It makes me smile...
Written: Jul 05 '03 (Updated Aug 03 '03)
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Pros: Speedy, Easy to use, worked right out of the box
Cons: Laptop can become hot, but you get used to it.
The Bottom Line: Words cannot express what feelings I have with this computer. It's powerful, fast, and does everything I want it to do.
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| jaybee8107's Full Review: Apple PowerBook G4 12.1 in. (M8760LL/A) Mac Notebo... |
While I have only spent one day with my new Apple Powerbook G4 12", I can say that this will be a wonderful relationship. When I unwrapped it from it's coverings... I was amazed at it. It looked so homely in the store, and I just couldn't believe that I finally got it. The packaging was tight, nothing was moving inside. The box even had a "new computer smell" to it.
I turned it on. To my surprise, it came out of the box with about an hour and a half of battery time. That gave me plenty of time to set it up. Setup was very easy, and no product activation to go through. Apple just requests that I send my registration information to them over the internet.
This is one fast computer! Do not let the processor speed fool you, this computer is currently performing twice as fast as my school computer (1.3GHz Celeron, 128MB SDRAM). I have not compared the two side by side, so I'm just comparing with the naked eye. Stuff shows up when I want it to, and there's no long waits for software to load. The Powerbook came with all of the iApps loaded, so I started to use those immediately. They are very intuitive, and are no trouble to start. iTunes is a very simple Media Player, that also burns CDs. I do not have a video camera, so I cannot comment on how iMovie works. Maybe I'll just take some still images and make a slide show.
I loaded an Earthlink CD so I could connect to the internet. It was set up in about 2-3 minutes. I was online just that quick. I immediately downloaded Apple's highly heralded browser, Safari. I ditched Internet Explorer as soon as I possibly could. Safari does live up to its claims. Much faster than Netscape, and even Internet Explorer.
Microsoft Office v.X also came with this machine, although it is just a Test Drive. This piece of Demo software is exactly that, it won't even let me use my printer!!! (HP Deskjet 3820, see my review) I do not intend to mess with it much.
The hard drive is speedy as well. Programs load fast, and without trouble.
The keyboard feels solidly built, but does suffer from that cheap feeling. It's a notebook computer, so I can't really complain. I have only used IBM Thinkpads (And a Gateway 600XL) in my lifetime, so I can safely conclude that the keys are going to last, at least for my average use of a computer, which is about 4 years.
The case feels strong, yet lightweight. Unllike others that I have spoken to with the 12" Powerbook, I actually like the ports being on the left side, instead of the back. I like the solid color on the Powerbook...makes it look more contemporary, and less complicated.
The trackpad's default settings were not for me. It was set for a slow tracking speed, so I set it to its maximum setting. I'm happy now. When using a USB mouse, I did not have a single problem with it. It just worked. I set it to ignore the trackpad when I was using the mouse.
As for the Powerbook's heat problem, under light use (Word Processing) it takes about 20 minutes to notice the heat coming to your left wrist. (Or your lap) Under heavy use (Installing programs, downloading programs), it only takes about 5 minutes to notice it, maybe less. It does not bother me much though.
As for OS X, it also lives up to its claims. It's fast, doesn't freeze, and it's also crash free! I have had to restart my PC at least 3 times since I have had my Powerbook (3 days, today (7-6-03). Keep in mind that my PC has Windows XP Professional. My Powerbook has not had one of its utilities fail, or a single program. I like that.
As for transferring my documents, and music from my PC, I chose to just save a couple bucks, and use the CD Burner to copy the stuff over. It's working for me. I could not afford the Move to Mac software. I'm just 16, and no job (Yet), so money is tight.
My Powerbook is very quiet. I sometimes wonder whether it has a fan. I looked on Apple.com, looked at the PDF for the specifications, and they don't list one. So, I'm still not sure about it.
UPDATE: I have discovered that the Powerbook does have a cooling fan. It's not the quietest fan, yet is tolerable. I do not hear it if I turn on some music.
CD Burning with iTunes is quick, fast, and easy. It took about 7 minutes, from creating a new playlist, to a finished CD. That's amazing for a laptop, in my opinion. I do not have much to compare to though. You can also just drag files to the CD Volume. OS X automatically detects the empty CD, asks you to name it, and then, you drag the files over. This creates a data CD. Once you have everything on the CD, just click "Burn CD". You're done!
Since the purchase of the PowerBook, I have been trying to get my USB Printer to work. I have been unsuccessful, up until today. Turns out, HP shipped an incompatible driver for OS X. So, those with HP Printers, watch out for that. You may have to download a patch, or the entire setup program.
Battery Life!
The PowerBook is just amazing when it comes to battery usage. Under a fully charged, calibrated battery, I can receive the full 5 hours of life, if I'm doing something minimalist, like Word Processing. Under average web browsing use, it is about 3 1/2 hours.
Hope you like my review. This Powerbook is a keeper, if you decide to buy one.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1,599.97
Operating System: Macintosh
Processor: PowerPC G4
Processor speed: 801-900
Screen Size: 12 inches
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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Epinions.com ID:
jaybee8107
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Location: Detroit, MI, USA, North America
Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 0 members
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