--Review for ComputerUser magazine by Dennis Sellers of MacCentral.com
--Review for ComputerUser magazine by Dennis Sellers of MacCentral.com
Buy the brand-new $1,599 iBook (which should be hitting store shelves as you read this) and Apple will throw in an AirPort for an extra 400 bucks.
Say what? Let me explain. The iBook, touted as the first portable ever designed to optimize wireless communications, is Apple's new consumer laptop. Available as an option is AirPort wireless Internet networking for cable-free Internet access. 
AirPort uses radio frequencies to communicate. Because radio frequencies can pass through solid objects like walls, several family members or students can be online at the same time, surfing the Web and checking e-mail-all without cables, extra phone lines or networking hardware.
The AirPort's wireless LAN technology handles 11 Mbps (up to 10 times faster than the most popular home networking products, according to Apple) and offers 40-bit data encryption for security. Apple is predicting that all sorts of devices will be able to interact with the technology. Because AirPort is based on the IEEE 802.11 DSSS worldwide standard, there are many companies with products that should fit into and enhance an AirPort network.
About the size of an ashtray, the base station has a 56K modem built in and 10/100 Ethernet so you can plug into a phone line, cable modem or ISDN line. The base station has a range of up to 150 feet, and can be shared by up to 10 iBooks. The portables interact with the wireless system via antennae built into the case on each side of the display.
The AirPort Software Access Point lets you use a second iBook computer as a wireless base station to connect to the Internet instead of using an AirPort Base Station. The software works similarly to the hardware access point, but uses the iBook's modem as its Internet connection.
You can transfer files or engage in multiplayer games directly between AirPort-enabled computers. Technical information from Apple says you can simply use the AirPort Control Strip module on both computers to switch from using the AirPort Base Station to using direct computer-to-computer communications.
The AirPort is the product of an 18-month collaborative effort between Apple and Lucent Technologies. The folks behind the iBook are promoting AirPort as a "a simple, affordable way to bring the Internet to every room in your home, or every desk in a classroom."
Apple says it's easy to set up and get going. A software setup assistant walks you through the process in purportedly simple terms, and automatically configures your computer for you.
Like its cousin, the iMac, the iBook comes in different "flavors" (blueberry and tangerine, for now) and with some interesting design features such as a rubber-coated, translucent enclosure of polycarbonate plastic for ruggedness. With an eye on the education market, Apple has also added a pullout handle for safe carrying, a closing mechanism without latches for quick access, and a yo-yo-like power adapter with a wind-up cord. Apple has given lots of thought to the details, as well. The iBook has programmable function keys that can be used to launch a browser, an e-mail application or any other frequently used applications or servers. You can even program a function key to execute an entire AppleScript script. Apple has preprogrammed F1 through F6 with such common control functions as screen brightness and speaker volume. F7 through F12 can be programmed for your personal macro choices.
New power-management features improve energy conservation and battery power for the portable. The iBook also "wakes up" from its "sleep" mode faster than previous Mac laptops. Plus, there are additional sleep modes. In the Save and Sleep Now mode, prior to going to sleep, the system creates a single file of all the information contained in the computer's memory (RAM) at the time, and stores it on the hard disk.
You can set up the iBook to awake from sleep when you open the cover, thanks to a new feature in the Energy Saver control panel. Finally, when recharging, the iBook's AC adapter jack glows orange. The color changes to green when the charge is full.
Bundled software includes Mac OS 8.6, QuickTime, AppleWorks 5, Internet Explorer 4.5, Outlook Express 4.5, Netscape Navigator 4.5, Earthlink Total Access, America Online, FAXstf, Palm Desktop, World Book Encyclopedia, EdView Internet Safety Kit, Bugdom and Nanosaur.
The introduction of the iBook at July's Macworld Expo in New York received mostly acclaim and good press. (In fact, I predict it will turn out to be the biggest product rollout ever from Apple.) However, there are some complaints, like the dearth of standard RAM. Apple hasn't commented on the size of iBook's memory, though companies such as NewerRAM and Simple Technology were touting iBook memory upgrades a week after the product's introduction.
Apple has responded to complaints about the weight of the iBook (6.7 pounds). The company says the heft is due to the oversized battery for longer battery life and the "rubberized" enclosure for durability.
Third parties are addressing the iBook's other limitations, such as the lack of a microphone (it's the first Mac in recent history without native support for sound input). Griffin Technology is selling the $25 iMic, which supports microphones, multimedia devices, headsets and communications devices. It handles stereo input at up to 48 KHz.
The iBook has no video output capability, which some educators, business people and students need video for PowerPoint presentations and the like Riding to the rescue is AverMedia, which has developed two USB video products: USB Presenter, a $99 NTSC/PAL video mirroring unit, and USB iMaxEdit. Other companies with video out/in solutions include XLR8, Eskape Labs, and FOCUS
If you own a traditional Apple PowerBook and suffer from "iBook envy" when eyeing the wireless technology, don't worry. You can use a PC Card to communicate with an AirPort network. You can also add an iMac or Power Mac G3 to such a network by using a crossover Ethernet cable with the AirPort Base Station. Apple says all you have to do is locate the hardware access point near the computer and connect the Ethernet port of that computer to the Ethernet port on the access point using the crossover cable, and you're ready to share the AirPort Base Station modem. You can also share files and play multiplayer games. Several third-party companies offer Mac-compatible wireless PC Cards that can be used in an AirPort network. Even PC laptops can be used.
What's more, Apple says it's also offering the same printer-sharing capabilities for wired and wireless connections. In the classroom, IP printers can be shared on the AirPort network just like on an Ethernet network. Normally, you can't share multiple USB printers among Mac systems. But because AirPort lets files can be exchanged between computers, you can transfer your file to the computer that's connected to the printer.
AirPort technology will almost certainly help make the iBook a hit and even boost sales of existing PowerBooks. Third-party support is already massing. One company, VST Technologies, has announced plans to release 12 iBook peripherals this month and next, as well as a DVD updrive for Apple's PowerBook G3/333. In fact, if the iBook and its offspring take off as well as expected, look for more and more traffic at the AirPort. CU
--ComputerUser Magazine Contributing Writer Dennis Sellers is a senior editor of MacCentral, http://www.maccentral.com.
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