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iBook G4 benchmarked against hackintosh netbook, comes out even
Apple's been pretty resistant to putting out an OS X netbook, and we might have an inkling why -- according to benchmarks run on a hackintosh'd MSI Wind variant, Apple's OS runs just about as well on your average 1.6GHz Atom / 1GB RAM machine as it does on a four-year-old iBook G4. Sure, the Atom boots a bit faster and outperforms the G4 on simple tasks, but it slows way down when the going gets tough. Of course, the iBook was a much larger machine than most netbooks out there, but with numbers like this we'd say those of you searching for an OS X netbook can skip the EULA violations and just hunt down an old 12-inch PowerBook G4. Check out all the stats at the read link.[Thanks, Penny]
Danes claim to have "proven" iBook G4 logic board defect
Looks like Steve needs to spend a little less time working on his blog and a little more time hammering out the kinks in his portables. You may recall the endless logic board problems with the original G3 iBook, which was eventually the subject of an official Apple "repair extension program." Apple claimed to have worked all those problems out in the G4 rev, but there were still reports around the 'net that many of the machines tended to fail in the same way as the G3s after a year or so: sporadically powering off and then rebooting to black screens and whirring fans. For its part, Apple generally insisted that there were no defects in the G4 design and didn't implement a similar repair program. That might have been the wrong course of action, however, as the Consumer Complaints Board in Denmark just released the results of a study they say shows certain components on the iBook G4 logic board loosen slightly with each power cycle, leading to overall system failure. The Board also concluded that Apple is liable to Danish G4 owners for repairs, and indeed, El Reg reports that Apple International is now settling a number of outstanding cases. No word yet on how this will play out outside of Denmark, but we'd think the opinion of the world's most most technologically-advanced nation might hold some sway at 1 Infinite Loop.
Class action lawsuits filed against Apple
Just when you think Apple's financial woes have begun to recede, Forbes.com alerts us to a slew of recently filed class action lawsuits that all have the big fruit in their sights. First up is yet another complaint alleging that Apple has created a monopoly by tying iTS purchases to the iPod and only the iPod. Even though suits like this have come and gone, the court has interestingly denied Apple's motion to dismiss. Next in line is a suit over the MacBook's iBook G4's "abnormally high rate" of logic board failure. This suit was filed Nov. 7th, and Apple still has time to respond. A third suit is coming from PhatRat Technology LLC, who is calling patent infringement on the Nike+iPod product. A response from Apple is still pending here as well. Last (though possibly not least?) is a securities class action suit against the company and "certain current and former officers and directors" over all this backdated stock option grant business. That's about everything Forbes has on the Apple lawsuit list for now. Think it's still worth it to wish Apple a happy new year?
