Home > Consumer Reviews > Apple PowerBook Laptop 15.2" M8981LL/A (1.25-GHz PowerPC G4, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD-R/CD-RW Drive)

There is no compelling reason to ever own a desktop machine with the likes of the fabulous Apple Powerbook. This is a fantastic, futuristic machine that will never be obsolete. Packed with the latest technologies, the PB flies through even demanding tasks such as video editing with grace, speed and stability. With the Unix-based OSX operating system and the excellent iLife application suite you will never go back to the colorless Windows world.

There is no better machine out there than the Powerbook line; I've owned 30 computers and this one is far, far superior to anything else out there.

It's that good. Nurture your right-brain creativity; the PB is the perfect tool to take your hard-earned skills to another level. Whew...

If you're considering buying a Powerbook, I have a word of advice for you: google the words "Powerbook G4 hinges" first. It may make you think twice.

For Christmas 2002, my husband bought me a Powerbook G4. I loved it, for all the positives mentioned here in other reviews. You will, too--but only for the warranty period. One year to the week after my G4 was purchased, the hinges went bad. The laptop was not mishandled in any way; I was just sitting on the sofa with it in my lap, and when I started to close the case, there was a loud cracking sound as the left hinge snapped. The right hinge followed a week later, rendering the laptop unusable. A quick search online made it clear I was not the first Powerbook owner to have this problem. How can that be, you ask, when the thing is made of nearly indestructible titanium? The nearly indestructible titanium is held together with plastic hinges.

If we'd been relying solely on the one-year warranty, we would have been screwed. Fortunately, my husband had bought the maximum AppleCare coverage to extend the warranty until Christmas of 2005. Because I hadn't filled out the registration form soon enough, however, the AppleCare website would only give me an error message. But we'd bought and paid for the coverage, right? I still had all my AppleCare information, complete with enrollment number. A quick call to Apple Support should rectify the problem, wouldn't you think?

Yes, I was once that naive. I actually thought the words "quick" and "call to Apple Support" could be used together.

Expect to spend most of the day on the phone. Expect to be transferred from person to person, to have to explain your problem repeatedly, and to have to fight for your rights under the warranty or service agreement. Apple's attitude is that they have no reason to help their customers until proven otherwise. Expect to deal with representatives who refuse to listen to you, cutting you off with the words "That's our policy." And did you know it's impossible to contact Apple by e-mail? You won't find a Customer Relations or Technical Support e-mail address anywhere on the internet, because the company refuses to deal with customers except through phone calls to its automated Apple Support line.

My sweet husband had to stop work in the middle of the day to fax Apple receipts proving that I wasn't a big crazy liar with the magical ability to produce valid AppleCare enrollment numbers out of thin air. An exceedingly unhelpful Apple employee named Crystal in Agreement Administration told me it's their policy to take up to 72 hours to process Applecare enrollments, so meanwhile, my broken laptop is stalled in the repair shop until next week at the earliest. My local repairman tells me it looks like a major repair that will require replacing the whole screen, since it's not the actual hinges, but the hinge attachment points that have snapped. Ask yourself if you really want a computer that develops this kind of service headaches after just one year of unexceptional use. And if anyone is considering filing a class action suit regarding the defective hinges, count me in.

As a long-time Mac user I was really anticipating great things from this new PowerBook (Superdrive model). So far, in three months I have had two logic board replacements, screen defects, and now a slot-loading DVD drive defect which Apple refuses to repair under warranty. It's been in the shop for a total of four weeks -- so far; and it's still there now. Apple still has the best systems, in my opinion, but their service leaves a lot to be desired. I've had many Macs before this which were flawless, but I think Apple's quality assurance slipped with this model.

a great laptop! The graphics on this computer is great, and the sound is awesome! The computer gets a little hot when its in use for a while, but overall its wonderful.

I believe if you are looking for a laptop you should look no further than the powerbook. I have the 15 In. and love it. I am always using it and barely ever get away from it. I love the OS X operating system and setting up the computer was a breeze. I would definitely recommend it to you.