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changeUNVEILED BY STEVE Jobs in 1999,
the iBook converted the iMac’s brightly
colored translucent plastics into portable
form. With its fast PowerPC G3 processor
and groundbreaking wireless network
option, it pushed the limits of what
anyone was expecting from a notebook
computer. It was also barely smaller or
lighter than a small trash can lid, a factor
that — despite the thoughtful inclusion of
a carrying handle — partly explains
why many customers decided that they
would be happier sticking with some of
their expectations.
Codenamed “Snow”, the second–
generation iBook arrived in May 2001 at
a low–key press conference in Cupertino.
Just two months later, on stage at
Macworld Expo New York, Jobs was ableoptional 802.11b Wi–Fi built in, it was the
perfect embodiment of Apple’s “digital
hub” concept.
Some users, indeed, recall the iBook
G3 as one of the greatest ever Apple
portables. Sadly, others only remember
that its reliability was among the worst,
with as many as half the units made
requiring major repairs. Revisions
initially made the failure rate worse,
and eventually the problems were
acknowledged by an Apple warranty
extension program. RIP the iBook G3:
you were nearly perfect.to announce that the new machine,
hailed by press critics as a revolution in
portable price/performance that PC
makers couldn’t match, had already sold
182,000 units. This beat Apple’s previous
record for the most notebooks shipped in
any quarter.
Starting at $1,299 — calculated by The
New York Times’ David Pogue as $500
cheaper than the nearest competitor
— the iBook G3 was less than half the size
of its predecessor by volume and,
finished in translucent white and silver
magnesium, weighed less than 5lb.
Besides the still market–leading CPU,
features included an ATI Rage 128
graphics card, CD or DVD burner and
high–speed FireWire port. And with
10/100 Ethernet, a 56k modem andNEXT ISSUE ON SALE
FEB 4RANDOM APPLE MEMORYiBook G3
Adam Banks eulogizes the Apple laptop that put the mold back together
RAM
98 FEB 2020 maclife.com