Home > Consumer Reviews > Apple Powerbook Laptop M8591LL/A (667-MHz PowerPC G4, 256 MB RAM, 30 GB hard drive)

I had considered the iBook, but the added value of the G4 and big screen make this discontinued PowerBook a great value. The ATI 7500 graphics card in this is not the ATI 9000 model in the latest Powerbooks, but this doesn't have a big speed impact unless you use lots of video editing software. I'm using the Powerbook for multi-track audio recording with Emagic's Logic. This laptop has enough power for that and all my other apps. I do recommend more ram though if you are running complex music sequencing, video, or photo editing. I added an additional 512 MB .

I was a little bit skeptical about buying one of these. I was told they are somewhat fragile, at least more so than the iBooks (and they are), but I think it's worth it. This is in my opinion the most beautifully built, best working (and best looking) notebook computer out there. It is 1" thick (CLOSED mind you). It features a beautiful, bright 15" Monitor. Other features include a slot loading CD-RW drive, USB, Firewire...the list goes on. Once you max out the RAM in one of these (holds 1GB), the machine really flies. I use mine daily for web browsing, email, Microsoft Office, and work in Adobe Photoshop. It's a pleasure to use.

You already heard the pros, now for the cons. The machine gets pretty warm, especially if the computer is sitting on your lap and doesn't have as much room to "breathe." Airport (802.11b WiFi) reception isn't as good as it is in other notebooks because of the material it's made out of, plus the fact that the antennas are on the sides of the bottom part of the computer instead of being located where the screen is (like the iBooks). It is somewhat fragile--the finish scratches easily if you're not careful. The joints where the screen connects to the body don't look like they could handle a ton of pressure; I'm scared to think what might happen if I were to drop the computer hard enough. So yes, it is more fragile than other notebooks, but I really take good care of mine so I try not to worry about it much. Just carry it around in a case, don't abuse it, and you should be fine.

Finally, in reponse to another review I read, I have to disagree with what was said about Apple's tech support. They have the BEST tech support out of any company I've ever had to deal with, hands down. The technicians are extremely friendly and knowledgable. When I had problems with an iBook I had previously purchased, they resolved my problem quickly and at no extra charge for me. If good tech support is important as to your buying decision, go with Apple--you won't be disappointed.

I really don't have room to write about how great this machine is. I bought one in Jan and cant live without it. It is everything and more than I imagined. Highly recommended. If your in the market for a powerful professional laptop, get the Ti Powerbook G4. If you only need a minimal performance machine and dont want to spend the money then an iBook is a great alternative.
LOVE IT

Who says that alot people don't use macs? Well I currently have a job in digital video editing and the is no other computer in our field. With MacOS 10.2 you can network with PCs, share files, run microsoft office and open PC files. Apple is the defintion of cool(at least I think so). Everthing they do is orginal, take the Newton/MessagePad series. About one and a half years before the first Palm. It was the orginal PDA, who thinks diffrent, only Apple. Not to mention MHZ (megahertz) doesn't matter as much as people think when comparing PCs to macs. The G4 chip on this computer is a 7 stage 677 mhz processer (think of it as 7 steps at 677 miles per hour. Compared to the Pent4 a 20 stage processer, so the pcs need a high mhz to keep up with the macs.

I have had this laptop for about 9 months. I absolutely love this computer. It replaced my old G3 laptop that was much slower and was starting to get long in the tooth. I use it for powerpoint presentations at scientific conferences and it is very fast and compatable with LCD projectors.