The iBook is a line of laptop computers sold by Apple Inc. between 1999 and 2006. It was targeted at the consumer and education markets, with fewer features and lower prices than the PowerBook. Three distinct designs of the iBook were introduced during its lifetime. The first design, known as the "Clamshell", was a significant departure from portable computer designs at the time, due to its shape, bright colors, inclusion of a handle, and wireless networking. Two years later, a second line abandoned the original form-factor in favor of a more conventional rectangular design. In October 2003 the third design added a G4 chip and a slot-loading drive.

Apple replaced the iBook line with the MacBook in May 2006 after replacing the PowerBook line with the MacBook Pro in January of the same year.

iBook G3 ("Clamshell")

In the late 1990s Apple was trimming its product line from the bewildering variety of intersecting Performa, Quadra, LC, Power Macintosh and PowerBook models to a simplified "four box" strategy: desktop and portable computers, each in both consumer and professional models. Three boxes of this strategy were already in place: The newly-introduced iMac was the consumer desktop, the Blue and White G3 filled the professional desktop box, and the PowerBook line served as the professional portable line. This left only the consumer portable space to be filled in, leading to much rumor on the Internet as to its likely design and features. Putting an end to the speculation, Steve Jobs unveiled the iBook G3 during the keynote presentation of Macworld Conference & Expo, New York City on July 21, 1999. The design was influenced by Apple's consumer desktop, the iMac, with a large distinctive shape, translucent clear and colored plastics. Its marketing slogan was "iMac to go".

A carrying handle was built into the hinge. Like the iMac, the iBook G3 used a PowerPC G3 CPU, and included no legacy Apple interfaces. USB, Ethernet, modem ports and an optical drive were standard. The ports were placed uncovered along the left side: a cover was thought to be fragile. When closed, the hinge kept the lid shut, so there were no latches. The bottom surface had additional power connectors that allowed multiple iBook G3s to be easily charged on a custom-made rack. The iBook G3 was the first Mac to use Apple's new "Unified Motherboard Architecture" which condensed all of the machine's core features into two chips, and added AGP and Ultra DMA support.

The iBook was the first mainstream computer ever designed and sold with integrated wireless networking. On the iBook's introduction, Phil Schiller, Apple's VP of Marketing, held an iBook while jumping off a height as data from the computer was transferred to another in order to demonstrate the wireless networking capability. The display bezel contained the wireless antenna, which attached to an optional internal wireless card. Lucent helped create this wireless capability which established the industry standard. Apple released the AirPort Wireless Base Station at the same time.