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The Road Warrior Mailbag And Archive - August 18, 2008

Marks on MacBook Screen

From Dolna

My boys (husband and two of three sons) still like their MacBooks.

Question: both sons use a silicone keyboard cover ( http://www.kbcovers.com/servlet/StoreFront ). I like these covers but I notice that the imprint of the keyboard cover seems to be permanently on the monitor (not "etched" but "stuck" or "ingrained")... is there a way to remove this?

It probably doesn't help that he leaves his cover on the keyboard all the time, even when the laptop is closed., so the outline of the keyboard cover is pressing into the monitor for long periods.... like a bulky sandwich filling pressing into soft bread. I like these keyboard covers and if I ever buy a new keyboard I'd buy one.

Also, Do you know if I can install 10.4.11 from one of the MacBook Software Restore disks or if I'd first have to purchase the program? (son thinks yes.) I'm not planning to give up my eMac until it dies, so I'm anxious to see what effect a new OS would have. My eMac has 1 GHz G4 and I GB of RAM, and is currently running OS 10.3.9.

Dolna

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Hi Dolna;

The problem with marking the screen on the MacBook is finger grease. Not easy to remove without potentially causing worse damage unfortunately. A particular problem with the glossy finish the MacBook display has I imagine.

You can get little insert blankets to insert when the 'Book is closed to prevent this happening (or getting worse). RadTech ScreenSavrz are nice ones. My wife has one for her iBook:
http://www.radtech.us/Products/NotebookScreenSavrz.aspx

There are two types of OS X install DVDs (or CDs with older versions) - a generic one that you purchase, and which will work with any supported Mac (although the Apple EULA stipulates that it is for installing on only one machine); and the System Restore DVDs/CDs that ship with new Macs and which contain a software block that prevents them from being used with different model Macs.

You won't notice any speed increase with 10.4.11 compared with a clean install of 10.3.9, but you'll get a more extensive feature set (especially Spotlight, which I can't live without anymore), plus a lot better compatibility with current software.

Charles

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From The Road Warrior Archive: Excited Again About The iBook (Aug. 2005)

On August 2, 2005, I posted the column republished below, profiling the then just- introduced last revision of the already venerable iBook, which would be finally replaced by the Intel-based MacBook in May of the next year.

Apple, fresh from Steve Jobs' announcement of the watershed switch to Intel CPUs, pulled the bung out with this ultimate iBook, adding several theretofore PowerBook-only features, and bumping most of the power and performance configuration specs. As I noted in my summary comments, I was tempted to buy one to replace the 700 MHz G3 iBook I was using then as my primary workhorse. In retrospect, I'm glad I kept my powder dry, and ended up replacing the iBook with an Apple Certified Refurbished 17" PowerBook in February, 2006, which is still my main production Mac, although I hope to finally upgrade to a MacIntel in the next few months.

However, those last iBooks did represent a great value in the context of the time, and I expect there are a fair few of them out there still giving their owners excellent service.

CM

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From The Archive: Excited Again About The iBook [First Published Aug., 2, 2005]

I didn't think it was possible, but Apple has succeeded in making me excited again about the dual USB iBook. Even more astonishing, after more than three and a half years of feeling indifferent about the 14-inch model, it's finally got me interested. Am interested enough to buy one? We'll see.

I think Bill Palmer sized things up well with his http://www.billpalmer.net/2005/07/new-apple-value-proposition-throw-in.html observation that Apple his throwing in everything but the kitchen sink in an effort to keep people buying during the long leadup to introduction of new Intel-based iBooks and PowerBooks next year. We saw the first round of this even before the MacIntel announcement, with the PowerBook updates in January, and now Apple has enhanced the iBook with more PowerBook features as well. There still a specification gap, but it narrowed considerably last Tuesday.

Things like the widescreens, illuminated keyboards, high end graphics cards, 167 MHz system buses, Gigabit Ethernet, and PC Card slots are still exclusive to the PowerBooks, but look what you get with these latest iBooks: 1.33 GHz and 1.42 GHz processors (a shade slower than the 1.5 GHz and 1.67 GHz PowerBook chips, but not a whole lot); 512 megabytes of standard RAM across the board; a programmable graphics processor that fully supports Core Image in OS 10.4; scrolling trackpads and sudden motion sensors, Airport Extreme and Bluetooth support. This was high-end PowerBook stuff, or not even available, only months ago, and now you get it all in a $999 iBook!

Back when the 14 inch iBook took its bow in January, 2002, it was suggested that it could could be considered the "Son of Pismo" successor to the much- loved ultimate PowerBook G3. The notion had some substance. The size and weight were similar, and the 14.1" display size and resolution the same. However, I never found the 14-inch iBook a really convincing successor to the Pismo, which is one of the most desirable PowerBooks ever. At least not until now.

I mean, this new 14-inch iBook is such a deal. I'm still partial to the 12-inch version's looks and compact form factor, but for $300 more you now get a 90 MHz faster processor, a 50 percent larger capacity hard drive, and a SuperDrive, as well as the larger dimensioned display, amounting to a $200 price reduction from the previous, slower, top end iBook with no Bluetooth and half as much RAM. You just gotta love this. It's without doubt the best performance and features value for the money in Apple laptop history.

Not that the 12-inch model is any slouch in the value department either. If you don't need the ability to burn DVDs, the 90 MHz less clock speed isn't such a big deal, and the 60 GB BTO hard drive option is inexpensive. Also, the SuperDrive in the 14-inch model is actually a delete option that you can replace with a combo drive and take another hundred dollar price reduction to $1199. It would (will?) be a tough decision for me which to go with. I love my 12-inch G3 iBook, and I think its form vector is pretty much ideal in a laptop. On the other hand, my next system will be the last PowerPC Mac that I will likely ever buy, and I was thinking of going to a bit higher spec machine anyway, perhaps a 12-inch PowerBook. However, the iBook now has a definite advantage in value for the money. If I were planning to use it only in portable mode, the PowerBook's better keyboard might still give it an edge, but I use an external keyboard most of the time anyway, so I can live with the iBook's mediocre 'board for occasional use.

So let's look at what you get with the
new iBooks in some detail. As noted, the processor speed bumps aren't anything to get up in the night and write home about, but every little bit counts. Depending on the configuration, the maximum speed of the system bus is 133 or 142 MHz. I expect that the speed boost with the Intel PowerBooks come next year will be as dramatic as the shift from PowerPC 603e to G3 was back in 1997. However, battery life and heat generation will probably the worse, so the old G4s could still more desirable in that context if you don't really need the raw power of the Pentium M.

The shift to 512 megabytes of RAM soldered to the motherboard is a huge, not just because it doubles the previous standard RAM specification, but also because it makes the former virtual necessity of buying a RAM upgrade now optional for non-power users, and also makes the upgrade to a full gigabyte of RAM possible with the one relatively inexpensive 512 MB expansion module. Also while we're discussing memory, these new iBooks take PC-2700 DDR 333 RAM as well as the previous iBook G4s PC-2100 DDR 266B (PC2100) spec.

Bumping the base model's hard drive from 30 gigabytes to 40 gigabytes provides what I consider to be the minimum storage capacity I can comfortably live with as standard equipment, and I likely wouldn't bother ordering a larger BTO drive if I bought the 12-inch model, although if you think you might need the extra room during your tenure with the computer, at purchase is the time to make this decision with iBooks. Upgrading the hard drive in on these machines involves almost completely dismantling them, and it's not a recommended do-it-yourself project. The 60 gigabyte drive standard in the 14-inch model should be more than ample for my anticipated needs over the next few years, but if that still not enough for your video collection or whatnot, 80 gigabyte and 100 gigabyte BTO options are offered.

WiFi and Bluetooth wireless support are becoming must-haves for many users, and these new iBooks have you covered on both counts, with standard Airport Extreme (802.11g) and Bluetooth 2.0 EDR (enhanced data rate) support built-in as standard equipment.

The new ATI mobility Radeon 9550 GPU is programmable and based on Radeon 9600 technology, so Core Image graphics in OS 10.4 Tiger are now fully supported. This also relieves some processing overhead from the CPU, which should help speed things up a bit more in general. Video RAM remains at 32 MB, which isn't overmuch by today's standards, but should be satisfactory for most of us who aren't serious gamers or people who work with high-end graphics and video.

The new-last-January Apple scrolling trackpad got off to a bit of a rough start in the PowerBooks, and I'm still receiving reader letters complaining of it being jumpy and imprecise, so I hope the early production bugs have been chased for this iBook installation.

The sudden motion sensor is a great idea for portables that are used as portables, and could help save your hard drive and the precious data it contains should you ever drop or bump the computer while the hard drive spun up. Another significant value enhancement.

Then there is the returning good stuff -- the FireWire port (although it would be nice to have two), two USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet and a modem, and either a combo drive or a SuperDrive. Personally, I can still quite happily live without DVD- burning capability. I have a nice 8x SuperDrive in my Pismo, but it's been used mainly for reading CDs and DVDs and burning CDs, so my style would not be cramped much with the combo drive right now, although the SuperDrive may loom larger in the future and it's certainly no hardship to have one. JUst an extra hundred bucks.

Areas where these iBooks still fall short of the state of the art are bus speed -- still 133 MHz compared to 166 MHz on the PowerBooks, which is itself no big whoop. This area will be addressed by the Intel shift. The screens are still classic aspect ratio 1024 x 768 units, with identical resolution in both sizes. I love the 12.1-inch screen in my G3 iBook -- the best computer display I've ever had, period. However, recent reports indicate that the 12-inch screens currently being used in both iBooks and PowerBooks may not be as good as they use to be, so that might be another factor favoring the 14-inch model. Then there are the keyboards, which are not the worst laptop keyboards Apple has ever used, but they are mediocre compared with the great 'boards in the Aluminum PowerBooks. That might also be a deciding factor for folks who use their built-in keyboard most of the time.

The operative conundrum now for me is whether to take advantage of this extraordinary value enhancement, or to wait and see if the rumored 14.1 inch widescreen iBook really does materialize in the late fall or at Macworld Expo. I will ruminate for a bit, but I'm a lot more tempted to pull the trigger on a system upgrade then I was at the beginning of last week.



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cmoore@macopinion.com

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