Apple PowerBook G4 15.2 in. (M8362LL/A) Mac Notebook

My first Computer review. Here goes nothing???

I was never an Apple fan until someone very close to me started a job there. All of a sudden a iMac was within my reach and in my house. I began slowly playing on it until the time came when I absolutely, positively had to have one for myself. Since I didn?t need an actual desktop, I figured that a laptop would suit me fine. As a student taking notes longhand gets tiring so I wanted a laptop that is small enough to carry around at school an fast enough to all the maintain other miscellaneous stuff such as my palm and digital cameras. Enter the Powerbook G4 Titanium, which I purchased for $1900.

The box arrived on my doorstep in the timeframe apple.com said it would be there. Inside was the actual unit, a S cable, Software restore CD's, MAC oSX cd, MAC 9.1 cd for classic mode, applications cd, hardware test cd, two blank cds, MAC OSX manual, two apple stickers, and a PowerBook manual.

Tech Specs
To start off I ordered the Powerbook that comes with the 667MHz processor and 256MB of memory. The PowerBook G4 comes pre-installed with Mac OS X v10.1, the operating system that runs off of UNIX. Apple has released the newest version of OSX, which is Jaguar and has run excellent for me on my Powerbook. The Powerbook has slot-loading Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) drive so you can essentially edit iMovies, organize pictures, watch DVDs and burn Cds. I have done all of the above on my Powerbook with the included software package that includes iMovie, itunes 2 and iPhoto.

Imovie is an excellent beginner tool for making and create mini movies. Final Cut Pro is harder and more advanced so I mainly stick with the iMovie program created editing my movies. My DV camcorder easily plus into my Powerbook through FireWire and I can immediately begin editing. iPhoto is another neat little program that allows users to organize their digital pictures and order prints online.

Here's a complete list of Software included courtesy of apple.com
QuickTime 5, iMovie 2, iTunes 2, iPhoto, Mac OS X Mail, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Acrobat Reader, Art Directors Toolkit, Earthlink, Graphic Converter, OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner, PCalc, PixelNhance, Snapz Pro, FAXstf and Apple Hardware Test CD; complete setup, learning, and reference documentation; and limited warranty; and 30 days of free Internet service through EarthLink.

The Powerbook comes with a 15.2 inch wide screen display which provides brilliant color and supports having a lot of files stored on the desktop. There is enough room so that I can easily see and read the files on my desktop. Even though the color is bright I noticed my eyes adjusted really well. I suffer from light sensitivity and so far I have had no problems with my Powerbook

The PowerBook G4 features FireWire for connecting external hard drives and DV cameras, and USB for connecting graphics tablets, digital cameras and of course the Palm PDA. It also features a Gigabit Ethernet slot, which come sin handy for me when connecting my universities network. The Powerbook also has a trackpad, which is very accurate and I have yet to have issues wit it. The PowerBook G4 comes with 90 days of telephone support and a one-year limited warranty also tat is designed to help the consumer if anything goes wrong.

Looks and Weight

The Titanium is incredibly sleek looking with a sliver coat and thin height (1.3 inches) The PowerBook G4 is encased in titanium, the strong and exceptionally light metal an it weighs 5.4pounds. I have found it light enough to slip into my backpack or carrying case. The thin coat of silver paint flecks off very easily though and great care must be used to keep it looking new. I purchased a carrying case from the Apple Store shortly after I had been noticing that my new Powerbook was getting scratched.

My Main Gripes

Although my titanium and I get along on a regular basis I do have a few complaints. Within weeks of receiving my new Powerbook I noticed that the LCD screen was getting smudged. Dead pixels is a known issue and a risk to buying this computer however I did not realize until too late that having a buffer between the screen and keyboard is crucial. The oils from your fingers are detrimental to the screen and now I keep a thin piece of foam between the keyboard and screen to protect my screen.

Four months after purchasing my Powerbook I turned it on only to be surprised by a neon green vertical stripe going down my screen. Nothing I did got rid of this and after a quick call to Apple Care I had my Powerbook shipped out to Austin and my screen was replaced. It was sort of a pain but Apple Care did this with no charge since my problem wasn?t a known issue.

Apple claims that the lithium battery is capable for 5 hours of battery use but I am here to disagree. The most I have ever gotten out of my battery is 2 and a half hours. The battery tends to heat up the Powerbook and when this happened a loud fan turns on inside the computer. It?s slightly annoying but other than this the Powerbook is really quiet when in use.

Bottom Line
Overall though I am incredibly impressed and happy with the way my Powerbook has preformed. It has given me the opportunity to fiddle with a very easy to use operating system and basically customize my computer to fit my specific needs. I can carry it around school without hurting my back and I also have the great Apple Care team a phone call away if something ever goes wrong. Yeah it costs a lot, but I felt like I made an investment instead of a gamble. The Powerbook is a sleek addition to the Mac family and I can honestly say I am proud to own one.

?2002
Tiffy0380