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)

The Titanium G4 PowerBooks are in their final state of evolution. Rumor has it that the new version will be radically different in design. As such, I would take advantage of this final incarnation of the Ti Book because it has gone through all of the refinements and fine tuning that has put it at the top of the game. Sure, the newer model will have more bells and whistles -- but keep in mind that it will also have a lot of things needed to be tweaked and adjusted. The Ti Book has had several generations of refinement and is now perfect, solid and reliable. Remember, a computer is only as good as the work you do on it and this Ti Book has a long pedegree to back it up and years of refinement that have brought it to its optimal (and final) version! Buy it before it is gone. It's quite simply the ultimate computing machine!

I love this powerbook. It is without a doubt the handiest computer that I've ever used. The wide ratio display makes it easy to have multiple coding windows open while the convenient brightness controls allow me to work easily in changing light conditions. The mute button is handy whenever the phone rings.

But that's just the start of the story. The really beauty of this laptop is that it runs OS X. Mac OS X represents the pinnacle of evolution in operating systems. The highly intuitive environment lets a user get their work done without having to really think about the computer. It is more or less a seamless interaction. But if you need to leverage the UNIX core, it is just a terminal window away and gives you all the power you could possibly seek.

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.

Mine is actually a generation back (800MHz processor). It's more than fast enough for the things that I do (graphic design, mathematics, music recording, programming, internet browsing... can you tell I have catholic interests?) The Apple bundled apps are fantastic, and iPhoto incorporates enough of what I do to my pictures that I rarely open PhotoShop any more (not to mention the permanent retention of the original photo is always a good thing). I rarely reboot the system (it's just not necessary unless I do an OS upgrade), or close applications and all is well. It's nice to have Word, Excel, Safari, iTunes, Eudora, Illustrator and InDesign all at the ready at a moment's notice.

Perhaps most exciting is the realization that with this machine I just don't need a desktop anymore. My G4 tower gets only occasional use anymore (and the PC hasn't been turned on for nearly a year). This is easily the only computer you'll ever need.

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!