iBook 700MHz review

The restyled iBook has been a huge success for Apple since its introduction in May last year.

Keen not to rest on its laurels, the company has released the third revision to the range, featuring faster processors and better graphics performance.

There are three models in the new line, and despite speculation to the contrary, the iBook remains the only PowerPC G3-based Mac. The 600MHz machine has a 12.1in screen, 20Gb hard disk, 128Mb RAM and a CD-ROM drive. The mid-range iBook now has a 700MHz processor, 12.1in screen, 20Gb hard drive, 128Mb RAM and a CD-ROM/DVD-ROM Combo drive. The range is completed by a 700MHz model with a 14.1in screen, 256Mb RAM, 30Gb hard drive and a Combo drive. Each model has twice as much on-chip level 2 cache as before and the graphics engine on each has been upgraded to the ATI Mobility Radeon with 16Mb RAM and 2x AGP support. Maximum resolution remains 1024 x 768 pixels.

Rugged outdoors

Wisely, the exterior of the iBook has been left alone and nothing about its case gives any clue that changes have been made. Part of the iBook's attraction is its combination of good looks and rugged design. The polycarbonite casing will resist all but the most careless of bumps and the rubber mounting on which the hard drive is seated gives it added protection. Its sleek, shiny white casing still looks good, even on early models that have been subjected to several months of use.

Connectivity ports, as before, are located on the left-hand side of the iBook's case and consist of ports for modem, 10/100 Base-T Ethernet, FireWire and two for USB. There has been a slight change to the video and audio ports. Previously, the video out port connected only VGA devices and both composite video and S-Video were supported via an AV port, which doubled as a headphone socket. Now, S-Video, composite and VGA are all supported through an adaptor connected to the video out port. Unlike the PowerBook range, none of the new iBooks has an AirPort card preinstalled.

In boosting the performance of the iBook, Apple has been careful to retain the distinction between professional and consumer line-ups. This is one part of the reason for sticking with the G3 - the other being the fact that the G4's additional heat dissipation would demand a significant redesign.

Despite the increase in processor power and improvement in on-chip Level 2 cache, the most visible improvement to most users will be in the graphics system. The ATI Radeon Mobility is a very capable chip and its inclusion means that iBook users will be able to play the latest games, such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein (see Reviews, 31 May 2002, p27), with all the graphics effects turned on. This was impossible in previous iBooks.

The improved graphics also means the iBooks will be able to take full advantage of the new display graphics engine, Quartz Extreme, which will ship with the next version of Mac OS X, due in late summer.

Next to the leap in graphics performance, the incremental improvement in general all-round speed seems rather tame. However, it's no less welcome for that, particularly as these new models are the same price as their predecessors.

Middle of the road

We put the mid-range model through its paces using MacUser's suite of OS X-based Labs tests. Our test results (see above) show how the 700MHz iBook compares with an 800MHz PowerBook G4.

If you're trying to decide whether to go for an iBook or a PowerBook, it's worth remembering that unless you're using applications that take advantage of the G4's Velocity Engine, such as Photoshop, the performance difference between similarly clocked G4 and G3 processors in real-world applications is small. In fact, if you want a portable for general office tasks rather than Photoshop or digital video work, the iBook has a great deal going for it. It's significantly cheaper than the PowerBook and it's also smaller, lighter and more robust.