Greetings all,

I could really use some expert advice regarding an iBook purchase. This will be the first Mac that I have ever owned or used. I have heard a number of great comments regarding Apple so I thought I would give them a try.

I am broke so I can only afford the 12 inch iBook and will upgrade to 60 gig hard-drive, add applecare, and purchase 512 RAM from Crucial (even though I am very nervous to install it myself).

My questions:

1) When is a good time to buy the iBook? I know that it was updated last Oct. I would really like to buy one as soon as possible but I read some stuff regarding an updated iBook coming out when Tiger is released (maybe Video card etc). I sort of get the impression that the iBook is currently a bit of an old dog hardware wise - is this the case? Also, should I wait until after Jan. 22 to get the new 05 software or will it ship with the new software if I order now?

2) Is the computer and uprades I've chosen going to keep me happy for the next 3 years that I will be using the computer? Aside from using it for email, webpage construction, and university work, I tend to use my computers for listening to all my music and intend to do some recording in the next few months (nothing too serious).

3) Did Apple ever fix the motherboard (?) and screen defect problems they were having with the iBook?

4) Is the ram really that easy to install?

Any other advice is welcome.

Thanks very much in advance!

Regards,

Jordan

[revolver]

If you are broke, I propose buying a used windows laptop and saving your money.

[torifile]

Welcome to AN! Congrats on your impending purchase.

There's no need to be worried about putting in the RAM yourself. It's braindead simple.

You don't need to buy AppleCare right now if money's tight. All computers come with a year warranty. You can buy the extended applecare anytime before your first year expires.

The best time to buy a computer is right after they're updated. Barring that, I'd just buy it when you need it. Oct. was not that long ago, so they probably won't get updated until April or May at the earliest. Just buy it now and be happy with it.

Oh, and purchasing advice goes in General Discussion.

[MCQ]

Buy now. As stated before, it won't get updated until April/May. Because the Powerbooks are rumored to have little in the way of feature upgrades when they get updated soon, the iBook has little wiggle room for major upgrades whenever they get updated.

The logic board problem is fixed as far as I know, and ram is pretty easy to install.

Thanks so much for the feedback. I am nearly ready to pick up the 12 inch iBook now.

By the way, will installing my own ram void the warranty at all?

How about bluetooth? I am not sold just yet on whether I should bother with this, but I figure that it might free up the USB slots (which is usefull since there are only 2).

As for recording, I understand that there is a USB-MIDI interface available. That should do the trick.

Thanks again! I'm sure I'll be back with more questions. In fact, it could get worse once I start using it!

Jordan

p.s. there really is a tight Mac community out there isn't there!

[Luca]

Installing your own RAM won't void the warranty at all. There are instructions in the manual for how to do it, and there's even a diagram on the underside of the keyboard (once you remove the keyboard).

Bluetooth is useful if you want to make use of wireless input devices without using any kind of USB receiving station. It's also good if you have a bluetooth-enabled cell phone or PDA. Outside of those two applications, there's really no need to get it. Also, bluetooth mice tend to be more expensive and not as commonly available as "regular" wireless mice. I don't know... personally I'd just save my money and pick up a $15 USB mouse instead. But remember that you can't add internal bluetooth later.

[BarracksSi]

About the new iLife -- http://www.apple.com/ilife/uptodate/

I also wouldn't expect iBook updates until about summertime. But, if you keep waiting for the next update, you'll always be waiting. If it was May or June, I might say to wait to see what's next, but I wouldn't be afraid to buy one now.