Andyman's Full Review: Apple PowerBook G4 15.2 in. (M8362LL/A) Mac Notebo...
-sigh- Finally, a capable computer from Apple that won't be called "fruity" or "girly."
The first PowerBook was released in 1991 and ever since then it's been a steady climb out of the land of small screens, wimpy batteries, and teensy hard disks. Apple's PowerBooks are so good now that the only reason they cost so much, I'd guess, is to give their desktop machines a reason for being. Every year the PB gets better, and this year is no exception. Especially compared to previous redesigns, the Titanium is a worthy 10th anniversary Powerbook. You don't have to be a Mac-lover to want one of these things bad.
The long-awaited PowerBook G4 is a stunning mix of power, features, and ergonomics. Last year's Powerbook was already nigh perfect but the Titanium packs more features and better specs into an even smaller package. It will make a sweet OSX machine. Still, there are a few reasons to consider the purchase carefully. After all, at $2600 for the base model and $3500 for the big daddy, perfection is the least you'd expect.
First Impressions - How Cool Is It?
It's as cool as you're afraid it might be. Get ready to whip out that wallet involuntarily.
The screen is so thin from above you might not even know it's there, but from the front it's obscenely wide, extending almost to the extreme edge of its casing. And - HURRAH - they finally figured out that they needed to flip the Apple symbol over. When you're out at a cafe and the case is open, or sitting across from someone in the boardroom, the Apple sigil is RIGHT-SIDE-UP on the Titanium.
The Titanium casing is sleek and tight. One of my first questions was whether the thin new case would feel flimsy. Previous PowerBooks, cased in plastic, have always broken easily or slowly changed shaped over time. After a car accident 6 months ago, mine will no longer snap shut, it's slightly warped. But the good news is that the Titanium feels very sturdy and quite tough. If you pick it up by one corner it won't creak and flex much. It definitely feels much stronger than any PowerBook I've ever felt. Overtime, this is really important and may determine the life span of the machine.
The silver keyboard is gorgeous, and more important: FULL SIZE. Find another5.3-lb laptop that doesn't force you to use some crammed child's keyboard and I'll buy you a drink. Each key is supported by a pair of levers on each side that work against each other like scissors, giving each key a clean, straight-down feeling, a clean release, and good elasticity, all in an extraordinarily tiny space. You will NOT miss your desktop computer's keyboard when you're on the road.
Oh, yeah, and it's freakin' fast as hell.
Your Choices - What are the Configs?
The high-end model compared to the lower-end: 500MHz instead of 400, 256MBof memory instead of 128. 20GB hard disk instead of 10. That's it.
Is it worth the extra $1000? Probably not, unless you are a media freak. You probably won't notice the extra 100MHz. At least, not very often. The RAM is a non-issue since it's cheaper to buy that on your own. The hard disk, however is difficult and expensive to upgrade. 10GB is not very large in my opinion. I use a 12GB disk at home and I and constantly emptying it of movies, MP3s, applications... generally running at about 95% full. If you are a basic user, 10GB should serve you well. But if you're into Napster or plan to actually make your own movies, you should consider the 20GB drive essential. There is even a 30GB drive available as an upgrade. Personally, I use an external 60GB Firewire drive to store movies, music, and for backing up.
Here are the specs once again, with explanations of what each means.
$2600
400MHz PowerPC G4 - MHz rating of the central processor
1MB L2 cache - high-speed cache memory available for processor
128MB SDRAM memory - general working memory
10GB Ultra ATA drive - hard drive size and interface type
DVD-ROM w/DVD-Video - DVD-Drive and movie decoding hardware/software
ATI Rage Mobility 128 - 128-bit 3D graphics processing
10/100BASE-T Ethernet - Ethernet and Fast Ethernet networking
56K internal modem - built in v.90 modem
Two USB ports - use for connecting printers, mice, digital cameras, etc.
One FireWire port - use for connecting digital camcorders, high-end drives
$3500
500MHz PowerPC G4 - a bit faster but not a crucial difference
1MB L2 cache - same as above
256MB SDRAM memory - you'll probably never need more
20GB Ultra ATA drive - roomy as you'll need (for now)
DVD-ROM w/DVD-Video - same as above
ATI Rage Mobility 128 - same as above
10/100BASE-T Ethernet - same as above56K internal modem - same as above
Two USB ports - same as above
One FireWire port - same as above
The $2500 Question - Is it more expensive than a PC?
Let's look at some competition. I'm not going to get into the Processor speed issue. Architectures differ, there is no common benchmark, speed is also by software... yadda yadda. Not going there. Suffice it to say that the PowerBook G4 is a high-end laptop. Powerful but light. Compact, yet with a huge screen. Find me another laptop with a 15-inch screen that costs less and we'll go from there.
True, the Dell Inspiron 8000 starts at $1499 and includes a 15-inch screen. But it's also got no networking, no FireWire, no DVD drive, only 64MB of RAM, and weighs a leaden 7.3 lbs. Bring the other specs into line with the Titanium (except size, weight, and FireWire of course) and the price jumps to $2200. Dell is famous for selling really reliable strip-down rigs. Go Dell!
The closest offering, weight-wise, from Sony is the VAIO PCG-XG500, weighing in at 5.9 pounds and starting at $2500. Its equipment is similar to the Titanium, with Firewire, a 10GB drive, 128MB of RAM, and a DVD drive. But it's got no networking built-in and its screen is only 13.1"diagonally. Plus, it's 1.77 inches thick to the Titanium's cool 1-inch.
It's true that you can get some very small laptops from Sony, under 4 lbs. And you can get some better-equipped ones if you pay more, but my point is that pound-for-pound the PowerBook is a competitive value. Sony's hardware designs are so radical that they wind up doing some serious acrobatics to get Windows to support them. Good luck if anything ever goes wrong. I've never liked the VAIOs myself.
The Titanium costs no more than last year's Powerbooks, which featured a smaller screen, weighed over half a pound more, and used a G3 instead of aG4 processor. Apple is continuing to improve their product while keeping the price static. bundling iTunes and iMovie 2 goes a long way as well.
Some Caveats:
Although it's not completely clear at this point, it looks like the Titanium decodes MPEG-2 DVDs in software. Argh. Why does Apple settle for this? Earlier books did it with hardware and it was so much nicer. Crisp pause/unpause. No problem running other apps while movies were playing. No jerks or hiccups in extended movie playback (mine spazzes for a second about every 20 minutes)
No more dual battery. Last year's PowerBook G3 allowed you to remove the DVD-ROM drive and insert a second battery in its place. As a cafe writer, I really enjoy the freedom of packing two batteries. I just pile a few MP3s on the hard disk and go off to enjoy my 6 hours of real working battery life. The DVD-ROM drive on is fixed. You can still pack an extra battery along with you, but you'll have to put the computer to sleep and swap them at some point. Personally I don't like the placement of the battery. It's accessible via the bottom of the computer (inconvenient if it's on a table)and doesn't slide out sideways like they always have in the past. The battery doesn't actually slip into the computer, either. It sort of docks with the bottom of it, its outer surface flush with the rest of the bottom of the computer. This seems less stable to me, and definitely interrupts the cool exterior. I can imagine this thing snapping off by accident...
If you're thinking of buying one and putting OSX on it, read this first:
http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0103/28.workaround.shtml
You'll need to update to 9.1 before installing OSX and apparently there are some issues between the Titanium and the 9.1 disk that comes with OSX.
If you're thinking of buying an Airport kit to go with this computer, you may want to wait until July Macworld when Airport 2 is announced. I'm not sure if this computer will support the new 54 Mbps hardware or not. This will only apply to you if you're an office user accessing a company network via airport. If you're a home user, chances are your internet access will not over-tax the 11Mbps speed of Airport generation 1.
Well, overall I have to say I'm pretty impressed. Going from 7.5 pounds to 5.9 was a huge accomplishment in 1998. This pushes the envelope even further. It's just nice to see a mobile G4 at last. And though some complain that the case isn't curvy or funky enough, I find it embodies a certain dignity that many of Apple's fruity cases don't. If you're set on a Mac and you think the iBook screen is too small, I guess it's just a question of what you can afford. I can't see the Titanium going obsolete anytime in the next 5 years, certainly, and it will probably last 10 if it has to. The only thing I'd recommend if you're even slightly worried about obsolescence is to consider your hard drive size. 10GB will require discretion on the part of the power user or media lover.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 3500 Operating System: Macintosh Processor: PowerPC G4 Processor speed: 401-500 Screen Size: Greater than 15 RAM: 256 Internal Storage: DVD Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
Take a high-performance PowerPC G4 processor, add a wide-screen display, and enclose it all in a lightweight titanium case. Apple has just created the...More at eBay
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