Flaws resurface in version 3.0 ('Pismo' - 500MHz)
Written: Mar 11 '00 (Updated Dec 13 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast, light, slick, modern architecture
Cons: No SCSI, DVD playback problems
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| Andyman's Full Review: Apple PowerBook G3 (M7308LL/A) Mac Notebook |
I still stand by my original review of the PowerBook G3 in most regards.
http://www.epinions.com/cmd-review-63F9-30C8B6C-37F2F2F0-bd1
I recently purchased the 500MHz model and have been enjoying the finest fruit of the industry ever since. This machine kicks some serious boo-hoo and is more than worth the money. The battery life is much improved thanks to a new motherboard design. Memory and main bus performance are also improved. Best of all, this machine has support for Apple's Airport wireless networking, which, for $400, gives you all you need to be online anywhere in your entire house. Cool!
However, mostly on the software front, there are some problems. The 2000 edition Powerbook G3, which I call "version 3," some call Pismo, others call Lombard 2, only runs Mac OS9. It's annoying when Apple forces you to upgrade to the most recent OS in order to use the most recent iron. I've had some problem stemming from software, including:
Apple has now made DVD-movie decoding a software function. It used to be performed in hardware by the video subsystem, but now it's an application running in competition with everythin else on your system. Decoding DVD movies is pretty demanding, and there's a definite performance degradation. Sadly, the same is true of CD-audio playing. Hiccups and crackle galore.
No SCSI in this model. The 333/400 MHz "Lombard" Powerbooks had built-in SCSI for connecting your peripherals. The "Pismo" does not. I added a PC-card SCSI adapter from Adaptec so I could continue using my 2 scanners, CD-burner, Zip drive, and Jaz. Big surprise: they don't all work. Oh well, that's what you get for trying to adapt between apples and oranges. Why couldn't they just leave the SCSI in? Apple would too often rather tell you what you need rather than give you what you say you want.
Case in point:
Firewire. AKA IEEE 1394, Firewire is supposed to replace SCSI as the high-performance connector for peripherals. Sadly, I have $1000 invested in my SCSI peripherals already. And I couldn't even find Firewire replacements for some of them if I wanted to. they're just not on the market yet. The only thing I've tried to use firewire for didn't work: that is, connecting my Powerbook to another Mac as an external hard drive. After spending $40 on the firewire cable, I found this didn't work. Apple is "working on a fix."
Whatever.
If you hapen to own a $4000 DV camcorder that supports IEEE 1394, Then firewire is great for capturing and working with movies. But come on, Apple, wouldn't more people get more functionality out of simple RCA video in and SCSI? I appreciate that you're trying to stay ahead of the industry, but don't forget to satisfy and empower your customers along the way...
Also, some of my older apps don't work with OS9, and I'm not pleased with the stability of it, either. If you need a new Powerbook, consider buying a 400MHz "Lombard" if you still can. You may be happier with it. If you don't have a lot of SCSI peripherals or a huge DVD library, you may want to shell out for the extra 100 MHZ, huge 12 gig disk, and 128 megs of RAM. Support for wireless networking and better battery life are nice, too.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Andyman
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Member: Andy Hilal
Location: Oakland, CA
Reviews written: 131
Trusted by: 177 members
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