PowerBook-G4-Notebook Reviews

This is a great laptop. It's light and sleek with tons of great features. I especially like the built-in Bluetooth, which lets me connect to my printer and PDA without wires. I highly recommend this PowerBook!

Finally retired my Sony Vaio (850Mhz) and made the switch to a powerbook--wanted to do that ever since I realized that Mac OS X is pretty much BSD Unix with a killer desktop. What a great machine this is. Much better than the comparable IBook...twice the processor cache for starters...and none of the problems that have plagued the 1Gz iBook. Weighs just 4.6 pounds and is very portable...aluminium case is very scratch resistant. I get GREAT range with the add-on Airport Extreme card going to a LinkSys 11g access point (there's an antenna in the lid of the unit). I'm very happy with the battery life, the operating system, and the apps I use on this machine (Office X mostly). About a month after getting and using this machine I got a G5 for my desktop and I'm quite happy. If you're looking for a gaming rig, forget Apple but if you're looking for a business-oriented machine that fits in very smoothly with a PC-based office, this is the ticket. Networks much easier than a Windows machine!

A fantastic ultra portable laptop. I bought the 12" Powerbook G4 1Ghz, and have been blown away by it. It has a good metallic design and its size is very easy to carry around, this is the major disadvantage of larger bulkier notebooks. I have had mine upgraded to 1.25 GB Ram, and the performance of applications like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop is great. You can even play games like Halo on it pretty well, if that is your thing. You can have up to 80GB of HD, and my advice is to buy the largest you can afford. I also have an Airport (802.11g) card installed, and it allows wireless connectivity with a pretty good range. In addition, Bluetooth built-in allowed me to use a very nice wireless mouse with it. The Keyboard is of good quality, an important feature if you have to write long documents in Word! The LCD screen is of good quality too. All in all it made a pleasant switch from my previous bulky Sony Vaio Lap. I would recommend this computer very highly.

Ditto all of the lauditory comments of my esteemed colleagues here on the review page, with a few additional comments. AppleCare is a must since the "logic board" of MACs are notorious for going down. The plan is $300 additonal cost for a three year policy, and you absolutely have to have it (you may buy it during the first year after purchase). The shipping protocol of the computer is excellent, with prepaid shipping containers sent to you, but Apple will charge you an additional $50 to save your hard drive data in the event that it must be replaced, a cost that should not obtain in my judgement given the expense of the add-on policy. The quality of the call-in help line varies (as they all do with PCs), but it's necessary, particularly for PC defectors like me. Lastly, if you have a problem with the enormous heat generated by the unit, get an 11" x 14" zip folder at Staples or Office Depot to place under the unit and also to carry/protect it. And you will carry this unit since this is a truly portable computer with a 3 to 4 hour battery time (my old SONY Vaio pooped out after 40 minutes - it's like a dinasaur next to the PowerBook). Plus, truly amazingly, you can edit video and burn DVDs that work simply great on a home DVD machine. Unbelieveable.

Ah, the Powerbook. For many years, Apple's version of what a laptop computer should be. Then they created "consumer level" ibooks and the Powerbook was elevated to a status of Pro machines (which it always was). There used to be only a couple models (remember Pismo?). Then the Titanium wonder that shocked the portable world. Now, Apple has 3 different sized Powerbooks with various models inbetween those sizes. The compact little gem is the subject here.

This is one of the finest Macs I have ever used. The weight is so light. The aluminum case is amazing. The slot load Superdrive which burns either CD's or DVD's is elegant compared to slide out trays that risk being damaged. The keyboard feels amazing. I could go on and on. Battery life I have gotten has ranged in the 4 hour range...excellent for a G4 equipped laptop. ALthough 256MB of RAM seems rather low, it surprisingly does well (Though I did add a 512mb module later, and watched performance grow). The power adapter itself has hooks to wrap the cord around (though admittedly, the old doughnut design was better looking). The 12" Powerbook is an excellent piece of hardware for those looking to tote a laptop. Two Thumbs Up!

I received a 12" PowerBook for Christmas, and so far, I haven't turned on my old media center pc since. I absolutely love all the features. The computer is quick to boot up, quick to load application, and because of the design of each clock cycle, programs don't interfere with each other on a large scale.
I needed a computer that could edit film and audio, and render quickly and professionally, and while this isn't the fastest PowerBook, it is definitely the one that fits my life the best. It's portable and powerful, and compared to the machines that I was running on before, this is a superior machine. I have Final Cut Pro, Express, Macromedia Studio MX 2004, Adobe suites, not to mention all the handy iApps for simple cut and edit in film. I have yet to get DVD Studio Pro 2, but that's on my list of apps to get. This is the tool for a person who needs power, but the actual physical requirement needs to come second to their ideas and creativity.
The only con is the battery life, rendering and using this processor takes a toll on it, but when I do most of those type of things, it's near a wall socket, so it isn't a big deal. And despite what I had read about this machine before I got it, it is not blazing hot. The wrist rest gets a little warm, but I've yet to find a laptop that doesn't. And unlike those laptops, this one cools down when you put it on a hard flat surface, and I barely notice that the fan is running to vent it. It is a superior machine, and definitely worth the money. Couple this with a 20" Apple display, and you have all the screen space you would ever need.

As other reviewers have stated, the hardware itself is great. The computer is visually stunning. And the OS is rock-solid and user-friendly.

Some people have complained about the size for traveling. It's about as small as a 17" computer could be -- but if you are sitting in coach and the person in front of you reclines their seat, it's hard to use. (Get the 12" if you think this might be a problem for you.)

Finally, a word on Apple service. I had some problems with this computer and needed to send it back to Apple several times -- which is a bad thing. On the other hand, I finally reached Roberto, a Powerbook specialist in AppleCare, who was understanding and expedited my repair -- which is a good thing. 4-stars -- would have been 5-stars except for the hardware problems.

I don't know what more I can add to all of these great reviews

but believe the hype!!!

this is one AWESOME laptop!

I'll just make a list of why I love it --- forgive me if it comes off with any irrationality ---

1. Portability ---- seriously, feel free to laugh, but this laptop really is portable....... yes, it can get heavy (by the end of the day) but it really is comparable, if not lighter, than most laptops available......... I commend Apple for doing such a great job on actually making this computer portable enough to throw in a backpack and take with you

2. The Widescreen 17" screen!!! gosh this screen is beautiful! Sometimes I find myself using a smaller computer and I can't stand it ---- I've officialy been spoiled! Even 15" widescreens won't do anymore!

3. Keyboard ---- there's something special about this keyboard - its pretty cool

4. Speed ---- Apple gets knocked around a lot for its speed, but seriously, the G4 in this thing really handles things greatly! I highly recommend 1 gig of RAM, for the ultimate speed and stability ----- this thing will run Final Cut Pro, Garage Band, OS X, all of those programs, greatly! Take my word for it ---- no probs at all!

5. Stablity ---- this is more of a software thing, but OS X is such a great OS!!! Never freezes, never crashes ------ I have five different apps open right now (Safari, AOL, Preview, MS Word, and iTunes) and the speed isn't slowing down one bit!

6. Output options ----- were talking Firewire, Firewire 800, USB, DVI, best of all, SVIDEO and AUDIO output ---- making it VERY easy to connect this baby to a nice TV!!! its pretty freaking cool

I don't know what else to say ---- buy it! IT ROCKS

for those of you afraid to switch, let me give you reasons why ---

- Microsoft Office on OS X (which works better here than it does on XP)

- Final Cut Pro (better than any Windoze editing system)

- All Adobe apps available here

- All Macromedia apps available here

did I forget anything?

Yes, yes, it's heavy and hot as hell. This is not the machine you prop up on your legs to read Google News in bed. Hopefully you have something better to do with your US$3K-$4K anyway.

I'm a professional media designer and image maker, and I replaced my old dual-processor Macintosh with the 17.1" 1.33 GHz Powerbook. This is a machine to tote onto a job site or to a presentation and produce great work...perfect for freelancers and those who might not work at their home base all the time.

Two great things I've not seen other reviewers mention are the audio hardware quality and dual-monitor support; these can't be under-rated. My Dell PC's audio line out is noisy and full of hiss, while the Powerbook's line out is so quiet that many musicians simply plug it into a club's audio system and it sounds great. Dual-monitor support is second to none. After chafing a bit at the widescreen nature of the screen (i.e., only 900 pixels tall), I instantly shut my mouth when I plugged in another monitor and it immediately started running at 1600 x 1200.

While there are some compromises one must make in going mobile, this machine does not disappoint. Rear legs for improved elevation, easy expandability, even a real tray for the DVD-RW drive ... all these things have been removed to make the machine as streamlined as possible. But I happily accept all these compromises to use a Macintosh that is powerful, relatively lightweight, portable...and sexy as all get-out. It's the only computing device I've ever owned that is a conversation starter. Now if these people would only just let me get back to work...