Apple Computer pulled back the curtain on a new generation of its iBook portable today. Apple CEO, Steve Jobs told media and industry analysts that the new machine "takes design cues" from the Titanium PowerBook G4 during a presentation at the Apple campus in California two days ago. Acknowledgng Apples renewed focus on the education market, he went on to tout the new system as a boon to schools.

Last year Apple sold 545000 iBooks netting US$809m, with combined unit sales of iMac and iBook systems accounting for 52 percent of total Mac unit sales in 1999 and 60 percent in 2000.

This was achieved in spite criticisms that the orginal iBook, with its curvy lines and bold, offbeat colours, looked too radical to be accepted by the mainstream.

The new sober-looking iBook is perhaps a conscious push for greater mainstream acceptance, it is believed. Other than the overhaul of the chassis, the innards and main selling points of the iBook - portable, affordable video and multimedia production - are mostly unchanged. The CPU, for example, has only gained a few megahertz in speed, with connectors and screen size remaining the same.

Clad in a magnesium sub-frame with a pearl white polycarbonate chassis, the new iBook weighs in at less than 2.3 kilograms, nearly 1 kilogram lighter than the previous incarnation, and measures 3.3 centimetres thick. Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, says the new iBook is twice as durable as the previous model.

All configurations include a 500MHz PowerPC G3 processor. Prices start at AU$2,995 for a system equipped with 64MB of RAM and a CD-ROM drive. Three other optical-drive configurations are available; each of which boosts the RAM to 128MB. A system equipped with DVD costs AU$3,395, another AU$300 will get you a CD-RW system, and the line tops out at AU$3,995 for a configuration that packs a combination DVD-ROM and CD-RW drive.

In addition to being thin, the system measures 28.5 by 23 centimetres, which Jobs demonstrated was just 9 percent larger than an 21-by-28 centimetre sheet of paper.

What's inside

All of the new models include one FireWire, one Ethernet and two Universal Serial Bus ports; a 56K-bps modem; a built-in AirPort antenna; VGA-out, which Jobs said was a first in this category; and sound and composite video out.

Microphone input, such as for voice-dictation software, will require a USB-based device, though the iBook does also feature a built-in microphone by one edge of the screen.

The 12-inch TFT screen now has a default resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels, a feat that Jobs characterised as a "landmark" achievement, rivalling the highest resolution of the 15-inch iMac display and "perfect" for using Mac OS X.

The first iBook also had a 12.1-inch screen, but at a lower resolution of 800x600 pixels.

An AGP 2x ATI Rage 128 Mobility graphics processor with 8MB of RAM powers the new screen. This chip can handle normal 2D work well, but is not optimised for 3D gaming.

Each model will also come bundled with the AppleWorks productivity suite, Palm's Desktop software for Mac, Apple's own iTunes and iMovie 2, games and other items. Jobs also touted the new system's 5-hour battery life, which he compared against 1.5 to 2 hours that most cost-competitive PC notebooks provide.

The new hardware will begin shipping in mid-May, and customers can order it immediately via Apple's Australian online store at http://www.apple.com.au/. Apple will start shipping the new iBook to Australian customers and channels by the end of the month.

Company: Apple Computer

Price:

• CD-R AU$2995    • DVD-R AU$3395    • CD-RW AU$3695    • CD-RW/DVD-R AU$3995

Phone: 133 622

Copyright © 2009 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All Rights Reserved.
ZDNET is a registered service mark of CBS Interactive. ZDNET Logo is a service mark of CBS Interactive.