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The Road Warrior Mailbag + From The Archive , Tokyo Road - Pismo (Or Not)

5.3 Ozs and Inanity
MacBook/ 12" PowerBook
Tokyo Road - Pismo (Or Not) And The New iBooks Analyzed

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5.3 Ozs and Inanity

From Joseph

Hi Charles,

Well, it is about time I weigh in on the discussion of weight of MacBooks and iBooks. For those of a more analytical bent, the weight difference between a MacBook and an iBook is exactly 5.3 ozs.

Over the past months, many people have have written to you complaining about the increase in weight between the two. Many have justified their decisions to purchase (or not) a new MacBook.

I have a Swiss Army knife that weighs 2 oz. I also weighed my stainless steel watch which weighs 3 ozs. I would venture to say that the difference in the clothes one wears on a certain day would make a 5 oz difference. Are these Mac users so frail they must economize on energy expenditure? Do they always take the elevator? Do they walk? Do they smoke? I think these guys are real slugs (as in lazy). Or can it be that they just can't afford a new portable?

Early this year, when I bought a new MBP with all the bells and whistles, many blogs whined about all the reasons not to buy it. I bought it and it is the best computer I have ever owned. To not move to intel on a Mac portable because of 5 ozs is inane, to say the least!

Best regards, Joseph

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Hi Joseph;

Thanks for the comments, and I'm very pleased to hear that you like your MacBook Pro.

As regards the MacBook as a road warrioring machine, I think the critical comparison is more with the late, lamented 12" PowerBook than the 12" iBook. The weights are respectively:

PowerBook G4 12-inch 4.6 lb.
MacBook 13.3-inch 5.3 lb.
iBook 12-inch 4.9 lb.

So the weight difference between the 12" PowerBook and the 13.3" MacBook is seven-tenths of a pound ot 14 and change percent more for the MacBook. Whether lugging that amount of extra weight around constitutes a reasonable objection is a subjective eveluation. The farther and longer you lug, the more onerous every extra ounce becomes.

However, I think a more frequent criticism of the MacBook as a mobile computer centers on its footprint dimensions more than its weight.

The MacBook measures:
Height: 1.08 inches (2.75 cm)
Width: 12.78 inches (32.5 cm)
Depth: 8.92 inches (22.7 cm)

The 12" PowerBook
Height:1.18 inches (3.0 cm)
Width:10.9 inches (27.7 cm)
Depth:8.6 inches (21.9 cm)

Ergo, the MacBook is nearly two inches wider than the PowerBook, which is significant when you're working in tight spaces or on airline seat trays.

indeed, the MacBook is only about 3/4 of an inch narrower, and weighs just a tenth of a pound less than the erstwhile full-sized Titanium PowerBook. Height: 1.0 inch (25 mm)
Width: 13.4 inches (341 mm)
Depth: 9.5 inches (241 mm)

The MacBook, particularly in its latest Core 2 Duo iteration is a great computer, but compared to the 12" PowerBook it has some substantial shortcomings as a serious luggable computer.

If the rumor mills are at all accurate, Apple is working to address that matter in the near future.

Charles

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MacBook/ 12" PowerBook

From Joseph

Hi again, Charles,

I think you are right about the comparison of the MacBook to the 12" PB. But the MacBook was never meant to replace the 12" PB. They are of a completely different form factor and consumer use. Those Mac portable lovers of the 12" screen have simply been left out in the cold. That they have chosen to criticize out of piquishness what I feel will be the greatest selling consumer portable in Apple history is dumb.

The frequent criticism of the Macbooks for its dimensions I believe, is misplaced. You mentioned "working in tight spaces or on airline seat trays." The ONLY tight spaces a computer user experiences is a toilet stall or an airline seat.

The only time I ever recall seeing the use of an Apple in a flight was last month on an AA flight between Puerto Rico and Miami. A 20's something was sitting across the aisle one seat ahead to my right. He was watching a DVD on a 15" PB. On the aisle side of the tray he had balanced one of those plastic cups filled to the brim with soda. The attendant brought him 2 packets of munchies which he opened in all of the confusion of passenger and attendant traffic. It kept me entertained for the whole trip. I expected that PB to end up on eBay for parts.

I don't know what the statistics are, but I think most North Americans don't do a lot of flying - perhaps a couple of flights a year. I do know that the majority of North Americans are overweight and carrying an extra 9 Ozs once in a while would do them good.

Joseph

Hi Joseph;

Thanks for your further comments.

I agree that the MacBook was not specifically intended to replace the 12" PowerBook, but it did more or less by default when the 12-incher was discontinued with the macBook introduction. This was partly just rational logistics. The 12" PowerBook was built in the same plant(s) and presumably using some of the same tooling as the iBook, and when the latter was displaced by the MacBook, it would've made no economic sense to continue manufacturing the LittleAl as the last of the G4 Mohicans.

I will be very surprised if Apple is not working on a compact MacBook Pro of some sort, but there is, as you say, now a void in the lineup.

As for working in cramped spaces, I don't fly much, but I do use my iBook in the car fairly frequently, and find it plenty big enough balanced on my lap behind the steering wheel (no, not when I'm driving ).

There does appear to be a viable market for airline power adapters, and even Keynamics' Aviator laptop stand specifically designed for use on airline trays. I agree that using a laptop aloft is not a big priority for the vast majority of laptop users, but the proportion among folks who bought the 12" PowerBook would be considerably higher, I reckon.

I'm 5' 10" and weigh about 126 lb. I get lots of exercise, but lugging around heavy computers isn't my favorite form.

Charles

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Re: MacBook/ 12" PowerBook

From Joseph

Charles,

Thank you for your considerate replies to my comments on computer size and the propensity of geekdom to zero in on ounces. But perhaps it was highly entertaining to those Mac nitpickers who are into details.

Even though I really like my MBP, I feel it does have some shortcomings. It did not come with FW 800. It also came with a 4x Superdrive, which I believe is a very thin model to squeeze into the case. No optical drive upgrades here!

These close quarters in a 15" MBP do not portend well for the future 12" MBP. If they have trouble getting top grade aspects into the 15", how will they do it in a 12"? The later model 15" C2D does have these features. In any case, I think it will be a squeeze in "a compact MacBook Pro of some sort".

Joseph

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Hi Joseph;

Good points, and the relatively larger space inside the 17" MBP may be a big part of the reason why the 17" Core Duo model logged the best reliability record among the Core Duo 'Books in MacInTouch's recent survey.

On the other hand, the 12" PowerBook has a better than average reliability record.

There seems to be a large school of thught that Apple might help keep dimensions and weight down in a mini MacBook Pro by leaving out the optical drive. Not an idea that enchants me, but it could be worked around.

Charles

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Not a lot of messages in the Mailbag this week due to the Christmas holiday, so here is another selection from The Road Warrior Archive, first published in February, 2000 at the introduction of the legendary Pismo PowerBook and some upgraded clamshell iBooks at MacWorld Tokyo. It's interesting that my initial admiration for the Pismo has stood the test of time and familiarity - still one of my very favorite Macs of all time, and mine is still giving me yeoman service.

CM

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Tokyo Road - Pismo (Or Not) And The New iBooks Analyzed

The Road Warrior with Charles W. Moore
(Originally Published On Feb. 23, 2000)

Lots of new Road Warrior stuff to talk about this time. Last week, Apple unveiled what could be the best PowerBook ever at MacWorld Expo Tokyo, along with a modestly upgraded "Revision B" iBook, and a new iBook SE in Graphite and Ice livery with a 20 percent faster processor.

Introducing Pismo and the iBook SE at Tokyo was a classy decision on Apple's part, acknowledging the spectacular sales support Apple has enjoyed from Japanese consumers over the past year, and especially appropriate given the popularity of portable computers in Japan.

Pismo - Or Not Pismo?

We'll address the new iBooks presently, but the first order of business is the new professional PowerBook, which IMHO is now the star of Apple's model lineup. Yes, some folks are disappointed that the new 'Book has no G4 processor. I am not. The G3, especially at 400 and 500 MHz with 1 MB of L2 cache, still has plenty of punch, and this is the fastest laptop on the planet. For what the vast majority of PowerBook users want their machines to do, the fast G3s are overkill. The G4, at its present stage of development at least, would have serious limitations in the heat and power consumption departments, and who needs that?

I have mixed feelings about the new 'Book's name - or un-name. The overworked "PowerBook G3" nomenclature has mercifully been retired, but I'm not sure that "the 'Book with no name" is much of an improvement.

At the computer store:
"I need a widget for my PowerBook."
"What kind of PowerBook do you have?"
"A PowerBook."
"Yes, you said that, but what model of PowerBook is it?
"Uh...Just PowerBook...."

What is it with Apple and model names Anyway? Most commentators in the Mac Website orbit are referring to the new PowerBook as "Pismo," presumed to be its code name during development - borrowed from a famous beach in California which is reportedly a good clamming area. Hence the assumption that the PowerBook "Pismo" would have a "clamshell" sprung lid like the iBook's -- which the new PowerBook doesn't. I have received several letters from readers admonishing me to not call the new 'Book "Pismo." So if not Pismo, then what? "PowerBook (FireWire)" is pretty tortured terminology, and will be descriptively useful (so to speak) only until the next FireWire equipped 'Book arrives.

I'm betting that Apple personnel did not refer to the new machine as "PowerBook (FireWire)" internally, and the consensus seems to be that Pismo was the code name for this particular 'Book, clamshell case or not. Most Macs, starting with the old 512k ("Fat Mac") have had Apple code names during development, which usually have been a lot more euphonious and imaginative than whatever the machine ended up being called when it rolled out the door. The original PowerBook 100 had two code names - Derringer and Rosebud. The 165c was Monet; the 170 was Road Warrior; the 500 series was Blackbird; the 5300 was M2; the 1400 was Epic, the 3400 was Hooper; the original G3 was Kanga; the G3 Series I was WallStreet; the Series II (also popularly referred to as WallStreet) was actually PDQ; the Series III was Lombard; and the latest PowerBook was, I think, Pismo. I welcome correction on this point if anyone can authoritatively provide it. However, for the present, I shall continue provisionally referring to the PowerBook (FireWire) as Pismo.

The name confusion gripe aside, Pismo is otherwise pretty much a home run. Grumbling has been heard about there being only the subtlest change in appearance from Lombard, but I think Apple was wise to stick with the Lombard (G3 Series 1999 Bronze) form factor. I hasten to emphasize that Pismo is not just a speed-bumped Lombard with FireWire substituted for SCSI and AirPort wireless support added - there is lots of cool new content.

One tremendous advantage of sticking with the Lombard case is of course that Lombard's batteries and expansion bay devices can be carried over, which simplifies matters, cuts costs for everybody, and makes future availability of batteries, especially, a more likely proposition. Smart move. It should be noted, however, that Pismo expansion bay devices may not be backward compatible with Lombard, and Pismo's DVD drive is definitely not supported by Lombard. Note also that both Pismo models ship with DVD-ROM drives that can read, but not write, DVD-RAM disks.

So while the Lombard plastics are essentially carried over (the PC Card slot is now 2.5 mm lower to accommodate the optional AirPort card), under the hood lurks a Universal Motherboard Architecture (UMA) motherboard, bringing the professional PowerBook into harmony with the other three voices in Apple's quartet of model categories.

The UMA mobo features a 100 MHz system bus machine that is reportedly makes the 400 MHz Pismo roughly 30% faster than a 400 MHz Lombard, thanks to the faster bus plus faster RAM and hard drives. No flies on that, and the 500 MHz version must be greased lightning. As with iBook, Pismo's sleep light now pulses rather than blinks.

Pismo's system software uses the ROM-in-RAM motif introduced to the PowerBook line with Lombard. Called the "New World software architecture," a small ROM contains the boot code needed to initialize the hardware and load an operating system. The rest of the system code that formerly resided in the Mac OS ROM is loaded into RAM with the system software from disk or from the network. The area of RAM that contains the Mac OS ROM image is excluded from the available memory space and is marked as read-only. This removes approximately 3 megabytes of RAM from availability for other uses. In effect, a system with 64 megabytes of RAM appears to have only 61 megabytes available.

Instead of the familiar square HDI-30 SCSI port that has been present on most PowerBooks (except Duos) from the 100 Series on, Pismo has two 400 Mbps bus-powered FireWire ports. That means SCSI Disk Mode is history, and in its place, Apple has introduced FireWire Target Disk Mode, which is fine if you have another FireWire-equipped Mac to interface with. I understand FireWire's advantages, and I'm all too familiar with SCSI's deficiencies, but the standard high-speed interface that SCSI represented has not yet been replaced adequately, especially since Apple hasn't seen fit to include FireWire support with the iBook and low-end iMac.

When the PowerBook is in Target Disk Mode and connected to another Macintosh computer by a FireWire cable, the PowerBook computer operates like a FireWire mass storage device with the SBP-2 (Serial Bus Protocol) standard. The PowerBook computer can operate in Target Disk Mode as long as the other computer has FireWire 2.3 or newer. Unlike SCSI Disk mode, which required a special cable or adapter with a 30 pin connector, Target Disk Mode uses a standard FireWire cable for connections.

Pismo can support up to 63 daisy-chained FireWire devices so long as they are self-powered, but just one unpowered FireWire device.

Pismo also has 12 Mbps USB ports with UTA USB implementation and independent busses each USB port. The sound system for Pismo supports 44.1 kHz 16-bit stereo sound output and input, available simultaneously.

Pismo is available with hard drives of 6, 12, or 18 GB capacity. These drives use the extended IDE (integrated drive electronics) interface, which is also referred to as the ATA interface.

Pismo uses different RAM than Lombard and WallStreet, and supports twin 2-inch PC100-compliant SO-DIMM modules, and supports up to 512 MB of RAM. Actually, you could install 1024 MB in two 512 MB modules, but this is no officially supported and can cause problems due to heavy power load.

Speaking of power, Pismo ships with the iBook's yo-yo-shaped power adapter cord reel. Not my cup of tea aesthetically, but happily the WallStreet/Lombard style adapter works too.

The S-video port is back, allowing you to connect the PowerBook to any standard television or VCR. For presentations, you can continue to look at the screen on your PowerBook while your audience focuses on the larger TV screen. You can also use the S-Video port to watch DVD or VCD movies on your TV screen. Like Lombard, Pismo has 8MB of SDRAM video memory that can support millions of colors on external displays up to 21 inches.

Wake on Ring support is back with Pismo, which wakes when the modem detects a ring -- if it is connected and this option is selected, then the PowerBook will wake. This allows any software which needs to answer the call (such as fax software) to answer the call. To enable this feature, check the "Wake when the modem detects a ring" box in the Advanced Settings section of the Energy Saver control panel.

Like other UMA-based Macs, Pismo supports hibernation, which is activated when you select "Preserve memory contents on sleep." in the Energy Saver control panel. In this mode, the computer saves the entire contents of RAM to an invisible file on the hard drive before going to sleep. When the computer wakes up, the file is read back into RAM. If for some reason the computer loses power and shuts off, it can still boot up to the exact state it was in before sleeping and not lose any data stored in RAM. This feature requires that Virtual Memory be turned on.

When you press the power key, the computer starts up and automatically reloads the RAM contents from the hard disk. The computer goes through a process similar to a normal boot, but it does not display the startup screen or the extension icons; instead, it displays a progress bar. After it restores the prior state, the computer resumes execution of whatever application was executing at the time the power was lost.

When the "Reconnect to servers on wakeup" function is selected, the PowerBook will try to connect to any AppleShare servers that you were logged into before going into sleep. If you select "Remember my passwords," the servers can be remounted without your needing to reenter the password for the server.

One interesting tech note is that the minimum operating temperature for Pismo is cites as 50°F, as opposed to 32° F for Lombard. Fifty degrees is not especially cold in my neck of the woods. I has been speculated that the issue here is likely the DVD optics, and the rest of the 'Book should work fine at the old minimum spec., but Apple hasn't confirmed that. The upper operating temperature limit of 95° F seems a bit restrictive as well.

Apple says that there should be no compatibility issues with applications and peripherals that operate correctly with earlier PowerBook G3 Series models, other than the obvious obstacles posed by the lack of SCSI, ADB, and Serial ports. Apple notes that USB converters will be able to support some of those devices, and that software that communicates with the SCSI manager will be supported. You can continue to use your old SCSI peripherals with the PowerBook via a third-party PC Card adapter.

Once again, Apple has upped the ante in making its professional PowerBook an even more credible desktop alternative. Certainly there are computing tasks for which the raw power and expandability of a desktop machine will be better suited or even essential, and you get more bang for your buck performance and features wise with a desktop, but PowerBooks are a lot better value-wise than they used to be, and if you can swing it, portable computing has much to recommend it.

If you've guessed that I'm pretty stoked on Pismo, you're right. Look through the Pismo specifications in the Appendix below. I think you'll agree that this is a tremendous package. I still wish there were two PC Card slots, and Dan Knight of Low End Mac is holding out for a 15 inch or larger monitor screen, but in general Pismo is superbly-equipped to keep most users very happy. I'm still very satisfied with my WallStreet 233, but I'd be lying if I said that Pismo doesn't make my mouth water a bit.

iBook "Revision B" and SE

If you like the original iBook, you will like the slightly upgraded new one even better. Visually, the only change is the new SE model's Graphite & Ice plastics which suit my aesthetic tastes a lot better than the original Blueberry and Tangerine colors, but that's a subjective thing.

The SE will set you back a couple of hundred grickles more than the standard iBook, and you also get a 366 MHz CPU in addition to the Graphite & Ice livery, representing a 20 percent boost in processor speed.

All three iBooks now come with 64 Mb of RAM and a 6 Gb hard drive -- both very welcome upgrades -- but that's it for new stuff. No sound-in port. No FireWire port. No PC Card slot. No DVD. Happily, no price increase either, and the doubled standard RAM and near doubled hard drive capacity do represent a significant increase in value.

The continued lack of sound-in, however, is a significant disappointment, especially now that dictation software is again available for the Mac. The availability of third-party USB add-ons is not an adequate workaround, as to the best of my knowledge none of them will work with IBM's ViaVoice for instance. Several people have told me they were delaying an iBook purchase in expectation that the Revision B would have a sound-in port. I mean, how much would it cost to add the little jack and attendant circuitry? I'm sure many people would be willing to pay a bit extra for the feature as am optional extra, if necessary.

FireWire? Not as big a deal at this point, but if Apple is serious about establishing FireWire as an industry standard, it would seem reasonable to incorporate it on all their machines -- especially a high-profile, high-volume model like iBook. A PC Card slot would open up a wide spectrum of connectivity, and DVD is the new frontier storage-wise.

Don't get me wrong. The iBook is a cool package, and I even like its looks a lot better with the introduction of the SE model. It's definitely more rugged than the PowerBooks, and for those who find themselves comfortable working within its connectivity limitations, the iBook is a good, economical choice in a Mac laptop.

However, for someone like myself who is used to the versatility of a full-fledged PowerBook, the comfort level would not be very high. Yes, the Pismo 400 MHz is $700 more expensive than an iBook SE, but for your 700 bucks you get a faster processor with 1 Mb of L2 cache (vs. iBook's 512k), a bigger monitor, a 100 Mhz system bus (vs. 66 MHz), DVD, PC Card and expansion bay expandability, FireWire, a second USB port, sound in and out with stereo speakers, twice the VRAM along with an ATI RAGE 128 video accelerator (vs. iBook's ATI RAGE Mobility card), external monitor support, S-video support, and infrared support. Pismo is also smaller and lighter than iBook. To top it off, you are much more likely to be able to find a significant price discount on the higher-priced Pismo, so the actual difference in cost will probably be less than the nominal $700. Worth it? I think the value is more than there, but you'll have to judge that for yourself.

Anyway, I predict that Apple will sell a ton of iBook SEs and the modest upgrade should keep Blueberry and Tangerine iBook sales momentum going. The iBook revisions are no home run, but perhaps a solid single to move some base runners along.

Charles W. Moore

Appendix

PowerBook (FireWire) 2000 ("Pismo") specifications:

• Processor: The computer has a PowerPC G3 microprocessor running at a clock speed of 400 or 500 MHz.
• Cache: The computer has a backside L2 cache consisting of 1 MB of fast static RAM. The ratio of the microprocessor and backside cache clock speeds is 5:2.
• RAM: The computer has two standard SO-DIMM expansion slots for SDRAM modules. The computer comes with 64 or 128 MB of SDRAM installed. RAM is expandable up to 512 MB total, using currently available memory devices
• ROM: NewWorld ROM-in-RAM implementation with 1 MB of boot ROM.
• Hard disk storage: The computer has a built-in hard disk drive with a capacity of 6, 12, or 18 GB.
• Display: The computer has a 14.1-inch TFT display with XGA resolution (1024 x 768 pixels).
• External monitor: All configurations support dual displays, with a standard VGA video connector for an external video monitor with resolution up to 1280 by 1024 pixels and an S-video connector for PAL and NTSC video monitors.
• Video RAM: The ATI RAGE Mobility 128 graphics controller contains 8 MB of video SDRAM, which supports millions of colors on the internal display or an external monitor.
• Graphics acceleration: The ATI RAGE Mobility 128 graphics controller provides 2D and 3D acceleration.
• Battery bays: The computer has two battery bays, one on either side. The computer can operate with the AC power adapter or with one or two batteries installed. Each battery uses lithium ion cells and provides 50 Watt-hours at a nominal 10.8 V.
• Expansion bay: The battery bay on the right side of the computer is also an expansion bay for a DVD drive or other IDE devices. Storage devices in the expansion bay can be removed and replaced while the computer is operating.
• DVD-ROM drive: The computer is shipped with a DVD-ROM drive installed in the expansion bay. The drive can also read DVD-RAM disks.
• CardBus slot: The computer has a CardBus slot that accepts one Type I or Type II PC card or CardBus Card.
• USB ports: The computer has two USB ports for an external keyboard, a mouse, and other USB devices.
• FireWire ports: The computer has two IEEE-1394a high-speed serial FireWire ports, which support transfer rates of 100, 200, and 400 Mbps.
• Modem: The computer has a built-in modem with 56 Kbps data rate and V.90 support.
• Ethernet: The computer has a built in Ethernet port with an RJ-45 connector for 10Base-T and 100Base-TX operation.
• Infrared link: The computer has an IrDA infrared link capable of transferring data at up to 4 Mbits per second.
• Wireless LAN: An AirPort Card wireless LAN module is available as a configure-to-order option or as a user-installable upgrade.
• Sound: 16-bit CD-quality stereo input/output with a built-in microphone and stereo speakers as well as a line-level stereo input jack and a stereo headphone jack.
• Keyboard: The keyboard has an embedded numeric keypad and inverted-T arrow keys. Some of the function keys are used to control the display brightness and speaker volume; the other function keys are programmable by the user.
• Trackpad: The integrated flat pad includes tap/double tap and drag features.
• Infrared technology port (4-Mbps IrDA)
• Kensington cable lock slot
• Support for a Zoom Video PC Card
• US$2,499 (400 MHz)
• US$3,499 (500 MHz)
• Weight: weighs 2.8 kg (6.1pounds).
• Size: 322.6 mm (12.7 inches) wide, 264.2 mm (10.4 inches) deep, and 43.2 mm (1.7 inches) thick.

iBook "Revision B" and iBook SE specifications:

• Processor: The iBook has a PowerPC G3 microprocessor running at a clock speed of 300 or 366 MHz.
• Cache: The iBook has a backside L2 cache consisting of 512 KB of fast static RAM. The clock speed for the backside cache is half the clock speed of the microprocessor.
• Memory: The iBook has 64 MB of SDRAM installed on the main logic board and one standard SO-DIMM slot for memory expansion up to 320 MB total.
• Hard disk storage: The iBook has a built-in hard disk drive with a capacity of 6 GB.
• CD-ROM drive: The iBook has a built-in CD-ROM drive with 24X speed.
• Display: The iBook has a 12.1-inch TFT display with SVGA resolution (800 by 600 pixels).
• Video RAM: The display controller in the iBook includes 4 MB of video RAM, which supports millions of colors on the display -- ATI RAGE Mobility graphics controller with 2X AGP
• Battery bays: The iBook has one battery bay. The battery uses lithium ion cells and provides 3080 mAh at a nominal 14.2 V. Battery life under normal use is up to 6 hours.
• USB port: The iBook has one USB port for an external keyboard, a mouse, a hub, or other USB device.
• Modem: The iBook has a built-in modem with 56 Kbps data rate.
• Ethernet: The iBook has a built in Ethernet port for 10Base-T and 100Base-TX operation.
• Wireless LAN: An internal wireless LAN module is available as a build-to-order option or as a user-installable upgrade.
• Sound: The iBook has a built-in speaker and a stereo headphone jack.
• Keyboard: The keyboard has function keys and inverted-T arrow keys. Some of the function keys are used to control the brightness and sound; the other function keys are user programmable to open applications or files. The keyboard also includes an embedded numeric keypad.
• Trackpad: The integrated trackpad includes tap/double tap and drag features.
• Weight: 3.0 kg (6.6 pounds) with the battery installed.
• Size: The iBook is 34.4 cm (13.5 inches) wide and 29.4 cm (11.6 inches) deep. Its thickness varies from 3.1 to 5.2 cm (1.24 to 2.06 inches); the average thickness is 4.6 cm (1.8 inches).
• US$1,599 (Blueberry; Tangerine)
• US$1,799 (SE)

*** cmoore@macopinion.com

Provisionally, you can access The Road Warrior Archive to Jan. 16, 2006 by clicking here.

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