Home > Consumer Reviews > Apple Powerbook Laptop M8592LL/A (800-MHz PowerPC G4, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB hard drive)

I have had this baby for about 2 weeks now and there can only be one word that can truly describe it... AMAZING! All the perceptions I have had about macs were... let's just say... wrong! Compatibility issues? Not a problem. After using PCs for the past 7 years or so, I was afraid that I'd have trouble switching files between Windows machines and my new mac.. nuh uh.. they work flawlessly. Only 800mhz, you might say? This thing feels snappy! I actually think that my productivity has grown since getting this machine. If not, it sure seems like it because the environment is a lot more pleasant to work in, thanks to OS X. I don't see any speed differences doing what I do between my 1.8ghz P4 desktop (which I haven't touched since I got this baby, it does everything I need!) and this machine. Too expensive? Not really... a comparably equipped Dell laptop is about the same price, but without the sleek exterior and the wonderful OS. No floppy drive? lol, I haven't used one of those since.. I don't know.. been too long to remember.

If you're having doubts about this machine, go check one out at an apple retailer and you won't be disappointed.

Technology at it's best! Well worth the price. Mac OSX is the best operating system on the market. Wireless internet, voice activatable commands, intuitive operating system for the best experience in the pc world. And compatabliliy issues between the windows world are non existant, thanks to Apples intuitive OS.

And then you have the display. The Powerbook's display was the clincher for me. I haven't watched a dvd on my tv in months. Wide, with incredible graphics, simply beautiful.

I wanted a digital editing platform that would run industry standard software. I dumped 24 tracks from a professional recording studio righ onto my desktop and was able to burn a master cd for cd duplications by industry standards. ON MY LAPTOP!!! dude this thing is cool! Oh, I can also do professional quality digital video editing, ON MY LAPTOP!!!

Apple has raised the bar in the lap top world. And the competition will be hard pressed to even come close to the quality Apple has acheived. Treat yourself. Besides you won't need another computer for years to come. Unless you significant other keeps steeling yours.

I have to say after three months with this baby, I'm pretty satisfied. OS X is easy and manageable, and has never, ever crashed on me; applications have though. Yet, the keyboard does push into the screen slightly when closed, so you will see little keyboard marks on the screen when turned off. A few other problems are that the notebook can get very hot if a CPU intesive app is used and the 802.11b Wi-Fi looses some of it's range (about 150 ft) because the titanium is blocking signals.

I'm what you would call a power user. I work in the animation biz and use unix workstations and pee cees the whole day. The only time I had ever used a mac was when I was in middle school. But when I saw this beauty I just had to have one. The unit is simply beautiful and is great for video editing on the fly...which is what I mainly use it for. It has become an invaluable tool for quickly putting together comps for dailies at the studio.

The ease of use and design of the OS is wonderful...I don't really understand why so many pc users are against macs. My suggestion is to go out and take it for a spin at your local electronics store and decide for yourself. For me, powering this baby up after spending hours upon hours working on SGI and SUN workstaions is a pleasure in itself.

If you are going to get this unit, make sure you don't skimp on RAM and buy an extra battery because nothing is worst than having your powerbook low in a middle of a work session.

I'm personally surprised to see the Powerbook G4 listed so low in comparison to the other laptops and powerbooks on the list. No doubt this is because fewer people own Macs than Sonys or Toshibas. This is a shame, really, since it means so few people know about Mac power and beauty, which overshadows PC's every time. I bought my first computer, a Mac, in 1994 (Performa 636CD!) and I've used it nonstop since that time. But I decided it was time to upgrade this year and I bought my baby G4 a month ago. It works like a dream and has yet to give me one ounce of trouble. I surf the Internet like a pro and I'm a huge fan of iTunes. Unlike another reviewer, I have switched from OS X to OS 9 for some programs and it was easy. Don't be a fool. Get a Mac and you'll have it for years and never feel deprived.