I’m quite excited because this is my first blog entry being tapped out on my new(ish) iBook G4 laptop. I’ve been considering getting a mac for a while, and getting a laptop seemed to be the most convenient thing to do.
So far I’m loving it. It actually has the same specs as my desktop PC but just manages to do everything so much quicker, which is quite a feat considering all the graphical bells and whistles that OS X provides over WinXP.
Installing programs couldn’t be easier – it usually involves a drag and drop of the program’s icon to your harddrive. My brief linux experience comes in handy when I need to delve into the underbelly to change the way things work, which i’ve only needed to do once (to re-order the dns lookup).
I have a 12″ model which I thought would be unbearably small, but in fact I seem to prefer it to my 21″ CRT which seems a little blurry in comparison.
I purchased my iBook from eBay and got a reasonable deal, considering it looks and behaves like new, and is only 5 or so months old. As a bonus, when I checked the Apple website I read that they are recalling particular batteries, mine included, so I have requested a replacement battery be sent out, and Apple is wearing the cost.
There are still a few things I need to sort out before I’m completely comfortable with my iBook, and it can take the place of my PC for all uses. The first of these was getting my DVD burner hooked up, which I sorted out on Sunday. I also want to get wireless installed for the network so I am not bound by cables. I also want an external case for my large HDD (at the moment I have WinXP sharing it, but I’d rather not have the computer on). I also want a sound card with MIDI and Audio In so I can start using it for audio work. Finally, I would like the TV out adaptor from Apple. Oh, and I think a USB hub is going to become necessary very quickly.
Other than the expensive hardware requirements, I’m absolutely loving the machine. Everything from software design to the actual hardware is built so well and I’ve only had to force exit one program so far (a VNC client because I forgot what the command was to exit fullscreen mode).