MWSF - Apple Unveils 14-inch iBook

by , 2:35 PM EST, January 7th, 2002

Apple has unveiled the new iBook today at MACWORLD Expo in San Francisco, featuring a 14-inch screen. The new iBook ships with several features including bundled Apple apps like iTunes2, iPhoto, and iMovie2. The 12-inch screen is still available, as well.. According to Apple:

Apple® today announced a new 14-inch iBook® as the top end of its hugely popular iBook line of consumer notebooks. The new model features a brilliant 14-inch active-matrix display, Combo drive and battery life of up to 6 hours.

Every iBook is packed with Apple’s own award-winning digital lifestyle software, including Apple’s new iPhoto, a revolution in digital photography. iPhoto lets Mac® users easily manage their digital photo collections, including the ability to import images from a digital camera, organize them, create and publish an Internet photo album, order professional-quality Kodak prints and enlargements, or even a custom-printed, linen-bound book of photos online.

Apple’s pre-installed iTunes™ 2 MP3 music software lets customers easily manage their digital music collections and, with models offering the Combo drive, burn custom music CDs.

With a built-in FireWire® port and iMovie™ 2 digital video editing software preinstalled, iBook lets customers easily create and edit digital movies on the go.

Delivering the power of UNIX with the elegance of the Mac, iBook now comes with Apple’s next-generation Mac® OS X pre-installed as the default operating system. The center of Apple’s Digital Hub strategy, Mac OS X gives iBook customers the power to easily manage their own digital photos, movies and music.

The iBook line features:

• a brilliant 12.1-inch (diagonal) or 14.1-inch (diagonal) active-matrix 1024-by-768 resolution display in a gorgeous white, impact-resistant polycarbonate enclosure
• 500 MHz or 600 MHz PowerPC G3 processors with 256K level 2 cache
• 128MB or 256MB SDRAM, with expansion up to 640MB
• a choice of DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive for watching DVDs and burning CDs, or CD-ROM
• AirPort®-ready with integrated antennas and card slot for wireless Internet access
• 15GB or 20GB Ultra ATA hard drives
• ATI Rage Mobility 128 graphics controller with 8MB RAM and AGP 2X
• USB and FireWire ports
• built-in 56K modem and 10/100BASE-T Ethernet
• VGA video out and composite video out with optional Apple AV cable
• built-in microphone and stereo speakers
• a collection of productivity and entertainment titles
• a small, lightweight power adapter
• free 30-day Internet access with EarthLink
• Mac OS X version 10.1.2, Apple’s next-generation operating system pre-installed as the default OS, as well as Classic Mac OS 9.2.2.

The 600 MHz iBook, weighing just 5.9 pounds, has a suggested retail price of $1,799(US) and includes:

• a brilliant 14.1-inch (diagonal) active-matrix TFT display;
• 256MB SDRAM;
• a 20GB Ultra ATA hard drive;
• a 6 hour battery life; and
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo optical drive.

The 600 MHz iBook, weighing just 4.9 pounds, has a suggested retail price of $1,499(US) and includes:

• a crisp 12.1-inch (diagonal) active-matrix TFT display;
• 128MB SDRAM;
• a 20GB Ultra ATA hard drive;
• a 5 hour battery life; and
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo optical drive.

The 500 MHz iBook, weighing just 4.9 pounds, has a suggested retail price of $1,199(US) and includes:

• a crisp 12.1-inch (diagonal) active-matrix TFT display;
• 128MB SDRAM;
• a 15GB Ultra ATA hard drive;
• a 5 hour battery life; and
• CD-ROM optical drive.

You can find more information about the iBook at the Apple Web site. iBooks are available starting at US$1,199.00 for the 12.1-inch model.

The Mac Observer Spin:

Huh, a 14" iBook? Where do we get one? We are also stoked about the new cheaper low end model. While we're at it, it's great to see Apple offer this minor rev to the line so shortly after having done the same thing in late November. Apple has often waited for big events to make changes to its line, and this seems further indication that the company is changing the way it does some things. In our book, that's Good News™.

Apple