ive got a ibook (g3 ) and want to know the risks of running it with the lid closed in my backpack (its a proper laptop backpack) so i can listen to my music without having to buy an ipod or something.

will the hdd get too hot *just* playing mp3 in itunes? i know if it gets too hot then the screen will warp. it will only be playing when im traveling to college (so about 1:30 hours).

so is it safe? or will one of you give me an ipod

I wouldn't risk it, the only time I run my iBook with the lid closed is in cold weather, and when it's not being carried in a bag (ie: I'm just holding it, quite handy for warwalking actually )

You could always test it and leave it on your desk at home doing nothing but playing music for a few hours and see how warm it gets.

as long as the vents are not covered it should work. and if its cold enough out.

thanks i noticed no one jumped at the chance to send me an ipod

the ibook is NOT designed to have close lid operation

just remember that

I was going to say - last time I checked whenever you closed the iBook it automatically went into sleep mode.

you can turn that off via software utility

but you really shouldn't do it, especially on the ibooks

thats what i was thinking about. using that, i just wanted to know if it will cause damage

Main problem with that being is that the iBook releases (some) heat via the keyboard area, also the bottom left area under the keyboard (for me anyway) seems to get quite hot when running a heavy load for a long time, and I wouldn't want to put my LCD close to it for an extended period of time.

I would not suggest it. The iBook was not designed to be operated with the screen down and because of this the heat distribution comes out from the keyboard + below the screen and where the hard drive is located allot of heat rises from there. Not only would it possibly damage your LCD from heat being trapped in it (possible warping) but also main hardware could fail such as the Hard Drive / CPU / GPU and so on.

If you want closed lid operation you can install a program that will let you do it.. but the risks are high and its not really worth it. just turn the screen off leave it open and use what ever external monitor you wish.

Is this the same way with the powerbooks?

Nope powerbooks are completely different they was designed with close lid operation in mind, and there vents are discreetly placed to help with ventilation when in closed lid operation. The only thing with some powerbooks is if they do get hot for any reason screen up or down, the metal enclosure may warp out of shape

cool, good to know

sucks about the warping though...

kinda bad though, as the PBs run hotter than ibooks anyway, and they warp. therefore id be just as hesitant to try this with either unless it was a cool environment - ie me warwalking in queestown with snow around the place