[iBook] ibook/airport reception issue

[Matthew Faulds]

I had a 800mhz G4 ibook and a 466 clamshell running on the same airport 
extreme network and I noticed a marked difference in their airport 
reception. We generally use our laptops in a room approx 5-6 metres from the 
base station with a thick brick/stone wall in between. The clamshell 
persistently had better reception; the G4 ibook was particularly susceptible 
to positional changes (if the reception was lost it could often be recovered 
by simply turning the ibook a few degrees) but it would often refuse to 
rediscover the network until taken right next to the base station.

After a little testing the clamshell turned out to have roughly twice the 
range and 25% better signal strength. I couldn't find anything wrong and 
presumed it was simply the design of the antenna in the G4. Has anyone else 
been able to directly compare ibooks/powerbooks' aiport reception?

I'm now waiting for a 14" 1.2ghz ibook and hoping that it will have better 
reception.

Matt