I've had mine since August 2003. No problems for me with 10.2 or 10.3 so far. Originally came w/ 256 MB PC2700, upgraded to 640 MB with a simple swap. I tink around w/ Photoshop CS, Fink/X11, and iTunes mostly. I hope to acquire iLife and get down on some Garage Band action soon. 1x DVD-RW is kinda slow, but it gets the job done. I enjoy this laptop very much.anparce said:
How is your experience with powerbook g4
- Thread starter anparce
- Start date
New Alu PB G4 12" owner here...
I've had mine for a month. Love it so far. Thin and light, but not at all skimpy. An amazingly rugged keyboard for its size. I got to play around with it at the Apple Store before I invested in it. The real value lies in the fact that all of the best technology is built right in (bluetooth, 802.11g, FW) and the outdated stuff is left out (floppy drive, PC slot, parallel and serial ports, etc.)
I have one recurrent issue with frequent crashes with Romeo, a third party bluetooth clicker program. Cant be too mad....it's freeware.
Some tips for the uninitiated:
- invest in Applecare. You need the 3-year coverage especially if you're a mobile user.
- see the Apple site and other threads on this board regarding optimizing the battery
- for the 12" model, the video out port is a proprietary mini-DVI. The VGA and DVI adapter is in the box. An adapter for S-Video and RCA is available from Apple separately at a nominal cost
- also it may pay not to get the bleeding edge product. Wait six months or so after a major new laptop release for Apple to iron the kinks out. goes for any computer manufacturer
I've had mine for a month. Love it so far. Thin and light, but not at all skimpy. An amazingly rugged keyboard for its size. I got to play around with it at the Apple Store before I invested in it. The real value lies in the fact that all of the best technology is built right in (bluetooth, 802.11g, FW) and the outdated stuff is left out (floppy drive, PC slot, parallel and serial ports, etc.)
I have one recurrent issue with frequent crashes with Romeo, a third party bluetooth clicker program. Cant be too mad....it's freeware.
Some tips for the uninitiated:
- invest in Applecare. You need the 3-year coverage especially if you're a mobile user.
- see the Apple site and other threads on this board regarding optimizing the battery
- for the 12" model, the video out port is a proprietary mini-DVI. The VGA and DVI adapter is in the box. An adapter for S-Video and RCA is available from Apple separately at a nominal cost
- also it may pay not to get the bleeding edge product. Wait six months or so after a major new laptop release for Apple to iron the kinks out. goes for any computer manufacturer
mymaciscoming
Registered
yea im just pissed cause of my bs shipping its been on delay saying its comeing from overseas and paid for 2 day shipping very upset.
WinWord10
1337 H4x0r
Mine took only 4 days from when I ordered on Sunday to delivery. It was delivered yesterday morning, which surprised me because Apple had said it would take 5-7 days before they even shipped it. Hopefully your luck will be similarly good. I also ordered 2-day shipping. FedEx records show mine originating overseas as well in Shanghai... I believe all PowerBooks are sent from Taiwan.
texanpenguin
Registered Penguin
I'm so incredibly happy with my 15" PowerBook G4 1GHz. I never had any problems with keyboard marks on the screen or uneven illumination or weird latches or anything, it's just worked perfectly from the get-go.
The screen is very impressive, although coming from a design background, and having been used to a 1600x1200 resolution on my 17" CRT monitor, the DPI of the screen seems extremely small for a while. Thus, I have it hooked up to my CRT all the time at home, which is a great setup at the moment. I also have an old original iMac keyboard plugged in at home, which is good, because the computer sits over at a weird angle otherwise. I also bought a two-button scroll-wheel optical mouse for use everywhere because I don't like using the Trackpad if I can help it.
I don't have the illumination controls on the screen or keyboard, but they're things I can live without (although I'm starting to wish I had them). I also don't have a SuperDrive, but that's OK at the moment - I'll upgrade later if I have to. I use the Bluetooth and AirPort Extreme cards all the time.
I DO wish it had IrDA though, for syncing to phones without Bluetooth...
The screen is very impressive, although coming from a design background, and having been used to a 1600x1200 resolution on my 17" CRT monitor, the DPI of the screen seems extremely small for a while. Thus, I have it hooked up to my CRT all the time at home, which is a great setup at the moment. I also have an old original iMac keyboard plugged in at home, which is good, because the computer sits over at a weird angle otherwise. I also bought a two-button scroll-wheel optical mouse for use everywhere because I don't like using the Trackpad if I can help it.
I don't have the illumination controls on the screen or keyboard, but they're things I can live without (although I'm starting to wish I had them). I also don't have a SuperDrive, but that's OK at the moment - I'll upgrade later if I have to. I use the Bluetooth and AirPort Extreme cards all the time.
I DO wish it had IrDA though, for syncing to phones without Bluetooth...
owaters
Registered
Had trouble getting one that actually worked though. In fact it took 6 months of AppleStore UK to get a fully working machine to me! First one had a blotchy screen, second one had dead pixels covering the screen, the last one came with a dodgy bluetooth module which I sent back for repair, that then came back with broken body work! In total I had 3 computers, that latest one is working a dream now though.
I managed to get free AppleCare for three years as compensation out of Apple but that wasn't easy.
After all that, it was still worth it! This is the best thing I have ever owned!
I managed to get free AppleCare for three years as compensation out of Apple but that wasn't easy.
After all that, it was still worth it! This is the best thing I have ever owned!
I've got a TiBook G4 800 and love it. No problems whatsoever. I suppose my experience is pointless since the AlBook is a completely different model. Too bad about the latch and screen issues but I'd like to think they are worked out by now.
This is the best computing device I have ever used. I'd buy another PowerBook without second thought.
This is the best computing device I have ever used. I'd buy another PowerBook without second thought.
agusgriego
Partially Insane
I've had my 1.5Ghz 15" AluBook for a month and a half now. It's custom built with 128 VRAM and a 5400 RPM hard drive. I have absolutely no complaints with this machine (except the latch doesn't close as 'straight' as I would like, but that doesn't even bother). It runs all the latest games and has all kinds of ports to hook whatever peripherall you like.
A great investment!
A great investment!
garymum4d
Idiot
I love my Ti Powerbook 1Ghz BUT................
1. Both hinges are cracked (across the top of the keyboard)
2. The front catch is broken (A section of casing in front of the catch hole just fell out)
3. The screen has developed a flickering pixel effect around text. This includes labels for files and folders and this text as I'm typing now. And it's getting worse by the week.
You would think it has been dropped or mistreated. But it has not. I always transport it in a padded leather case and I have never dropped it
That said, It is used all day every day. Thing just don't last forever. I hoping it will last out until the G5 powerbook comes out!
1. Both hinges are cracked (across the top of the keyboard)
2. The front catch is broken (A section of casing in front of the catch hole just fell out)
3. The screen has developed a flickering pixel effect around text. This includes labels for files and folders and this text as I'm typing now. And it's getting worse by the week.
You would think it has been dropped or mistreated. But it has not. I always transport it in a padded leather case and I have never dropped it
That said, It is used all day every day. Thing just don't last forever. I hoping it will last out until the G5 powerbook comes out!
MacMuppet
Registered
Hello, sorry to Bump this up, but a friend has the old 'non-closing latch- issue' on his girlfriends 15" Powerbook - its no longer under warranty I gather as he has quoted an Apple repair as £200, and he is looking for a cheaper or at least more local and therefore quicker option (London UK) - can anyone advise?
