From PCMAG · Joe Osborne · · 1m 40s
Apple's first cheap laptop cost $1,599
The 1999 iBook was heavy, port-starved, and slower than a ThinkPad, but it put Wi-Fi in everyone's hands.
In brief
The 1999 iBook was heavy, port-starved, and slower than a ThinkPad, but it put Wi-Fi in everyone's hands. The iBook won by picking an audience over a spec sheet, and that bet still shapes Apple's cheap laptops today. Originally reported by PCMAG.
A looker with a question
PC Magazine's Jon Hill reviewed the translucent, candy-colored iBook in the Dec. 1, 1999 issue. His verdict was mixed: gorgeous machine, unclear whether it earned the noise around it.
“The Apple iBook is a looker, that's for sure. But can it live up to the hype?”
Budget meant $1,599
The iBook started at $1,599 as the cheap alternative to Apple's pricey PowerBooks. It created the tiered laptop lineup Apple still runs, now anchored by the $699 MacBook Neo.
Chunky even for 1999
It came in colors like the Neo does, but it weighed 6.6 pounds and stood 2 inches thick. Comparable IBM ThinkPads were also faster.
Ports were missing
No PC Card slot, no floppy drive, no serial or parallel ports, and a single USB channel. Strangest of all, Apple left out its own FireWire standard.
“There is no PC Card slot, no floppy disk drive, no serial or parallel ports, and just a single-channel USB port.”
First mass-market Wi-Fi
The optional AirPort card let the clamshell hop online through a router at up to 11Mbps. No consumer laptop had offered wireless at that scale before.
Built for regular folks
Apple aimed at students and casual users, not power users chasing specs. Hill told anyone hunting performance per dollar to buy a Windows notebook instead.
“But for some people, none of these shortcomings will matter.”
The legacy lives on
Twenty-seven years later, the $699 MacBook Neo carries the same pitch: an affordable Mac for students and broke fans. Cheap and welcoming beat fast and loaded.
“a more affordable device for everyone, from students to straight-up-broke Mac fans”
The headline
The iBook won by picking an audience over a spec sheet, and that bet still shapes Apple's cheap laptops today.
