Apple PowerBook G4 15.2 in. (M8981LLABUNDLE) Mac Notebook

Since there are so many sites out there that can give you detailed information on the technical attributes of this fine machine, I will focus on the Pros and Cons that I have discovered since buying this beauty. (Bought at the end of 2003).

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I love this machine, but that doesn't mean that we haven't gone through our trials and tribulations. And after two wonderful years with this machine, I have come to the conclusion that I can not full-heartedly advocate a switch from the Windows-Based PC platform to the Macintosh OS X operating system.

Now before all of you hardcore Mac-Aficionados tell me to silence my insolent mouth for such blasphemous slander (or in this case, libel), I would like to re-iterate that I do love this computer. Just give me some time, and space, to tell you why I feel the way I do.

On to the PROS:

The Macintosh OSX interface works like a dream; it is so incredibly intuitive, it just seems to know what you want and how you want it (click-&-drag is a powerful thing). Furthermore, in the two-plus years of intensive usage, this laptop has never EVER frozen on me, not once, none of that control-alt-del crap or that hold-down-the-power-button-until-this-stupid-hunk-of-junk-restarts deal. Finder has a wonderful thing called force quit, if ever a program dares to defy you and freeze up; no more system crashes. And because Apple refuses to release "code" viruses are few and far between. I have never encountered a virus, whereas Windows-based PCs are subjected to tens of thousands of viruses and malware(s) and worms and whatnot every day. Oh yeah, and I love all the i's: iLife, iCal (organizational genius), iPhoto (clean, powerful and intuitive), iDVD (easy and full of features), iTunes, etc...

This is a powerful computer. It can run Adobe Photoshop CS, Illustrator CS, iTunes, Safari, and iPhoto all at the same time. Adobe programs seem to run so much better on Macs than on PCs. If you are artistically inclined, Apple is the way to go.

I love the simplicity of plugging flash drives or cables into the USB and Firewire plugs as well as the ease of ejection, and I relish the high transfer rates. For larger files, there is the 2X DVD-burning system known as the Superdrive. Combined with iDVD, this system reads any blank DVD as another drive, and all you have to do is click and drag files, clearing space on your 80 GB hard drive and keeping it lean and mean.

Wireless connectivity is excellent with the built-in Airport Extreme; I have taken this computer along while traveling and it has never had a problem detecting wireless networks or connecting to them.

The speakers are adequate, but no one really expects a laptop to have top-shelf audio. Treat yourself to some Harman Kardon SoundSticks II.

Storage capacity has been great, though I wish I had more now. I work with a lot of large digital files (Photoshop, Illustrator, iPhoto) and have wished for more storage than the current 80GB. However, after buying 50 Taiyo-Yuden DVD-RW, the storage issue has been alleviated. As for RAM, I highly recommend at least 512mb, and it can support up to 2 gb.

Oh yeah, and to help with the awe-inspiring "Dude, is that a powerbook?" cool factor, the backlit keyboard is light-sensitive, as is the LED. Cool? Ice cold. Yeah, I'm a dork.

And if you buy an apple cinema screen, you can hook it up through the DVI port and you'll have two screens instead of one because of this powerbook's ability to support dual monitors.

Now onto the CONS:

Sometimes...just sometimes, I get angry at my little mac; especially when it comes to browsing the internet. Because a smaller proportion of the population uses Apple, the large browser companies seem to always fix bugs for Windows related programs before trying their hand at Apple. I will tell you right now that Internet Explorer is an inferior product on OSX. It is far slower than its Windows counterpart and the only reason to keep it around is that sometimes it can handle rendering java-script intensive pages that Safari can not.

Safari on the other hand is one fast browser, perhaps the fastest I have ever used...but that's only every other week. Sometimes, Safari gives me headaches. I can't load scores on ESPN.com, for awhile I couldn't access my Gmail account, and those are just two of the sites. Page rendering is fine until it encounters some heavy Java-Scripting, then Safari just quits. Hopefully Safari 2.0 will come with more features and better support.

One of the major complaints issued against Apples is their lack of Software Support. Personally, I think most of these complaints are made by people who want to play the latest and greatest computer games but find that it is unavailable for any Mac Platform. That being said, there are still some unresolved issues when it comes to software compatability. Older software oftentimes requires the Classic Environment to be running in order to be utilized. This becomes an issue when companies such as Canon are slow to offer Software (and drivers) that will allow a program to be run exclusively in the OSX environment.

The DVD/CD Super-Drive is slot loaded, which means the computer can only handle standard-sized DVDs or CDs. You can't play or burn mini-CD-RW, and if you try, they'll probably get stuck; and it will cost a pretty penny for the Apple Store guys to fix it for you.

The last complaint I really have against this laptop is the battery life. Though advertised at 4.5 hours or so, most of the time it only averages a little over 2 hours of constant use. And the little bugger can get awfully hot on your lap. So I guess if you use it on-the-go, I would either go out and buy a spare battery (the powerbook supports hot-swapping) or go and purchase an iBook (superior battery life).

So, in conclusion, even though I do a great deal of work on this computer, I found myself resurrecting my old Pentium 3 to use as a dummy computer (web-browsing, storage purposes); and found life much easier after I had done so. I know it might seem like nit-picking, but even my girlfriend, and a friend that recently bought a powerbook 1.5ghz have complained about browsing the internet, much preferring to do so on desktop PCs. There was just too many "unexpected quits" on Safari and IE (for Mac). In fact, I wrote this review on my PC.

For those of you that have already subconciously decided that this is the computer you have to have because it's just soooo uber-cool, well, I probably won't change your mind one iota. But for those of you that are at least part pragmatist, make sure you check out if you enjoy the Mac OSX interface before dropping 2000+ dollars. If you do, BUY THIS COMPUTER. Just keep that PC on stand-by.

CAVEAT
If you are intent on purchasing this laptop as a desktop replacement, you are going to NEED to purchase three additional items. The slope of the keyboard is not conducive to prolonged typing sessions, and the tracking pad is serviceable but hardly a pleasure to work with. I am operating under the assumption that you have some money to burn, so you should go out and buy yourself the wireless keyboard and mouse set. If you want a two-button mouse (yes, OS X is two-button compatible), go get yourself a Kensington Wireless Studiomouse, and the Wireless Keyboard. And after you've bought those, go and buy the iCurve. This wonderful invisible laptop stand will raise the screen to the proper eye-level, thus relieving back-strain. All three are worthy investments.

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UPDATE JAN 2006

I upgraded to Tiger when the OS came out, and though the time-management was supposed to be better, my computer was performing noticeably slower in some ways. The widgets in particular had a large effect on slowing the computer down.

I opted to upgrade my RAM. Around the Internet, I found testimonials that stated Tiger was meant to operate on a rig with 512mb RAM, MINIMUM. Compound that with the fact that I work extensively and intensively with Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver; my current state of RAM shortage was creating incredible lag.

My recommendation is to upgrade the RAM yourself. Yes there are inherent risks (voiding of your AppleCare; possibly botching up the installation) but if you are careful, you can save a whopping 50% or more.

My computer's AppleCare was pretty much up, and having never needed it in the first place I chose to save $150 dollars. I found a 1GB stick of RAM made by SAMSUNG (the OEM stick that Apple uses) on e-bay from a reputable seller for a mere $135.99 plus $6.00 shipping and handling.

One warning I must give is that you must be absolutely certain you are getting the correct chipset, in this case PC2700 DDR 333MHz. Make absolutely certain that you are getting the stick for YOUR computer.

Instructions for self-installation of RAM are readily available on the APPLE website. Just remember to turn everything off, unplug all cords, and ground yourself so you don't send some potentially disastrous electrical current into the computer.

There are two memory slots available, the upper and lower. I took out the 256mb stick from the upper and snapped in the 1GB stick, giving my computer a total of 1.25GB of RAM. I have to say that the computer performance is vastly improved.


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I replaced it with an OEM chip, but the price drops even further if you buy a generic brand from places like Crucial, to a sub $100 mark.

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UPDATE 2.0 FEB 2006

In reference to a point I made about SAFARI 1.0, the 2.0.3 version is very stable, and I don't recall the last unexpected quit. The only "issue" with the upgraded browser deals with a problem you will not find on the FireFox browser; if you have a plethora of tabs open and you accidently press command-Q instead of command-W to close a tab, you just effectively closed all the tabs you had open and quit the program. On FireFox, a warning pops-up and politely asks whether or not you would like to close all the tabs.