The sharpness of the LCD panel in the iBook computer may vary depending on the selected resolution.
Traditionally LCD panels have been limited to one resolution because the panels are digital in design and have a fixed number of pixels. In the case of the original iBook and FireWire iBooks, that native resolution is 800 x 600. For white iBooks, the native resolution is 1024 x 768.
With new video technology you can now scale the size of the image on an LCD screen. On the original iBook and FireWire iBooks, the built-in 12-inch display can switch from the native 800 x 600 resolution to a scaled resolution of 640 x 480. The new image is remapped into the fixed pixel space of LCD panel. This remapped image is optimized by interpolation and anti-aliasing technology. Because the image is being remapped, the scaled resolutions will not appear as sharp as the native resolution.
For the white iBooks (both 12-inch and 14-inch models), the display can switch from the native 1024 x 768 resolution to a scaled resolution of 800 x 600 and 640 x 480. As with the earlier iBooks, the new image will not appear as sharp as the native resolution.
The advantage of having a scaleable resolution is some applications, mainly games, may only run at 640 x 480. If the display did not allow you to switch resolutions, you would not be able to use these applications.
Additional information on how to switch resolutions can be found in the Mac Help section under the Help menu.