iBook Questions

[Frank]

On Wed, 23 Jul 2003 13:59:29 +0100, Simon Wolf wrote:

> I am thinking of buying myself an iBook to essentially replace my desktop

I have recently bought a 600MHz ibook and am very impressed. It hasn't
entirely replaced my desktops but get a lot of use for web surfing etc.

>
> 1. How fast is an iBook at re-awakening? My netBook is an instant-on
> device and I would like something pretty close so that I can open it up,
> connect to the web, look something up, close it. When in stand by mode
> roughly how long can the battery last for?

Pretty much instantaneous wake up from standby. My battery lasts about 4
hours-ish but the time decreases if I ma using wireless. The quoted time
is about 5 hours.

> 2. For real world use how long does the battery last when just editing
> documents, surfing the web and other non-resource hungry tasks? What
> about when surfing via WiFi? How about watching a DVD?

As I said above wiFi reduces battery life but I still get well over 3
hours.

> 3. Can I take out AppleCare at any point in the first year or does it have
> to be when I buy the machine? Will the warranty be affected by me fitting
> my own memory upgrade from Crucial?

I believe you can take it out anytime during warranty but I don't know for
sure.

> 4. I believe that iBooks come with OS9 and OSX. Do I need both as a
> totally new Apple user? Should I do something like reformat the machine
> when I first get it and then re-install OSX?

OS 9 doesn't take that much space and allows you to install the occasional
app. and use it vias clasic. Unless you are desperate for every gig of HD
space I would just leave it.

> 5. I am, at some point, going to buy an iPod. Will the iBook be powerful
> enough to create MP3s from CDs at a reasonable speed? Would I be better
> doing this on my desktop PC and then just transferring the files over to
> the iBook and iPod?
>
> 6. My Windows machines at home use a wireless network courtesy of a
> Linksys wireless access point router. Will an AirPort card be compatible
> or do I have to use an AirPort base station (I am guessing not since
> forcing user to stick to proprietary hardware would be a bit
> short-sighted).

I use a linksys access point with my airport with no problems.

> 7. I will but Office for my Mac if I have to (why no upgrade option from
> Windows Office to Mac Office ... swines!) but are there any good
> alternative word processors and spreadsheets available that can handle
> (opening and saving) MS documents?

OpenOffice is free and very functional. It uses X11 though so it is not a
native aqua app and is not very pretty!

> 8. I have a Palm PDA which I believe will sync with a Mac without any
> problems but will it also sync with Entourage(? ... the Mac equivalent of
> Outlook I believe)?

Palms sync without any probs. I use the native OS X apps for contacts
appointments etc. My needs are not that demanding so these are fine for
me although I believe they are below those of outlook. Entourage comes
with office by the way.

> 9. Can batteries be hot-swapped or do you need to power-down the iBook
> completely to replace a fully charged on with a drained one?

Don't believe you can hot swap.

> 10. Is the power adaptor that comes with the iBook as portable as the one
> shown in the Apple Store or is it a big clunky monster? Essentially, do I
> need to buy a spare adaptor to take with me when I am travelling?

Power adapter is very compact. I have a separate power lead at work and
at home as these are cheap and generic and are possibly the biggest bit of
the whole adapter.

HTH

Frank

[Chris Brown]

In article <MPG.198888fe18f963fb9896aa@news.clara.net>,
Simon Wolf <newsgroup.address@thesoftwaremill.com> wrote:

>
>If it helps for any of the answers here are the specs that I am thinking
>of ...

[snip]

I have the older 700MHz 14 inch model, but I'll see if I can help.

>1. How fast is an iBook at re-awakening? My netBook is an instant-on
>device and I would like something pretty close so that I can open it up,
>connect to the web, look something up, close it.

You can basically do that. From standby mode, it's on in a second or two.

>When in stand by mode roughly how long can the battery last for?

Battery consumption in standby mode is insignificant, IME.

>2. For real world use how long does the battery last when just editing
>documents, surfing the web and other non-resource hungry tasks?

I've had in excess of 5 hours on mine whilst doing software development.
This was using 802.11 as well. Bear in mind that I have the 14 inch version
though, which I believe has a slightly bigger battery than the 12 inch
version.

> How about watching a DVD?

3, maybe 4 at a push hours from mine when watching DVDs.

>3. Can I take out AppleCare at any point in the first year

Yes, I took mine in the last month before the original warranty was about to
expire.

>or does it
>have to be when I buy the machine? Will the warranty be affected by me
>fitting my own memory upgrade from Crucial?

You don't need to open the case to upgrade the memory - the slot is
underneath the airport slot, so I shouldn't see it would be a problem. Apple
certainly didn't mind that I had upgraded the memory when mine needed a
warranty repair.

>4. I believe that iBooks come with OS9 and OSX. Do I need both as a
>totally new Apple user?

Not especially.

>Should I do something like reformat the machine
>when I first get it and then re-install OSX?

Wouldn't bother. If you decide you don't want OS 9, deleting it is just a
matter of dropping it in the trashcan and emptying it. It doesn't take up
that much disk anyway.

>5. I am, at some point, going to buy an iPod. Will the iBook be
>powerful enough to create MP3s from CDs at a reasonable speed?

Yes - my 700MHz model rips a full CD in about 5-10 minutes.

>6. My Windows machines at home use a wireless network courtesy of a
>Linksys wireless access point router. Will an AirPort card be
>compatible

Should be - Airport is just Apple's name for 802.11b. I have an actual
Airport basestation, but it works just fine with my wife's W2K laptop.

>7. I will but Office for my Mac if I have to (why no upgrade option from
>Windows Office to Mac Office ... swines!) but are there any good
>alternative word processors and spreadsheets available that can handle
>(opening and saving) MS documents?

The machine comes with Appleworks. Not used it much, but I have opened the
odd MS Office doc in it without hassle. You can also download OpenOffice and
KOffice for free if you like.

>8. I have a Palm PDA which I believe will sync with a Mac without any
>problems but will it also sync with Entourage(? ... the Mac equivalent
>of Outlook I believe)?

Can't help you here. I know iSync supports Palms, but I only use it with
Apple's Address Book and a P800 phone.

>9. Can batteries be hot-swapped or do you need to power-down the iBook
>completely to replace a fully charged on with a drained one?

You need to power down.

>10. Is the power adaptor that comes with the iBook as portable as the
>one shown in the Apple Store or is it a big clunky monster?

It's about 7cm square and 2cm thick (this is from memory - I don't have mine
to hand). There's also a neat cable-tidy built in to it which flips out from
the adaptor.

Hope that helps.

--
/* _ */main(int k,char**n){char*i=k&1?"+L*;99,RU[,RUo+BeKAA+BECACJ+CAACA"
/* / ` */"CD+LBCACJ*":1[n],j,l=!k,m;do for(m=*i-48,j=l?m/k:m%k;m>>7?k=1<<m+
/* | */8,!l&&puts(&l)**&l:j--;printf(" \0_/"+l));while((l^=3)||l[++i]);
/* \_,hris Brown -- All opinions expressed are probably wrong. */return 0;}

[John Johnson]

In article <MPG.198888fe18f963fb9896aa@news.clara.net>,
Simon Wolf <newsgroup.address@thesoftwaremill.com> wrote:

> I am thinking of buying myself an iBook to essentially replace my
> desktop PC for all but games playing and software development (I am a VB
> developer by trade ... please don't throw rotten vegetables!). The
> iBook would also replace my Psion netBook which is my ultra-portable
> sub-laptop, instant-on device but is sadly pretty much obsolete.
> However before I splash out (and no doubt get into trouble fro my wife)
> I have a few questions which I am hoping that you can answer for me.
>
> If it helps for any of the answers here are the specs that I am thinking
> of ...
>
> • iBook 900MHz
> • 12.1-inch TFT display
> • 640MB SDRAM (upgrade via Crucial)
> • 40GB Ultra ATA
> • DVD/CD-RW
> • AirPort Card
>
> 1. How fast is an iBook at re-awakening?

They are pretty fast, maybe a second or two.

> When in stand by mode
> roughly how long can the battery last for?

At least a week, I haven't had any experience with this in the latest
revision of OS X (earlier versions were pretty hungry when asleep, but
that's apparently been taken care of).

>
>
> 3. Can I take out AppleCare at any point in the first year or does it
> have to be when I buy the machine? Will the warranty be affected by me
> fitting my own memory upgrade from Crucial?
>

You may purchase AppleCare at any time while your original warrantee is
still in effect.

> 4. I believe that iBooks come with OS9 and OSX. Do I need both as a
> totally new Apple user? Should I do something like reformat the machine
> when I first get it and then re-install OSX?

Unless you have a particular need/desire to use OS 9, just begin with OS
X. OS X should be pre-installed when you get it, so no reformatting
necessary.

>
> 5. I am, at some point, going to buy an iPod. Will the iBook be
> powerful enough to create MP3s from CDs at a reasonable speed? Would I
> be better doing this on my desktop PC and then just transferring the
> files over to the iBook and iPod?
>

This depends heavily upon what you consider to be "reasonable." I think
that the iBook will do fine. Of course, if your PC is faster, you might
decide to use it for mp3 creation. Experiment.

> 6. My Windows machines at home use a wireless network courtesy of a
> Linksys wireless access point router. Will an AirPort card be
> compatible or do I have to use an AirPort base station (I am guessing
> not since forcing user to stick to proprietary hardware would be a bit
> short-sighted).

Fully compatible.

>
> 7. I will but Office for my Mac if I have to (why no upgrade option from
> Windows Office to Mac Office ... swines!) but are there any good
> alternative word processors and spreadsheets available that can handle
> (opening and saving) MS documents?

Word-processors:
AppleWorks, Open Office, Mariner Write, Nisus Writer, TeXShop (for
writing in TeX/LaTeX, should you do that sort of thing), all come to
mind. There are programs (e.g. MacLinks) that offer translation
capabilities between document formats that might be better than those
built into a given program. (e.g. Mariner Write did not, in the past,
open up Word files. MacLinks would translate the Word doc so that
Mariner could, and then translate it back. It was (and is reported still
to be) a really useful program.

I gave up, in two ways: I now write LaTeX using BBEdit (powerful text
editor for programmers), so I don't deal with Word anymore. Even better,
my documents look great, are saved as text files, and have a variety of
export formats. It's not for everyone, but I like it. When I get a Word
document, I just open it in Word. As a result of a deal that my
University had, I can get MS Office products for free, so it wasn't
worth the expense of another solution (e.g. Mariner Write and MacLinks,
which is probably what I would have done. I really like Mariner's
products). When I leave the university, I'll likely change how I do
things.

Spreadsheets: OpenOffice, Mariner Calc, AppleWorks (maybe that feature
is coming soon...)

This sort of question comes up regularly, so search the archives for
comp.sys.mac.* for information.

>
> 10. Is the power adaptor that comes with the iBook as portable as the
> one shown in the Apple Store or is it a big clunky monster?
> Essentially, do I need to buy a spare adaptor to take with me when I am
> travelling?

The adapter made these days is pretty small. 3rd party adapters are
available

>
> Many thanks and I hope that someone can help me out.
>
> Simon

--
later.

johajohn AT indianahoosiers DOT edu

Remove the adjective to reply. Indiana is a noun.

[Simon Wolf]

In article <MPG.198888fe18f963fb9896aa@news.clara.net>,
[email]newsgroup.address@thesoftwaremill.com[/email] says...

> I am thinking of buying myself an iBook <snip>

Well I've pretty much made up my mind now. :) Thank you all for your
replies which have been very helpful and informative.

Now that the decision has been made, however, I do have a few more quick
questions and then I promise to keep quiet for a bit and just lurk ...

1. Since Norton produce a Mac version of Norton AntiVirus I am assuming
that Macs also suffer from viri. However, from my experience of Linux I
would think that the damage caused by viri is much less than it is in
Windows but should I still put this near the top of my 'must buy'
software list?

2. Can anyone recommend a good book for someone (me) who know nothing
about Macs. I picked up Mac Format and iCreate today but a good
beginners book would be helpful since I believe that OSX is quite unlike
Windows.

3. How are OS upgrades handled. It looks as if OSX 10.3 is coming soon
so are Apple likely to charge for it? Is it worth me waiting for it to
be shipped as standard on new iBooks?

4. Can anyone recommend good Mac websites for Apple news and software
(shareware and retail software ... preferably with reviews). I have
tried searching in Google but you get quite a few sites returned and
there is just an overwhelming number to check.

Many thanks guys and I look forward to joining the Mac community.

Simon

[Watt]

John Johnson wrote:

> Spreadsheets: OpenOffice, Mariner Calc, AppleWorks (maybe that feature
> is coming soon...)

AppleWorks (v. 6) does have a spreadsheet. IMO it's much closer to Excel
than the WP module is to Word. Maybe you're thinking of the rumor that
Apple is busy creating pro-quality replacements for the entire Office
suite, of which Keynote would be the first part?

BTW, as far as Word docs go, the OP should take note that fancy Word
formatting tends to get munged by other programs. You may be able to
open and save the doc, but if it's loaded with styles, tables and so on
you're probably going to have to get Word if you want to keep them.

[nospam]

In article <MPG.1988d44a62970a159896ab@news.clara.net>, Simon Wolf
<newsgroup.address@thesoftwaremill.com> wrote:

> In article <MPG.198888fe18f963fb9896aa@news.clara.net>,
> [email]newsgroup.address@thesoftwaremill.com[/email] says...

> > I am thinking of buying myself an iBook <snip>

>
> Well I've pretty much made up my mind now. :) Thank you all for your
> replies which have been very helpful and informative.
>
> Now that the decision has been made, however, I do have a few more quick
> questions and then I promise to keep quiet for a bit and just lurk ...
>
> 1. Since Norton produce a Mac version of Norton AntiVirus I am assuming
> that Macs also suffer from viri. However, from my experience of Linux I
> would think that the damage caused by viri is much less than it is in
> Windows but should I still put this near the top of my 'must buy'
> software list?

mac os 9 and earlier had very few viruses and only a couple that did
anything nasty. so far, there are no known osx viruses. therefore,
there is no reason to get an osx anti virus utility.

for the 'must buy' get alsoft's disk warrior. this will fix directory
problems very effectively. <http://www.alsoft.com/>

> 2. Can anyone recommend a good book for someone (me) who know nothing
> about Macs. I picked up Mac Format and iCreate today but a good
> beginners book would be helpful since I believe that OSX is quite unlike
> Windows.

mac os x, the missing manual

> 3. How are OS upgrades handled. It looks as if OSX 10.3 is coming soon
> so are Apple likely to charge for it? Is it worth me waiting for it to
> be shipped as standard on new iBooks?

the incremental upgrades are handled by the software update mechanism
built into the os (or you can download the updater itself).

10.3 is due out by 'the end of the year' and will likely be $129. i'm
sure there will be places to get it at a small discount, as with
jaguar.

as for waiting, only you can decide if roughly 4-5 months of use of the
computer will be worth saving roughly $100.

> 4. Can anyone recommend good Mac websites for Apple news and software
> (shareware and retail software ... preferably with reviews). I have
> tried searching in Google but you get quite a few sites returned and
> there is just an overwhelming number to check.

[url]http://www.macintouch.com/[/url]
[url]http://www.macminute.com/[/url]
[url]http://www.macfixit.com/[/url]
[url]http://www.macosxhints.com/[/url]
[url]http://www.versiontracker.com/[/url]

[Watt]

Simon Wolf wrote:

> 3. Can I take out AppleCare at any point in the first year or does it
> have to be when I buy the machine? Will the warranty be affected by me
> fitting my own memory upgrade from Crucial?

You can buy AppleCare at any time during the original warranty. (If past
experience is any guide, Apple will remind you of this more than once.)

Memory upgrades do not affect warranty unless you fiddle with a
non-user-serviceable slot. The iBook has one user-accessible RAM slot,
and instructions for accessing it are provided with the computer. You
will need a veeeery small screwdriver and about five minutes.

> 4. I believe that iBooks come with OS9 and OSX. Do I need both as a
> totally new Apple user? Should I do something like reformat the machine
> when I first get it and then re-install OSX?

No, you don't need both. However, I'd disagree strenuously with those
who say you should entirely get rid of OS 9. You may never have a use
for it, but if you do you'll be kicking yourself. The likelihood of that
happening is admittedly slim, but considering how little space it takes
(about 250 MB), it's worthwhile to keep around just in case.

> 5. I am, at some point, going to buy an iPod. Will the iBook be
> powerful enough to create MP3s from CDs at a reasonable speed? Would I
> be better doing this on my desktop PC and then just transferring the
> files over to the iBook and iPod?

Depends what you call reasonable speed. Compared to a modern desktop PC,
it will probably seem slow. Whether it's too slow for you is something
only you can say.

> 7. I will but Office for my Mac if I have to (why no upgrade option from
> Windows Office to Mac Office ... swines!) but are there any good
> alternative word processors and spreadsheets available that can handle
> (opening and saving) MS documents?

Again, opening and saving may happen with various non-MS programs, but
don't expect the formatting to be preserved.

> 10. Is the power adaptor that comes with the iBook as portable as the
> one shown in the Apple Store or is it a big clunky monster?
> Essentially, do I need to buy a spare adaptor to take with me when I am
> travelling?

It is as shown (the small white brick).

[AES/newspost]

In article <MPG.1988d44a62970a159896ab@news.clara.net>,
Simon Wolf <newsgroup.address@thesoftwaremill.com> wrote:

> 2. Can anyone recommend a good book for someone (me) who know nothing
> about Macs. I picked up Mac Format and iCreate today but a good
> beginners book would be helpful since I believe that OSX is quite unlike
> Windows.

I found "OS X -- The Missing Manual" to be pretty readable -- a
reasonable mixture of introduction to Mac concepts and the Unix aspects
of OS X..

[Watt]

Simon Wolf wrote:

> In article <MPG.198888fe18f963fb9896aa@news.clara.net>,
> [email]newsgroup.address@thesoftwaremill.com[/email] says...
>

>>I am thinking of buying myself an iBook <snip>

>
>
> Well I've pretty much made up my mind now. :) Thank you all for your
> replies which have been very helpful and informative.
>
> Now that the decision has been made, however, I do have a few more quick
> questions and then I promise to keep quiet for a bit and just lurk ...
>
> 1. Since Norton produce a Mac version of Norton AntiVirus I am assuming
> that Macs also suffer from viri. However, from my experience of Linux I
> would think that the damage caused by viri is much less than it is in
> Windows but should I still put this near the top of my 'must buy'
> software list?

Many, many Mac users go without antivirus software. There are few
viruses for the Mac.

> 2. Can anyone recommend a good book for someone (me) who know nothing
> about Macs. I picked up Mac Format and iCreate today but a good
> beginners book would be helpful since I believe that OSX is quite unlike
> Windows.

I believe O'Reilly has a number of books on OSX at various levels of
technical detail...since you're already technically inclined, it's
probably best for you to browse the Mac section at your local bookstore.
I believe a number of them have been reviewed at Slashdot, too, so
that might help you gauge the appropriate level of books that interest you.

> 3. How are OS upgrades handled. It looks as if OSX 10.3 is coming soon
> so are Apple likely to charge for it? Is it worth me waiting for it to
> be shipped as standard on new iBooks?

If you buy now you can expect to pay full price for 10.3. A firm ship
date hasn't been announced yet, but once it has there should be a window
where people who buy new machines will get the update for a
shipping/handling charge (in the past as much as $30, IIRC).

BTW, it could be a long time before 10.3 is preinstalled on new
machines. I bought an iMac a couple of months after 10.2 came out.
10.1.x was preinstalled, and I had to install the 10.2 upgrade from
included discs.

Minor upgrades (equivalent to SPs) are done via the Software Update
preferences pane or by direct download from Apple.

>
> 4. Can anyone recommend good Mac websites for Apple news and software
> (shareware and retail software ... preferably with reviews). I have
> tried searching in Google but you get quite a few sites returned and
> there is just an overwhelming number to check.
>

[url]www.macintouch.com[/url] has product announcements and discussion of recent
releases and issues with Apple products.

[url]www.versiontracker.com[/url] seems to be the leader for shareware downloads.
They also have announcements of commercial software updates and OS
updates. User reviews tend not to be extremely helpful, IME.

For general tips and tricks, can't beat [url]www.macosxhints.com[/url].

There are many more...

[Simon Wolf]

In article <MPG.1988d44a62970a159896ab@news.clara.net>,
[email]newsgroup.address@thesoftwaremill.com[/email] says...

> In article <MPG.198888fe18f963fb9896aa@news.clara.net>,
> [email]newsgroup.address@thesoftwaremill.com[/email] says...

> > I am thinking of buying myself an iBook <snip>

>
> Well I've pretty much made up my mind now. :) Thank you all for your
> replies which have been very helpful and informative.
>
> Now that the decision has been made, however, I do have a few more quick
> questions and then I promise to keep quiet for a bit and just lurk ...

<snip>

Again, thank you all very much for your replies. I'll save myself some
cash and not get any anti-virus software yet and instead invest in a
copy of 'OS X: the Missing Manual'. I'm also not going to wait for the
new OS to ship with an iBook ... maybe I'll make it in to the free
upgrade window but if not I'll just have to cough up.

I'd also just like to add that it is a pleasant surprise to find such a
polite and helpful newsgroup and I look forward to being able to
contribute in a more knowledgeable way in the future.

All the best.

Simon

[Simon Wolf]

In article <b57d6f59.0307231627.2ca28ac8@posting.google.com >,
[email]faridemam@yahoo.com[/email] says...

> Simon Wolf <newsgroup.address@thesoftwaremill.com> wrote in message news:<MPG.198888fe18f963fb9896aa@news.clara.net>.. .

> > I am thinking of buying myself an iBook to essentially replace my
> > desktop PC for all but games playing and software development (I am a VB
> > developer by trade ... please don't throw rotten vegetables!). The
> > iBook would also replace my Psion netBook which is my ultra-portable
> > sub-laptop, instant-on device but is sadly pretty much obsolete.
> > However before I splash out (and no doubt get into trouble fro my wife)
> > I have a few questions which I am hoping that you can answer for me.
> >

>

> >

> Hello,
>
> I've just bought an iBook, also switching from Windows. My iBook
> (G3/700 etc.) is however a bit older than the one you're considering.
>
> After spending a week with it... I wish I had spent some more and
> bought either the entry-level Powerbook (with additional RAM too) or
> maybe the G4/1.25 that's still on the Apple Store.
>
> MacOS interface is nice and convenient, but seems very slow,
> especially when you are used to a fast and responsive Windows system.
> I suspect the G3 + weak graphics card are at fault here. Also, there
> is no PCMCIA slot in G3 (but is there one in the PB I now wonder?).
>
> Perhaps you should spend some time trying both machines before buying
> one...
>
> "My 2 cents", as they say.
>
> farid emam
>

How much RAM do you have? One thing that I have learnt in my iBook
research is that Apple tends to be a bit mean with their base RAM
allocation and most people seem to recommend adding more RAM (and max it
out if you can) ASAP. I would imagine (and hope) that RAM in an iBook
works as it does for Windows and the more you have the faster the
machine. However, thanks for the tip and I am going to try to get to a
reseller tomorrow to have a look at them in detail in person.

Simon

[farid emam]

Simon Wolf <newsgroup.address@thesoftwaremill.com> wrote in message news:<MPG.19893c1ea205408c9896ad@news.clara.net>.. .

>
> How much RAM do you have?

I bought a 512 MB module (not from Apple!!!!!) ie I now have 640MB. I
don't mean to say MacOS X is unusable, just that you can FEEL there is
something holding everything back...

You should also get an external USB mouse with 2 or 3 buttons, it is
much more confortable than the trackpad.

farid

[Simon Wolf]

In article <b57d6f59.0307240027.246e4f6c@posting.google.com >,
[email]faridemam@yahoo.com[/email] says...

> Simon Wolf <newsgroup.address@thesoftwaremill.com> wrote in message news:<MPG.19893c1ea205408c9896ad@news.clara.net>.. .

> >
> > How much RAM do you have?

>
>
> I bought a 512 MB module (not from Apple!!!!!) ie I now have 640MB. I
> don't mean to say MacOS X is unusable, just that you can FEEL there is
> something holding everything back...
>
> You should also get an external USB mouse with 2 or 3 buttons, it is
> much more confortable than the trackpad.
>
> farid

I was planning on getting a mouse since I don't get on with trackpads at
all but maybe I will also have a look at the Powerbook range before I
finally buy anything.

Simon

[Watt]

John Johnson wrote:

> In article <jKzTa.6393$Bj4.3675@nntp-post.primus.ca>,
> Watt <watt@knott.house> wrote:
>
>

>>John Johnson wrote:
>>
>>

>>>Spreadsheets: OpenOffice, Mariner Calc, AppleWorks (maybe that feature
>>>is coming soon...)

>>
>>
>>AppleWorks (v. 6) does have a spreadsheet. IMO it's much closer to Excel
>>than the WP module is to Word. Maybe you're thinking of the rumor that
>>Apple is busy creating pro-quality replacements for the entire Office
>>suite, of which Keynote would be the first part?
>>

>
> No, sorry about that. I remember back in the day that AppleWorks
> wouldn't open Excel docs, and it either now does, or is supposed to
> soon. Since the OP seemed to be asking specifically about opening MS
> format documents, I just got a bit sloppy about the reply.
>

Sorry I misread you. Just checked -- AppleWorks 6.2.x (at least) does
open Excel files.

[farid emam]

Simon Wolf <newsgroup.address@thesoftwaremill.com> wrote in message news:<MPG.1989d328650af7c09896ae@news.clara.net>.. .

And don't forget hard drives are supposed to be exceedingly diffult to
change in iBooks. And a little bit less difficult in PBooks.

g'luck!

farid