Some Flaws, Nonetheless Great!
Written: Apr 19 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Almost everything
Cons: Some small quirks
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| erisynne's Full Review: Apple PowerBook G3 (M7308LL/A) Mac Notebook |
I recently sold my "Lombard" (previous PowerBook model, first to introduce the bronze keyboard) in anticipation of the new Black Beauty, the much rumor-mongered-about Pismo. I got the 400 model. It was worth it.
Aside from two minor issues, I am totally in love. I know people are disappointed the new PowerBook didn't come in a new jaw-dropping translucent case, but I am very pleased. I think the current case is the sexiest laptop case ever, especially if you add silver vinyl to the top side panels! (Oh, those cuuuurves...)
What are these two minor issues, you ask? First of all, the rubber feet fell off. The glue just can't stand the heat, and I have no idea why Apple hasn't gotten this right yet. However, that's no big deal, a little SuperGlue and steady hands, and the feet are almost as good as new and will absolutely not fall off again. I had this problem on my Lombard as well. A little frustrating, but really no biggie.
The second issue is a factory defect that will not affect 90% or more of the PowerBooks on the market. It appears my PB may have been abused before I got it (new and the packaging was undamaged); the LCD has dark spots like bruises visible when the screen is a solid color, such as white. Italso has an erratic pixel that changes shade depending on the amount of white space around it. It's complex to explain, but here's my attempt: Say I have a dark teal background. This pixel will be almost invisible if nothing is open, but as soon as a large white window (new SimpleText document, say) is open under it, it will turn bright turqoise - a lighter version of the background color, teal. This is reproducible and does not go away. Needless to say, the techs I talked with at Apple are puzzled and concerned, and my little Black Beauty (dubbed "Freedom") is going back to Apple in a hearse. I mean, an RMA box. The screen will probably be replaced.
Other than that, the machine is wonderful. It is much faster than my 333Mhz Lombard, the graphics quality is much improved - Quake III looks good! -- and the built-in DVD is awesome. DVD is never a feature I would pay extra for, but I really adore it because it came as a default part of the package.
I find my Pismo runs much cooler than my Lombard, even under the worst conditions -- it only gets up to 131 degrees F, whereas my SO's Lombard/333 (he didn't sell his) goes up to 180 or so. They are both copper G3s, so it's really puzzling why this is!
Oh yeah... AirPort is the coolest tech toy I have ever bought and I am never, never going back. AirPort + PowerBook = Nerdvana.
Thanks for another great product, Apple! Don't you ever change the looks!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
erisynne
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Member: Amy Hoy
Location: Baltimore, MD
Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 9 members
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