and clogs, not Brooks Brothers and wingtips… so what? It works hard, stands up to the scuffs of travel and makes my life and work easier. I have a Powerbook G$ now, but I still use the “clamshell” iBook at least once a week.

14. The Vagabond Says:
    October 28th, 2007 at 10:26 am

    With few exceptions, from what I’ve seen here, most of the complaints seem to center around aesthetics more than functionality (I actually own or have owned many of the products on this list!). Most people complained about the VW when it first hit the US market as well, but it was reliable. I do not buy something unless it can survive my field usage. If it can’t, I won’t.
    My tangarine iBook “Tang” was even physically jumped on by one of my students; it still shows the stress fractures in the handle and the dings in the shielding, but it still runs. Try that with most laptops!

15. Peter Says:
    November 4th, 2007 at 6:38 pm

    The Toilet-Seat Cover with a carrying handle…bad design no matter how you look at it. The computer itself was very reliable, just ugly.

16. Joe Says:
    November 7th, 2007 at 8:47 pm

    While the aesthetics were questionable looking back in retrospect, there is no doubt that this was one of the models alongside the iMac G3, Powermac G3 B&W and Powerbook G3 that put Apple back on the map. Steve Jobs had wanted from very early on to market a line of computers to college students, and the iMac/iBook would be those machines. While the Powermac and Powerbook would be marketed to the high end of the market, the ‘i’ models would be aimed at teens and young adults and had to appeal to them by being different from the dull beige boxes and basic black laptops that their parents used. iMacs and iBooks were the computers to be seen with. They were trendy and cool and not really deserving of this list.

17. Warren Says:
    November 7th, 2007 at 10:14 pm

    In response to Joe (and to add to my earlier comment) - you pretty much hit the nail on the head. I was in college at the time I bought a “blueberry” iMac and matching iBook. Looking back, the whole thing of having matching “fruity” computers is moderately embarrassing, but at the time I thought it was so cool… so yeah, Apple hit their target pretty well. That’s also no doubt why my iBook was stolen - they were a very hot property at the time, more so than a “regular” laptop.

18. DerekG Says:
    January 26th, 2008 at 12:45 am

    I think this was one of the best designs Apple ever came up with. In fact, I’m typing this on a 300 MHz blueberry clamshell iBook right now. It’s still going strong running 10.3.9 with just 160 MB of RAM. This thing will last me another five years easy.

19. andygardener Says:
    February 24th, 2008 at 2:43 pm

    again, have to disagree, the sturdy ibook clam was a great, even inspired design. the 366mhz model i own has always been reliable, runs os10.4.11 flawlessly and is not slow by any means for browsing and general tasks esp considering its an 8 years old which is ancient by computer standards- admittedly its been upraded to 20gb hard drive and 320mb memory. it is very quiet and stays cool to the touch and is very comfy to use. the ibook brought in the era of simple and affordable wireless networking to the masses and for that reason alone it should be considered onre of the greatest personal computers ever. the new battery i bought years ago gives hours and hours of use too due to the smallish screen. as a piece of practical design it is far better than the much admired tibook with its ridiculously delicate paint and hinges, or those newer ones that dent if you so much as look at them funny. now they are overrated and flawed, if objectively beautiful machines - not with dents and flaking paint however! try picking one of those things up with one hand or even being slightly rough with it like you can with the clam. and they burn your hands as they are too powerful and need an irritating fan. they have crap airport reception compared with the ibooks too. the g3 ibook is a nice compromise between performance and user practicality. laptops are built to be used without molly codling them and the ibook is well suited to the knocks of everyday use. looks are subjective too, (personally find the old black powerbooks depressing looking but thats irrelevent as others certainly dont). just cos the ibook was aimed at a different sector of the market doesnt mean it was a bad design.

20. Robert Says:
    March 18th, 2008 at 3:18 pm

    All good points, but think about this … this was a breakthrough product for Apple price-wise, and brought a lot of people into the Apple fold. The fact that it made such a, uh, strong visual statement really announced to the worlds of younger users and college campuses that the Mac was gaining, if you saw three of these a day it would really leave an impression of them being everywhere. I don’t think this was part of any though-out master plan, but I think it served it purpose in this way.

    And I love everyone clamoring to the defense of every product on this list,. To those that are getting angry, relax! It’s ENTERTAINMENT. To those who aren’t, thanks for adding to it!

21. Greenie Says:
    April 9th, 2008 at 11:38 am

    COMPLETELY disagree with you there. I’m currently typing this message on a 366MHz Clamshell iBook, running OS 10.3.9, and couldn’t be happier with it! It actually feels faster and more responsive than my friend’s MacBook running POS Leopard.

    The other day I used my iBook to fix my friend’s brand new MacBook. The MacBook had massive issues the other day after ‘upgrading’ to Leopard, and it was suggested that deleting a cache file would improve stability. However, thanks to the useless pile of *^*&^ that is Spotlight, it’s impossible to find the cache file in question using Leopard. So, I hooked up the iBook running OS 10.3.9 using wireless file sharing, and Find File promptly found the problematic cache file and was able to delete it. I should mention that wireless access is MUCH more stable on the iBook too, with its two big antennas mounted high up.

    The MacBook is RUBBISH compared to this iBook. The iBook screen is bright and extremely visible from any angle, whereas the MacBook screen is appallingly bad, even a single colour over the entire screen looks like it has a gradient. The iBook is only 800×600, but that’s only a problem for those awfully designed websites that have 7 or 8 columns of advertising. In fact, the narrow screen actually filters the edges, so I don’t see the advertising so much! The MacBook burnt my leg the other day because it got too hot. The iBook is on my uncovered legs right now, not causing any problems. Also, the keyboard on the iBook is MUCH better than the el-cheapo crap on the MacBook.

    I’d have to say, I can live with the iBook, but I could never live with a MacBook. And my old Titanium which was a beautiful laptop died a nasty death when I bent my knee and the case twisted. Even though the computer was not dropped, simply twisting the case too far killed the motherboard because the bottom casing is too flimsy. However, the iBook will never suffer from that problem. I’m actually considering buying a newer iBook to replace the Titanium, one with FireWire (then it will be able to boot other computers using Target mode, which is the main thing I used the Titanium for.)

    I’ve been MORE than happy with the iBook. My family keep stealing it from me whenever I go out, Mum uses it for her company accounts and my brother can use it all night on FaceBook and MSN Messenger. I’m also considering replacing the internal 4200rpm 6GB hard disk, because it’s very noisy. Putting a larger, faster 5400 or 7200rpm drive in will no doubt make the computer even more pleasurable and faster to use.

22. Ned Ludd Says:
    April 18th, 2008 at 1:06 pm

    Personally, I think the design is fantastic. My 466 SE is probably my most-used computer. Runs Tiger, Photoshop, Illustrator etc just fine… and as a bonus it’s a bit of a chick-magnet (seriously).

23. peter Says:
    June 29th, 2008 at 6:06 am

    This is actually a great machine! It came in a few ways. This one shown is the simplest by far and it went to the Grey model which had a G3/466 with DVD player and FW, usb built in. This machines exterior is rubberized and is easy to use. There are far more virtues than flaws with design. Maybe you should look at the iBook 500 dual USB which had more failures and recalls than any other laptop. That was something they made so many of with a known flaw in the Motherboard (video - BGA problems) that it is hard to believe they put it on the street.

    I fix them all the time but they would have been much better with the corrected video problem.

    Peter in San Diego

24. kevin Says:
    August 16th, 2008 at 5:45 am

    Ugly, sure. But an awesome machine for the day. Who the hell compiled this list?

25. JEF Says:
    October 9th, 2008 at 6:58 am

    I have never owned one of these, but always thought it was an inspired design: form following (necessary) function. If anything, it’s upsetting that the thought that went into this is no longer in evidence on the company’s present products…

26. Aleta Mcclain Says:
    November 12th, 2008 at 7:23 pm

    1asb1d3gn5k632at

27. Вадим Says:
    June 18th, 2009 at 4:28 am

    Прикольненькую тему для WordPress поставили. Сами делали или стандартную брали? :)

28. Luis Says:
    July 1st, 2009 at 6:01 am

    your list of worst apple products should not even exist! if it was made by apple, it is perfect!

29. нeжнaя Says:
    July 26th, 2009 at 4:14 am

    Можно и подискутировать по этому поводу … :)

30. Dave Walker Says:
    November 9th, 2010 at 1:40 pm

    1) The picture is of the 2nd iteration, the “IceBook” that was a return to more traditional notebook design and is the direct ancestor of todays MacBook.

    2) While the form of the original iBook was unusual it was also
    -Proven G3 Series technology in a consumer product
    -Designed to be actually taken places by the masses an therefore had a minimum of square edges where stress concentrates (look up DeHaviland Comet for a reference), and a sturdy handle. Unusual looking? Yes. Durable YES!

    It is arguable controversial, but hardly *worst*; having sold well, being through three model revisions before changing to the current design, and having no notable hardware shortcomings.

    Dave in Philadelphia

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