No more PCs for me!
Written: Nov 03 '02
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Pros: Razor sharp wide screen, equally sharp looks, and that's just on the outside!
Cons: No word processor included. Slow to start from complete shutdown.
The Bottom Line: Solid construction, dependable OS, and surprisingly fast G4 processing power make it a winner. Don't let a crashing window plague you any longer than it already has!
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| neofusion's Full Review: Apple PowerBook G4 15.2 in. (M8591LL/A) Mac Notebo... |
Before I started law school, I realized that I would need a new computer. Since I was going to be on the move alot, it had to be a laptop. So I busted out the good old spreadsheet and began my comparison shopping. I've always been a PC fan, though I had limited experience with Apple products along the way. As a result my searching was primarily focused on Windows machines. After months of searching, I had narrowed it down to the Toshiba Satellite 5105, the best combination of performance, multimedia, and innovative coolness I had come across. However, after months of delays in shipping, I had to cancel my order. In a rush to find a substitute, I bought an HP middle of the road laptop with an AMD 1400 Athlon processor. It wasn't much but I was able to do the basics.
Unfortunately, XP was just as friendly to me as 98 had been in the past. I realized that one glitch (and judging by the frequency of them in Windows, a highly probable one) could cause me alot of grief and cripple my law school career. That's when I saw the light. That is, the clear, bright display on a fellow student's Powerbook. From my vantage point I could compare his Powerbook display with several other brands and it was head and shoulders above its competition.
So that night I did some research on the Powerbook and discovered that it's not very easy to compare Apples to oranges - err - I mean PCs! This is especially true when it comes to clock speed. Most people in the PC realm are well aware of the AMD/Intel battle going on in the processor speed arena, where the AMD, though clocked lower actually performs faster than the Intel. Well, the same principle applies to Apple's PowerPC chip. The entry model 667Mhz G4 processor is comparable to a 1.4Ghz Intel chip, give or take a few. And after using the 667Mhz model back to back with my old laptop, I would say that it's about as fast as the 1400 Athlon as well. Needless to say this was a pleasant surprise.
There are so many good things to say about this thing that I could wear out my keyboard doing it! The main points for me are these:
1)Respectable performance regardless of what the clock speed says.
2)Dependable, streamlined OS-X (Jaguar).
3)Beautiful, bright 15.2" widescreen display that allows me to put two documents side by side.
4)Stylish, light, and durable casing made out of titanium.
5)Slim and compact compared to today's desktop replacement PCs. (Notice how they are getting bulkier these days?)
The only real gripe I have is that no office suite is included, not even AppleWorks. So you have to install your own, I use MS Office X for Mac because I'm already used to Word and Excel. (And who says they don't make good software for Macs!) But honestly folks, this is really not a big deal.
Given how bulletproof Apple products have proven themselves to be over the years, especially compared to the epidemic of crashing windows around us, the $2500 price tag is actually a real bargain. In my research, I found so many pleased users that the lack of complaints actually alarmed me. Why didn't I know about these things earlier. Compared to the Powerbook (or Ibook if your wallet is a little thinner), PCs are just bungling oafish brutes. So get pick up an Apple, anything less would be uncivilized!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $2500
Operating System: Macintosh
Processor: PowerPC G4
Processor speed: 601-700
Screen Size: 15 inches
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 21-30
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Epinions.com ID:
neofusion
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Member: Haig Hagopian
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
You get what you pay for, usually.
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