Rating  - barely usable
After a lifelong predilection for Toshiba Sattelite notebook, I decided to make the switch.
I figured for $1000, I would get enough for internet, word processing and DVD playing and do the rest on my desktop PC.
Was I ever wrong.
The internet is OK. Fonts are displayed very poorly with quite a bit of washout.
Word processing is very, very slow - frequently the displayed words lag behind my typing - very annoying.
DVD playing is good and the battery life is impressive.
You are stuck with iTunes for music, although I was able to finally find a utility to let me play music without creating a playlist and manually sorting it, but all the millions of iTune lovers will probably disagree.
THE ABSOLUTE WORST PART OF THE MACHINE IS HOW SLOW IT IS. The operating system is constantly optimizing the disc without giving that process a lower priority then anything you need to do - as a result a simple close an active window can take up to a few minutes. The machine is doing disc writes as I am typing this - why?
OVERALL IMPRESSION: reliable mac software. completely inadequate hardware.
MY RECOMMENDATION: avoid this one like the plague and spend money on a much more expensive Mac notebook. Me, I am going back to Toshiba as soon as my iBook dies or gets thrown out of my window on 23rd floor.
Rating  - very satisfied
I've been looking to buy an ibook for a while now. It far exceeds my Dell notebook capabilities in sounds and graphics. Garageband was one of the main reasons for switching to a Mac platform. It has given me a new world of possibilities for composing and recording adventures. The product was carefully sent in a safe and timely fashion. Thanks!
Rating - My favorite notebook.
I've owned many Macs, starting with an 040 Performa, and purchased even more when I taught high school journalism classes. Through the use and abuse of students and my own children, I have learned just how durable Mac hardware and software is, in comparison with products in the PC world. During many years of teaching, I had one visit from the IT dude, while my PC using colleagues vied for his services.
The G4 iBook replaced a Ti Powerbook with one of the notorious broken hinges, and I was unhappy with the Powerbook, because it had not been as reliable as my other Macs. However, my iBook has proven very reliable. The operating system (OS 10.3.9) has been seldom crashed, and the case seems really tough. I have enjoyed the built in Airport and Superdrive, and the iLife software included makes photography and video editing easy. Indeed, the only real problem has been the letters wearing off of the keyboard. Apple replaced the first one under the extended warranty (which is a good idea for a traveling notebook) and I will need another one soon. Most people don't type as much as I do, but as a writer, I really pound the keyboard, so five of my letters are no longer legible.
All in all, this has been my favorite Mac, because it travels with me everywhere I go, and it has been very reliable. I hope all of the newer Macs are just as good as this one!
Rating - Converted and Pleased
The Apple iBook G4 is possibly the best all-around laptop yet made. This would explain its extremely long lifespan as the entry-level portable Mac. The 1.42 GHz model with Superdrive was my first Mac and laptop, and is the machine on which this review is being written. Needless to say, I have enjoyed owning it, and will be upset to part with it in favour of a MacBook when the time comes.
Rating  - Fragile - both the case and the service
I use a variety of notebooks. The iBook I owned had a very flimsy LCD screen. You can see this if you press on the case on the other side of the screen: the slightest pressure immediately distorts the screen. I don't see this effect on the Lenovo or Dell notebooks I use.
Not surprisingly, the iBook screen was damaged (hairline "cracks" in the LCD screen) in less than 6 months. I don't know how this came about but I know the case was intact so I didn't drop the machine or drop anything heavy on the case.
I purchased the Macintosh with a three year "AppleCare" warranty (at a very steep cost). Despite this, all Apple would offer me as a repair option was to replace the screen for $800. The new iBook was about $900.
So, caveat emptor. The recent Wall Street Journal article on fragile iPod screens prompted me to write this. Seems that Apple continues to prefer style over substance.
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