iBook SE(July 1999)

Background

The iBook was perhaps the most anxiously awaited Apple computer ever. Aimed at the same consumer market as its big brother, the iMac, the iBook filled the 2x2 consumer/pro/desktop/portable matrix that Steve Jobs had first detailed more than a year earlier. The iBook did have a number of semi-revolutionary features for such a low-end machine. It was the first Mac to include AGP-based graphics, and included a handle, a feature rarely seen in a portable. The iBook was the first Mac released using Unified logic board Architecture (UMA), which allowed Apple to standardize most logic board components across all product lines. The most exciting new feature of the iBook was the inclusion of AirPort, a wireless networking system based on existing industry standards. AirPort allowed up to 10 iBooks to connect to a single base-station, which could then be plugged into an existing ethernet network or a standard phone line. At $1599 U.S., The iBook was $900 U.S. less expensive than Apple's lowest-priced professional PowerBook. The iBook received a minor revision in February 2000, when the logic board RAM was raised to 64 MB, and the hard disk was bumped up to 6 GB.