The clamshell iBook: the Mac with the sexy curves
Ooh la la!
Nothing else looks like the clamshell iBook, the first of the iBook line. Nothing else in computer form has those thick, sensuous curves that beg to be touched. Hefty but oh-so-sexy, the clamshell iBook is a big-boned Venus. The closest machine in curviness is perhaps the Apple eMate, or a recent knock-off "concept PC" that had Microsoft salivating.
Billed as the portable iMac, the iBook followed the iMac in bringing color to the computer world: Tangerine, Blueberry, Graphite, Indigo, and – most eye-wrenchingly – Key Lime.
Some loved the big rounded form. Some laughed, calling it a Barbie-doll computer. An overgrown makeup compact. Hello Kitty's purse. Most famously, columnist John Dvorak called it a "'girly' machine", generating much wrath among Apple fans and women alike.
Love it or leave it, like all of Apple's best work, the clamshell iBook generated tremendous attention and discussion. Click ahead and take a look at this sexiest of Wacky Macs (and maybe all Macs).
Re: The clamshell iBook: the Mac with the sexy curves
I have five of the beasts and they all work great with Tiger 10.4.11.
Re: The clamshell iBook: the Mac with the sexy curves
Five? What do you do with five Clammies?
(Just line 'em up and look at 'em – that's what I might do!)
Hmm, would be interesting to make a nice list of best uses for a clamshell iBook – apps and uses best suited to its small screen, yesteryear processor, and pre-Leopard OS. Still a lot of great things you can do with a machine like that! (Or even five of them. : )
Re: The clamshell iBook: the Mac with the sexy curves
I agree. I have an ibook SE Graphite 466. I need to replace the battery and I would really love to replace the hard drive. It chugs along very nicely with 10.3.9. I have thought about selling it several times but just can't seem to part with it. And this from someone that has a MacBook Pro. Great little machine.
Re: The clamshell iBook: the Mac with the sexy curves
Good to find other iBook G3 owners.
I have an iBook Tangerine G3 300Mhz 288 MB RAM OS X 10.3.9 10 GB HD, the very first version (32 MB on-board RAM).
It's up and running 24/7, and close to its 10th anniversary. I got it in late 1999. Upgraded the HD from 3 to 10 GB like a couple of years later. Works very well with Panther, even still have OS 9.2.2 installed, boots and everything - brings back some good memories, haha.
No battery and the CD tray cover is gone (ibook was lent to my sister and my 2 nieces for about a year - was surprised it came back working). CD drive hasn't worked for many years, it will hardly read brand new CDs, won't read CD-R/W. Also, no airport and someone cleaned the screen with some very abrasive substance like a couple of months ago and ruined it, although everything is 100% readable.
I use it almost exclusively for transmission (torrent) so I can get some of my favorite TV shows and some movies. It's hooked up to my home LAN, sharing files with my iBook G4 1.33 GHz (yes, I have the very first and the very last iBook models) and Vista Toshiba.
I agree, great machine. Keeps working, can run a number of applications decently, although I can't really stand 800x600 for very long, drives me crazy.
Re: The clamshell iBook: the Mac with the sexy curves
Man, that's some abuse your iBook has taken...
You're right about the discomfort of trying to compute at 800x600 for long. Oddly enough, considering its low power, the iBook makes a nice file server or other hands-off machine, like your use of it for downloads. It's reliable, quiet (as long as the HD is quiet; mine became noisy until I replaced it), and even that small screen is fine for the occasional bit of admin work.
Re: The clamshell iBook
You've got the same machine I do, just different color. A shame it can't use Leopard, but otherwise, I'm with you: Great little machine. (Great big machine. Whichever. : )
I did the hard drive upgrade (using a tutorial that unfortunately is no longer online), and like you, could use a battery upgrade next.
My Limey's been replaced for now by other computers, but down the road, I think it'll see fulltime service as an iTunes server and maybe home file server. It just looks too nice to keep hidden!
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