[thelist] iBooks, OS X, Macs, Web Development, Laptops, Etc, Etc

[Ken Kogler]

I've never had the privilege of doing extended work on a Mac, so I can't
help you out with the Powerbook stuff, but regarding Dell...

> Aside from the Apple, I'm looking at a Dell Inspiron 4100. It's got more
> features (4x better graphics card, IR port, 1.13ghz processor, etc) at
about
> the same price, but doesn't appear to be as built for mobility as the
Apple
> (though it's close).

My university last summer ordered 150+ Dell Inspirons (at ~$3K a pop!) for
faculty/staff, and they've just been a joy to support. :-)

We really haven't had many problems at all (no screens dying, no hard drives
mysteriously going corrupt, etc). When we have needed Dell's help
(replacement parts, like when an idiot prof spills his coffee on the
keyboard and melts some internal wires and stuff), they've been fantastic.
We've never had a laptop out longer than a week, despite shipping it from
Illinois to Texas.

They do get a bit warm, but it's not uncomfortable to hold on your lap, and
they've got some really nice features that the fac/staff love. The fact that
you can use the "eraser" mouse, the trackpad, or an external one (PS/2 or
USB) is really nice, and the screens can get pretty big (like the iBooks).

Anyway, HTH...

-Ken