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Apple PowerBook G4 15.2 in. ( M8859 ) Mac Notebook

With its high-performance PowerPC G4 processor, DVD-burning SuperDrive, and 1-inch-thin, 5.4-pound titanium design, the PowerBook G4 is the... Read More

With its high-performance PowerPC G4 processor, DVD-burning SuperDrive, and 1-inch-thin, 5.4-pound titanium design, the PowerBook G4 is the world's best full-featured portable computer. The high-speed G4 processor and L3 cache delivers performance that outpaces Pentium 4-based notebooks. The built-in SuperDrive and iDVD 1 make the PowerBook G4 the lightest full-featured notebook that burns DVDs. The ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 graphics processor with up to 64MB of DDR SDRAM delivers incredible 2D and 3D graphics. ??Up to 5 hours of battery life means staying productive on long plane trips, around campus, or at a client site. The 15.2-inch (diagonal) screen with 1280-by-854-pixel resolution gives you the largest workspace, best color saturation, and widest viewing angle ever in a PowerBook. AirPort wireless networking, Gigabit Ethernet, and a 56K modem configure automatically, giving you the flexibility to work in any network environment. With an optional Bluetooth adapter, it's easy t... Minimize

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By: aglazen
Apr 23, 2003

Goodbye Windows for 6 Good Reasons

Author's Rating:

Pros: Fast, elegant, crash-free, intuitive

Cons: Poor wireless reception

The Bottom Line:
This is the best laptop I've ever owned. And I've had a dozen! Elegant inside and out, operates like a fine swiss watch on steroids

Author's Review
I had the first Apple, then switched to Windows for some ungodly reason, I think mostly because so many games and such were available. I liked all the bells and whistles, all the switches and buttons. But I grew to really hate all my windows computers, and I had all the best of them, concluding with a thinkpad t23 and the little Fuji with dvd.

Here's what the Powerbook gave me, which I feel are compelling reasons to get out of windows and enjoy this great computer:

1. No crashes. In 6 months, not once has it crashed, frozen, even paused.

2. Instant "plug and play". I have hooked this up to 4 different printers, 3 different dsl systems, a Palm, a smartphone---and never once did I even bother loading the software that came with these devices. the Powerbook instantly recognized and operated them.

3. Slim, light, elegant, versus heavy, thick windows laptops that require external dvd players if you want one that you can easily carry. The Powerbook is great to touch, to look at and use. I have had no scratching problems, and none of the "paint chipping" I've heard about. One problem: the screen does rub against the keyboard, leaving impressions you need to clean now and then.

4. Software superiority: this is the biggest topic really. I avoided getting a powerbook because I had so much windows software, and I didn't want to start all over again. I was dead wrong. The software on the powerbook is what makes it totally awesome. It is utterly amazing how every program works in sync with every other program. Music, video, photography, writing, synching devices, calander, contacts---they are at your fingertips right out of the box, and I have had no reason to buy a single other piece of software.

5. Upgrades. It is a delight to see all the amazing upgrades that automatically find their way on my Powerbook. The best was a complete new program: the amazing SAFARI, which seems twice as fast as Explorer---and now has tabs which make keeping track of favorites far easier than explorer.

6. Battery life. Well, it doesn't deliver the promised 5 hours, but it always gives me 3 1/2 under hard use. Plus the ac adaptor is small, lightweight, and believe it or not, stylish!

All I can say is this: SWITCH