Apple Unveils New Generation G4 iBooks Starting at Just $1,099

CUPERTINO, California—October 22, 2003—Apple® today unveiled its new iBooks featuring PowerPC G4 processors, with the 12-inch display model starting at just $1,099 (US) and the 14-inch display model starting at just $1,299 (US). The new iBook® line offers advanced connectivity with AirPort® Extreme and Bluetooth, and all models include 256MB of Double Data Rate (DDR) memory and slot-load Combo drives for burning CDs and watching DVDs. The new iBooks also include Apple’s latest operating system, Mac OS® X version 10.3 “Panther,” pre-installed with over 150 breakthrough new features, including FileVault to secure data for iBook users on the go.

“2003 is the ‘year of the notebook’ and Apple has the industry’s best notebook lineup, which has resulted in Apple's mix of notebooks growing to double the industry average,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The new iBooks bring powerful G4 processors and slot-load Combo drives into the most affordably priced G4 notebooks ever, just in time for the holiday season.”

The new 12- and 14-inch iBooks have been completely re-engineered based on the high performance PowerPC G4 processor and DDR memory architecture providing improved speed, efficiency and overall system performance. Each iBook provides incredible graphics performance with ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 graphics with 32MB of dedicated DDR memory and AGP 4X for gaming and watching DVD movies at the highest quality. Outfitted with its hallmark durable, sleek polycarbonate plastic enclosure and weighing as little as 4.9 pounds, iBook notebooks are the ideal mixture of form and function designed with consumers and education customers in mind. The new iBook G4 provides up to six hours of battery life for all-day mobile use in the classroom or on the road.

Each iBook now features the latest in wireless connectivity with support for AirPort Extreme that is Wi-Fi Certified and based on the ultra-fast 802.11g standard, offering data rates five times faster than 802.11b while maintaining compatibility with millions of 802.11b products.* Options include an internal Bluetooth module for wirelessly connecting peripherals such as Apple’s new Wireless Keyboard and Wireless Mouse, as well as a full complement of I/O ports, including FireWire® 400, USB 2.0 and a built-in 56K v.92 modem and Ethernet (10/100BASE-T) that enable connectivity to all of today’s popular peripherals.

Every iBook comes with Panther pre-installed. Panther delivers more than 150 breakthrough new features including a completely new Finder™ that provides one-click access to a user’s favorite files and folders; Exposé, a revolutionary new way to instantly see all open windows at once; and iChat AV, a complete desktop video conferencing solution. Panther enhances the mobile experience with automatic networking that intelligently detects and switches the network connections between Ethernet, 802.11 and modem for easily connecting to the Internet. Panther also features Fast User Switching to elegantly switch between active users without having to quit applications or log out; FileVault, which uses the latest security standards and 128-bit encryption technology to ensure that data in the home directory is kept secure and private at all times; and enhanced Windows compatibility that ensures files, printers and network services can easily be shared with Windows users.

Perfect for today’s digital lifestyle, every new iBook also includes iLife™, Apple’s integrated suite of award-winning digital lifestyle applications that features the latest versions of iPhoto™, iMovie® and iDVD™ and iTunes®. iLife is the only integrated suite to include all of the four applications required for today’s “digital lifestyle”—digital music, photography, moviemaking and DVD creation—and is the first product to offer the benefits of seamlessly integrating them.

Pricing & Availability
The new iBook with a 12-inch display is available immediately, and the new iBook models with a 14-inch display are expected to be available next week through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers in three standard configurations.

The 800 MHz PowerPC G4 iBook, weighing just 4.9 pounds, has a suggested retail price of $1,099 (US) and includes:

The 933 MHz PowerPC G4 iBook, weighing just 5.9 pounds, has a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US) and includes:

The 1.0 GHz PowerPC G4 iBook, weighing just 5.9 pounds, has a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US) and includes:

Additional build-to-order options for the new iBook line include the ability to upgrade to up to 640MB of DDR SDRAM, a 40GB or 60GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive 4200-rpm performance, internal Bluetooth module, AirPort Extreme Base Station, AirPort Extreme Card and the AppleCare® Protection Plan.

*Actual speed will vary based on range from the base station, environmental conditions and other factors.

Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iBook, AirPort, FireWire, Finder, iLife, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iTunes, Apple Store and AppleCare are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.