Greetings all, the other review by Sherrila Levin for this item is inappropriate and overzealous (I'm a die-hard Mac fan). Make no mistake this is a PHENOMENAL computer yet there are some buts...In a nutshell:
PROS:
You're walking around with 17" gorgeous object of envy that has a stunning display great for games, DVDs, doing PhotoShop/Illustrator work, etc. The great screen ratio is perfect for design apps with palettes, toolbars and the like.
For a laptop, GREAT sounding speakers
Backlit keyboard: Nifty little feature that is best when you have it plugged in. Otherwise, works well, but is an added drain on the battery when going mobile. Though, the AMBIENT LIGHT SENSOR that adjusts screen brightness and backlight is AWESOME when it fades in to let you know it's working.
Usual suspects of big hard drive, fast processor, pretty snazzy 3d card, lots of ports, DVD & CD BURNER and loads of RAM make for a REALLY AGILE portable workhorse.
It's always great owning something where you can see the designers put oodles of love and obsession to detail.
Slot loading drive (has no breakable moving doors)
Does not generate heat like previous G3 models or earlier G4s
CONS (Few and almost trivial, but worth noting for the uninitiated):
6.8 pounds isn't the lightest thing in the world if you're lugging it around on one shoulder
Shell is slightly soft and gives way to some small body damage easily (I accidentally dropped mine on the corner from about 1.5 ft off the ground now have a nice ding. Other users/reviewers have also mentioned this issue as well). Just don't be as klutzy as me and you should be fine.
Hope this helps.
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...Yeah, I know it's a little more money than the knock-off PC clones from Dell and Gateway, but this is a far superior computer. The Mac platform is not only the most powerful one available, it is also the simplest and most versatile once you learn it.
The 15-inch is the perfect size for me. I looked at both the 12 and 17-inch models and felt they were a little too small/big respectively. There is something attractive about the 12 inch a friend of mine has one and he carries it around everywhere, able to write anywhere anytime. And seated at a desk the 17-inch is also attractive, presenting a massive, bright screen to work on. But all in all, the 15-inch provides the best both worlds. It's very portable maybe not as easy to tug along as the 12-inch, but certainly manageable with a small backpack. The 17-inch can be problematic on a plane if there are people crowding you, and it's certainly cumbersome to maneuver in tight spaces, whereas the 12-inch is easy to maneuver but can cause a little eyestrain from a distance.
I definitely recommend a Mac, first of all, and within that I recommend the 15-inch G4 notebook. If you must have a 12-inch, you might take a look at the 12-inch iBook, which is cheaper but obviously not as feature rich (the iBook's graphics card is not as powerful and the processor is slower, most notably).
The complaints I have are exterior the computer doesn't age well (i.e., it nicks and scratches rather easily) and there should be some sort of elevation device to raise the back end while typing (like the older Powerbooks had).
All in all you can't go wrong with any Apple laptop you choose. They are truly making the digital life a reality with all of their integrated software iTunes, iPhoto, iSight, and the iPod are particularly cool. No other laptop will have an operating system with so many fantastic programs that are so perfectly integrated together. If this is remotely in your price range, go for it. It can literally change the way you operate on a day-to-day basis.I bought a 12-inch Powerbook after I gave my old Sony Vaio notebook the Pete Townshend treatment I put my fist through it. (Yes, it looks like a stained glass window.) I hadn't used a Mac in years, but I decided I'd had it with Microsoft and Windows. All it took was one weekend and a good book "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual," by David Pogue -
however, and I mastered the machine.
(Other than the size of the screen, the 17-inch model is the same as the 12-inch one.)
SOFTWARE
The computer comes with some great software. iTunes is the best media player on the market. I have almost 5,000 songs stored on mine. With the search function and browser display, it is easy to find a particular song. iTunes also keeps track of the number of times you've listened to a song and it allows you to rate your songs. It's easy to create a playlist. Also, burning one of those playlists onto a CD can be done with one click.
Safari is a great web browser. It has a Google search box built into the toolbar, prevents pop-up ads (I've never had one), has tabbed browsing (preventing a cluttered desktop), and allows for bookmarks to be added with one click.
iChat allows Mac users to customize their AIM and Rendezvous chat sessions in ways that the normal applications don't allow, such as adding pictures from iPhoto to their profile.
I haven't mastered iPhoto yet, but it is downloading pictures from a digital camera is as easy as plugging it into the USB port and clicking a button.
Also, Macs are less likely to get a virus or be overtaken by spyware.
The iCal and Address Book look good, but if you are going to sync a PDA with your Mac, you are better off using Palm Desktop software. Hopefully the functionality of those programs will be improved in the future though.
Finally, most of the programs work with each other. For example, if someone on my iChat buddy list is online, a green dot will appear next to a message from him or her in my Mail inbox.
I also use Microsoft Office, Quicken, Dreamweaver MX, and Palm Desktop they all work well on the Mac. Office shares files perfectly with PCs.
HARDWARE
Spend the money and get the superdrive (CD-RW/DVD-R). DVDs have more memory than CDs and blank DVD-Rs are becoming more affordable. If you are into collecting videos of concerts, a DVD-R is a must.
I'd recommend upgrading to at least 768 MB of memory and the 80 GB hard drive. Burning a DVD requires a lot of memory and can take a while this way you can use other applications while burning a DVD (on my old PC, if I was burning a CD, I couldn't use anything else). The hard drive space is really cheap. Plus, if you load your CDs on your computer, they can eat up a lot of memory, even as MP3s (my 5,000 songs take up about 25 GB).
Also, there is a lot to be said for getting the Airport Exteme card (although you can buy a third-party base station for less). I am able to browse the Internet in any room of my house well worth the extra $100 or so.
I have the 12-inch monitor, but that was because Apple hadn't released the 15-inch in the new style when I made my purchase. The 12-inch is fine it's much clearer than my old PC notebook but if I had the opportunity, I'd probably go with the bigger monitor.
DRAWBACKS
-While most software is available for Mac OS X, there are some programs that aren't (Google toolbar, Yahoo! toolbar, Kazaa, AvantGo) or minor problems in software that is available (Quicken can't access accounts on Ameritrade via Macs)
-The PowerBook doesn't have a fan, which is great for the battery, but can cause it to get a bit hot underneath where the user rests his left hand.
Regardless of those drawbacks, however, buying a Mac was an easy decision. If you have any questions about it, click on my profile and send me a e-mail.
UPDATE: After 14 months, the hard drive started making noise and system performance got slow and I couldn't run as many programs as I used to. I called Apple and had to spend $300 for them to put in a new hard drive and some other hardware. They were unable to transfer my data to my new hard drive, so I've spent the past four days reloading all of my software and applications. No idea why the hard drive went. Hence I dropped the rating from five stars to four.
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