"Opaque" iBook Owners (now with lots of pics)

erbium

I'm only a few days away from ordering a new iBook for school. I heard that Apple is now using the new Opaque shell with all new iBooks.



I've only been able to find one image on the net that shows the difference between the new and old casings.



If anyone out there has an "Opaque" iBook and would be willing to post an image, or if anyone knows where I could find some pictures of one please let me know.



Thanks!

dhagan4755

I saw it at CompUSA awhile back. I didn't really notice it at first. I had to glance at the card to make sure that it was the model that was supposed to be opaque. I think in person it looks a lot different then it does from a photo. Some of these digital cameras don't have the ability to pick up on the opaque's nuance and then they falsely portray the overall asthetic of the case.

missyvortexdv

yeah. the old one looks good.

i've seen it and admired it.

didn't realise the new ibooks looked so different, despite having seen both models. never saw them compared.

if only you could petition apple to go back to that or have an option to change it. i'd pay a couple of pounds to have a sexier laptop for sure

overhope

There's the rub, though: I'll bet good money the opaque plastic is cheaper to make, with all the ramifications that has all the way down to the price tag...

drewprops

Catch me up here, what's the difference?

I have a white Fall 2001 600Mhz model....

luca

On all the older white models, the lid was clear, with a white painted surface underneath. This gave it a pretty nice transparent look. The new opaque ones, though, have the white on the outside of the lid, so there's no transparency to them. Also, on the older ones, the area around the keyboard (palm rests, etc) was smooth and slightly gray, and on the new ones it's completely white and textured. The new ones look kinda cheap.

mrmister

The new opaque ones don't have the silver around the keyboard (it is white) and they don't have clear plastic encasing the white plastic on the outside.

drewprops

Ahhh, so mine's a classic huh?

And now it has a 40Gb hard drive in it too?

Wow, it's an über classic!!!



Luxury.

Sheer Luxury.

missyvortexdv

when did they start using the opaque?

i'd rather buy a second hand translucent designed one but don't know when they changed. obiovusly 500mhz ibooks have the old design, as i've seen one.

800mhz wont, 700mhz i doubt have it unless some did and are hanging around.

how about 600mhz, do they have old or new? cant tell as applehistory doesn't tell and i don't know when this got introduced

luca

The only opaque ones are the 700/CD-ROM (previous revision), the 800/CD-ROM (current) and the 900/Combo (current). So the previous revision 800/Combo is the best translucent one. All 500 and 600 MHz iBooks are translucent as well, as is the 700/Combo from two revisions back.

donny1

I'm currently looking out for a new ibook but at the moment the only ones I have seen are the old style clear case ones. I'm in the UK and don't have access to a lot of places that sell Macs, or display them in all their glory for that matter.



If anyone has any pics of the new style case or even links please let me know. Would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

netromac

This pic has been posted in a couple o' threads before:



Enjoy



[edit: formatting]

netromac

More pics:

retrograde

Great pics It looks like they made the whole of the inside of the new iBook white instead of keeping it the mild silvery/metallic colour of the previous generation. With the Powerbooks moving to Aluminum and with the 12" Powerbook bearing some resemblance to the iBook do you think they went with the opaque white all over to further distinguish visually the iBook line from the new Powerbook line?

macusers

When I went to the Apple Store on Friday, they had both an opaque and an old iBook.



I compared them, and I really liked the "opaque" one better. But thats just my opinion.

netromac

Quote:

Originally posted by MacUsers

When I went to the Apple Store on Friday, they had both an opaque and an old iBook.



I compared them, and I really liked the "opaque" one better. But thats just my opinion.

I agree. I think the opaque ones are quite nice actually. IMO they look much better live than on pictures.

fellowship

Quote:

Originally posted by NETROMac

More pics:

Indeed you show the new font. I was wondering if anyone noticed the lettering is a different font.



Fellows

murbot

Here are some more photos of the 900 I'm hosting for artcat at Ars:

matsu

That doesn't look as bad as the earlier ones, the front pops less, and there seems to be a slight two tone to it, but not as good as the transluscent ones.

tacojohn

Ahhhhh- the look of a shiny new iBook.



Don't you love that smell when you first open the box? I remember the day when I got my old 500MHz DVD iBook back in I think May of 2001...



God I want a new mac bad! I'm holding out until the 970's come then I'm getting a desktop w/ widescreen.

escher

Quote:

Originally posted by murbot

Here are some more photos of the 900 I'm hosting for artcat at Ars:

Wow! What a collection of iBook pics, murbot!



IMO, the "new" opaque look isn't half bad. I think it will age more gracefully than the transparent-painted-inside look. On my May 2001 iBook, the paint inside the LCD lid has started flaking a bit on the edges due to the bezel rubbing against it. When Apple serviced my iBook a few months ago, they scratched the bottom case from the inside. But I don't really care, as long as my iBook keeps chugging away.



The only thing I don't like about the opaque look is the white hinge. IMO, the white hinge looks less solid than the fake-metal one on the older color scheme. In any case, we shouldn't really complain about looks, especially minute details, in a laptop that offers such great value.



Escher