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Does the iBook operate when the lid is closed?

Yes, it runs while closed.

Is the cd write speed on the combo drives 8x, as the Apple Store documentation says, or is it 4x, like the Tech Info Library article says?

We don't know the answer for sure, but it seems to us the 8x speed is the most logical.[UPDATE: We have since confirmed that both the CDRW and the Combo drives burn at 8x]

One question I've not seen answered anywhere; does the new iBook support external monitors? (i.e. not just mirroring of the display onto an external device, but the ability to use a second monitor and spread projects across both screens).

The new iBook uses an 8 MB Rage 128 Mobility graphics chip, the same used in the Titanium PowerBook. However, it only supports monitor mirroring. You can hook up any VGA monitor, projector, or other video device via the "RGB out" port, which is essentially a VGA port that uses a proprietary connector to save space on the back of the machine, shown below:

So yes, you can hook up external video devices, but it does not "span" the images like the Titanium PowerBooks, it simply mirrors the LCD's image on the external device.

Does the new ibook allow connection to a projector via s-video, is it done via this rgb video out port? do i need an extra adapter?

This av connector is for external speakers or microphone?

This AV connector is nothing new, the most recent iBooks before the Dual USB machines featured this connector. Think of it like a normal audio speaker jack; you can hook up headphones, external speakers, etc to the port. However, the jack goes a bit deeper and includes a video signal as well, which you can use with a special cable to give you full audio left, audio right, and a video signal which you can hook up to a TV, a VCR, etc. Here's the cable:

However, it does not support any sort of input, which a microphone would require. The iBook has a built in microphone and supports USB audio for additional audio input.

Is there a way to connect an kritter camera (s-video) to the USB port or the firewire port?

No, IREZ's S-Video version of their popular kritter cam does not connect to the iBook, at least not in that form. However, they sell both a USB and FireWire version, both of which would work with the iBook.

After having spent an hour or so replacing the hard drive in my Graphite Special Edition iBook (moving up to a 20gig'er), I was wondering if Apple had decided to do us a favor and make it easier?

It doesn't seem like it's gotten any easier. If anything, it's gotten harder to upgrade the hard drive, given the additional space constraints introduced by the new iBook's smaller design.

Do you have more questions? Send them in to info@pbzone.com. Want to discuss the new iBook? Head on over to the iBook forum at MacDebate.com.