Home > Consumer Reviews > Apple Powerbook Laptop 15.2" M8859LL/A (1.0-GHz PowerPC G4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD-RW/CD-RW Drive)

I travel a lot. I need to be connected. I need to be able to do my work on the road. I've been a Windows user for most of my adult life. I've used various Windows laptops over the years. I've seen and used friends' G4 towers and iMacs. I liked using Mac OS X. But I wasn't sure about a Powerbook. Would it be portable and powerful enough?

Then my best friend got one from his employer, and was utterly enraptured. I spent a weekend using his PowerBook, and bought my own matching one as soon as I got home.

The 15" display is gorgeous. Unlike many Windows laptops (especially the ThinkPad I use for work), it is readable from many angles. I often use my PowerBook to watch DVDs. For my Windows laptop, it is hard to position it so that two people sitting next to each other (such as on an airplane) can both see it. With my PowerBook, I never have to worry about that. Besides the fantastic viewing angle, its rendering of colour is very life-like.

The weight of the PowerBook is great. For such a fully-featured laptop, the weight is very light. I carry it all the time and never find myself cursing it for being so heavy.

I use the following applications on my PowerBook regularly: FrameMaker, Photoshop, Toast with Jam, Quicken and The Sims (hey, I can't work all the time!). During normal use, I usually have FrameMaker, a couple of web browser windows, ICQ (an instant messenging program), iCal, and Mail. I never have to wait for it to swap between applications like I do on my Windows laptop.

Since OS X is Unix-based, an experienced Linux or Unix user can simply open a terminal and do all of the command line stuff you know so well. I even run XWindows on my PowerBook. I love having a nice-looking GUI for some tasks (such as FrameMaker), but still having the power of lex, yacc, and all of my favourite Unix tools. Apache is already installed, I didn't have to muck about with getting Perl working. And I've never had my PowerBook show me the Blue Screen of Death, whereas I get that about once a week on my Windows laptop.

My PowerBook just works. I can troubleshoot Windows problems with the best of them. But with my PowerBook, I never have to bother. It took three firmware upgrades before my Windows laptop would recognise my wireless network. The first time I turned my PowerBook on, it found my wireless network immediately. I didn't have to bother configuring anything. Any device that I have added has been similarly trivial to set up.

I don't think that I could be happier with my PowerBook. I am extremely happy that I made the switch. Using Windows is now even more of an annoyance than it was before I knew better.

My 15" Powerbook G4 has lived up to every one of my expectations and more. I'm a teacher that uses both Windows and Mac computers on a regular basis. It wasn't until I had a chance to use OS X that I decided to purchase a new Mac laptop.

I already owned one of the original iMacs, but that computer is starting to show its age. The computer that I used the most regularly is the PC that I built for my wife last spring (AMD Athlon XP 1800 running Windows XP Pro). That computer has served us well, but like every other windows machine I've ever used, it has major software problems. Here's the defining reason to buy a Mac over a PC. Apple integrates their software into their hardware designs. Microsoft on the other hand has very limited control over the hardware design of computer manufacturers. Thus, Windows tends to have more issues with hardware/software conflicts. Once you try OS X and all of Apples applications (iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, Safari), you will realize that the power of this Powerbook is at the heart of its software.

I have yet to see a PC laptop that can match the elegance of the Powerbook G4 and the sophistication of OS X. Sony comes close, but they will remain one step behind as long as their computers run Windows.

On the other hand, my Powerbook and OS X is completely flawless. This laptop, like every other that I've ever used, gets quite toasty on your lap after you using for 30+ minutes. There's a simple fix for this though. I just put a blanket or a pillow underneath the computer when I use it on my lap. Other than that, I have "0" complaints. The screen is beautiful. The 1GHz processor makes computer "feel" quite snappy. And the built-in DVD-RW, paired with iDVD, is awesome!

My best advice for anyone considering the purchase of this Powerbook is to test it at an Apple Store, borrow one from a friend, or just buy it. You won't regret it!

1) Beware of paint chipping off the white trim. The 12" and 17" models dont have this white trim because of this very problem.
2) The power supply that comes with it is poorly designed. If you spool the thin powercord around the hinged arms on the white box, you can easily wear right through the wire within a year's use.
3) The power supply also can easily break at the "head" (where the light changes from green to orange to indicate charging status). I am very ginger with it now, making sure I remove it sparingly and if so, slowly.
4) A replacement power supply which you can only buy from Apple will cost you [$$]. Other power supplies, although they may look the same, will not work with the PBG4. Talk about monopoly.

* word of advice if you still decide to buy this great computer: put a cheesecloth or papertowel over the keyboard when you have the Powerbook closed. Natural dirt from the keys will get on the screen, leaving marks that a friend of mine described as a chromosome map.

Overall: a wonderful computer. I carry it everywhere I go in my backpack.

I've been using PC's for twenty years - my first was a Compaq lunchbox luggable that ran DOS 1.1. Today I have a couple of IBM laptops and Dell desktops, all running Windows XP Pro. I was in the market for a new laptop, and after looking around for awhile, I came to the conclusion that there was nothing in the PC world to compare with the PowerBook from a pure hardware standpoint. That is, I couldn't find anything that included all of the of the following: 1" thick profile, but with an extremely sturdy titanium case (that doesn't flex); 15.1" screen, and a dazzline one at that; slot-loading CD/DVD drive that writes both CD's and DVD's; long-battery life (3 - 4 hrs.); sturdy keyboard with decent tactile feel and minimal flex; built-in Bluetooth; built-in Firewire; built-in wireless networking (AirPort)

I found machines that offered maybe two or three of these, but none that had them all. Since 75% of the work I do involves using MS Excel, Word and PowerPointk, excellent versions of which are available in Office X for Mac, I decided to give the PowerBook a try.

I haven't been disappointed. This is a terrific machine. The display is awesome, and the OS X operating system is enough to make me give XP the boot. When I first got the machine home and turned it on, it went through a short configuration routine in which the AirPort card automatically detected my wireless network and had me on the Internet in minutes -- no loading PC card software and setting parameters and entering system ID's.

I'm seriously thinking of getting a dual-processor 1.42ghz Power Mac as my next desktop.

My only reservations center on the relative paucity of native OS X software. I miss not having Visio or Access available, although the machine comes bundled with a trial version of FileMaker Pro, which while not a replacement for Access, is decent. It also comes with OmniGraffle, which while not as powerful as Visio, is adequate. Even mainstream applications like encyclopedias and software are sparse (Britannica is the only encyclopedia I've found that will run native under OS X). I use Bible software extensively on my PC, but there's only one decent product available for Mac OS X, and it's really expensive.

Also, as a hobbyist music recording and guitar enthusiast, I'm disappointed there's not more stuff available for the Mac. There are a few high end programs like Logic, Pro Tools and (soon) Digital Performer available for sequencing/recording, but little else. Programs like Finale, Band-in-a-Box, Jammer, etc. are virtually non-existent. If I were running Apple, I think I'd concentrate on being developing innovative, state-of-the-art software to complement OS X. Still, the more I use my PowerBook, the more I'm inclined to switch completely. This is a great machine with a terrific operating system.

I freely admit, I am writing this at the sunset rather than beginning of the Titanium PowerBook's technological lifecycle. But, as a died in the wool Wintel person, what is really remarkable is that, after a hiatus of about 10 years, I have bought a Macintosh again. You can blame this on a combination of three things - one of my computers died, I needed a portable, and I just bought an iPod. Supporting the latter, and getting my ears onto iTunes was the deciding factor.

There is no question that the Titanium is a superb computer. It is every bit as fast as my Pentiums, it is beautifully designed, and the 15 inch screen is a big plus for my tired eyes. But what is really amazing is the overall slickness of the operating system and its standard software. I was setting up a wireless network for myself when I bought the PowerBook. Literally the only thing I had to do to get it to fit in was to tell it to activate its internal Airport. Meanwhile, I am still fighting glitches in my windows machines. I plugged in my iPod, my cell phone, and my PDA and when I ran iSync I got all three devices and the Powerbook to synchronise. And this is typical of OSX's approach to seamless operation.

The Powerbook excels at graphics and music work, and that is where my interests lie. The included software provides basic functionality which can be fleshed out with a host of excellent software. And the Powerbook is certainly strong enough to run them. With a built in DVD burner as well as both USB2 and FireWire 400 connectors you can accessorize and gadgetize this machine to your hearts content.

Of course, there is a price to pay. OSX is different at heart than any Windows OS. Not in big ways, but in countless little deviations that will take a bit of acclimatization. Even purchased software life Microsoft Office will do unexpected things on occasion. I heartily recommend that you don't fall for Apple's "you don't need a manual" hype and go out and buy one of those 700 page volumes that ramble their way through the host of Macintosh features. The more you find out about this machine, the better it gets.