Powerbook G3-2000: Wow!
Written: Mar 11 '00 (Updated Mar 11 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast, feature-packed, cool pulsating sleep light
Cons: none
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| smagoun's Full Review: Apple PowerBook G3 (M7308LL/A) Mac Notebook |
The new Powerbook G3-2000 (aka "Pismo") is the best all-around computer I've ever used. With 18 years of computer experience, I've seen a few computers; some have come close, but in terms of a pleasant computing experience the Powerbook is king. I bought a 500Mhz Pismo to replace my aging 266Mhz Powerbook (Pismo is also available in a 400Mhz model). Here's my take on the new machine:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
If you need a laptop, buy a Powerbook. You can't go wrong.
THE GOOD STUFF:
OVERALL SPEED
My 266Mhz Powerbook was a quick machine in its day, but it began to show its age as applications (and my computing requirements) became more demanding. The 500Mhz model is a barn-burner. Applications like Word and Excel open instantaneously; Photoshop runs faster than on any machine this side of the G4s, and even Virtual PC (a PC emulator from Connectix) runs as fast as a 200- or 300Mhz PC for most tasks.
DVD
The DVD playback on the new Powerbooks is hands-down the best in any laptop today. The hardware decoders used by previous Powerbooks were acceptable, but the quality was noticeably different than a traditional home-theater DVD player. The software DVD decoder that ships with the Pismos is far better than any of these; the picture quality is suberb and the sound is fantastic. The picture is free of the artifacts that plague most computer-based DVD playback, and the color fidelity is many times better than in the previous hardware-based decoders. The Powerbook's built-in speakers are among the best ever shipped on a laptop, but headphones or an external stereo are necessary for the "true" DVD experience. Apple's DVD software provides line-level output through the headphone jack and Dolby Prologic decoding to aid in sound reproduction.
GRAPHICS
Apple's new Powerbooks are the first laptops (PC or Mac) to utilize ATI's Rage 128 graphics chip. This is the same chip that ships with the Apple desktops, with appropriate changes for use in a laptop. The Rage 128 provides the fastest 2D and 3D graphics I've ever seen in a laptop; Quake 3 runs perfectly smoothly at the default 640x480 with all graphics options turned on and detail set to its highest setting. The Rage 128 + fast G3 combination is powerful enough that Quake 3's framerates were in the 20's even running at 1024x768 - this machine is not a graphics lightweight.
AIRPORT
Airport is Apple's implementation of the 802.11 standard for wireless networking. In layman's terms, Airport lets you surf the web from your couch (or bed, or kitchen table...) without any wires attached. It's awesome. The Airport base station ($300 extra) has a built-in 56k modem and an ethernet port, allowing connection to a standard phone line or a DSL modem/cable modem/LAN for connectivity. Pismo features an internal slot for an Airport card, eliminating the need for an external PC card.
FEATURES
Powerbooks have always been known for having a full set of features. The latest 'books are certainly no exception. Along with the DVD-ROM (standard) and the optional Airport card, the new Powerbooks sport Firewire (for digital video and external devices) and USB ports, 10/100Base-T ethernet (try finding THAT as a standard feature on a PC laptop), hard drives up to 18GB, support for a full gigabyte of RAM and a gorgeous 14.1" active-matrix display. An expansion bay can be used for the DVD, a second battery, floppy drive, Zip drive, or second hard drive. A Type II PCMCIA card slot is also included, as is a 56k modem and S-video port for output to a TV or VCR. Finally, a VGA port allows connection of a second monitor; the second display can mirror the laptop's internal LCD or can function as a separate external monitor.
BATTERY
Portable computers aren't much good without a battery. One battery will last between 3 and 4 hours, somewhat less if the DVD drive is used a lot (for DVD movie playback, expect about 100 minutes from 1 battery). With a second battery in place of the DVD drive, I've seen real-world usage of nearly 8 hours.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Most laptops are ugly. I have a Dell Inspiron at work that looks like it was slapped together with whatever pieces of plastic were on hand at the time. Apple's Powerbooks, however, are the exception. Apple has long been known for industrial design, and the new Powerbooks continue the tradition of computers that are perfectly functional and at the same time gorgeous to look at. The Pismo enclosure is based on the previous-generation "Lombard" enclosure with several minor refinements. It is a work of art.
PULSATING SLEEP LIGHT
Last but not least is the pulsating sleep light. While most laptops have a green light that flashes to show the computer is sleeping, the Pismo has a green light that fades on and off. It's awesome.
THE BAD STUFF:
There isn't much to complain about in Apple's new Powerbooks. They don't ship with a floppy drive; on the other hand, I haven't used a floppy disk in 2 years. If you need one, they can be found for a little over $100 from a 3rd-party manufacturer. Apple dropped SCSI from the Powerbook line beginning with the Pismos, but a PC Card SCSI adapter will get the job done. Other than that, the new Powerbooks are perfect. Some may complain that the price is high, but the base model starts at $2500 and includes standard features like 10/100Base-T ethernet and Firewire that are costly add-ons to a comparable PC laptop.
SUMMARY:
If you need a new laptop computer, buy a Powerbook. You can't go wrong. I consider myself a power user, and my Powerbook is now my primary computer; my desktop has been relegated to file serving. It's well worth the investment.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
smagoun
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Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 13 members
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