The first thing you notice about the new Apple iBook is its weight. At just 4.9 pounds, or 2.2 kilos, it clocks in two pounds lighter than last year's model. You can easily get carried away by its aesthetic qualities - the sleek, sexy white design, compact and streamlined; the funky flexes; the clean, crisp keyboard - but there is a lot more to this iBook than meets the eye.
There's its power, for starters. With a 500 megahertz PowerPC G3 processor, it is the second-fastest notebook you can buy. It's beaten only by the PowerBook G4 Titanium, but it still boasts the same battery life, lasting for up to five hours, depending on the application you're using.
And it's got extras. The iMovie software, for starters, which allows users to edit their own videos, adding all manner of sound effects, soundtracks, transitions and titles.
A built-in microphone can also be used for voice-overs and additional effects, while the FireWire port allows those with digital cameras to transfer video footage to the iBook.
Then there's the iTunes application, which lets you turn tracks from audio CDs into MP3 files, while the CD-RW drive enables you to burn CDs.
It's hardly any wonder, then, that Apple has bucked the trend towards high-tech gloom by reporting sales of 306,000 iBook laptops in the third quarter of this year, up six thousand units from the previous quarter, and almost triple what the company sold during the same period last year.
With more ports than its predecessor, iBook 2001 provides a range of new possibilities, including a new VGA and composite-video output port (for showing video footage on an external display) and an AV port for big-screen presentations or films.
A built-in Ethernet port and modem allow for Internet and e-mail facilities, while iTools includes Apple's free Internet services.
For the truly sophisticated, the AirPort facility allows for wire-free Internet access.
The iBook comes with the OS X operating system, which has been criticised for its lack of software compatibility.
Most of the programs the average user will need, however, are likely to run perfectly smoothly.
And it's durable. With impact-resistant polycarbonate casing and the absence of protruding levers and catches, it's about as damage-proof as these things can get.
Measuring just 11.2 by 9.1 by 1.3 inches, it's also almost small enough to put in your pocket.
For the average user, the iBook is the perfect portable notebook, and those interested in more memory or other applications can add extras.
Launched in the Republic in May of this year, the iBook is priced at £1,190, excluding VAT.iBooks are also available from Apple's online store, at www.apple.com/iestore.