Home > Consumer Reviews > Apple PowerBook Laptop 17" M9110LL/A (1.33-GHz PowerPC G4, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD-R/CD-RW Drive)

Greetings all, the other review by Sherrila Levin for this item is inappropriate and overzealous (I'm a die-hard Mac fan). Make no mistake this is a PHENOMENAL computer yet there are some buts...

In a nutshell:
PROS:
- You're walking around with 17" gorgeous object of envy that has a stunning display great for games, DVDs, doing PhotoShop/Illustrator work, etc. The great screen ratio is perfect for design apps with palettes, toolbars and the like.
- For a laptop, GREAT sounding speakers
- Backlit keyboard: Nifty little feature that is best when you have it plugged in. Otherwise, works well, but is an added drain on the battery when going mobile. Though, the AMBIENT LIGHT SENSOR that adjusts screen brightness and backlight is AWESOME when it fades in to let you know it's working.
- Usual suspects of big hard drive, fast processor, pretty snazzy 3d card, lots of ports, DVD & CD BURNER and loads of RAM make for a REALLY AGILE portable workhorse.
- It's always great owning something where you can see the designers put oodles of love and obsession to detail.
- Slot loading drive (has no breakable moving doors)
- Does not generate heat like previous G3 models or earlier G4s

CONS (Few and almost trivial, but worth noting for the uninitiated):
- 6.8 pounds isn't the lightest thing in the world if you're lugging it around on one shoulder
- Shell is slightly soft and gives way to some small body damage easily (I accidentally dropped mine on the corner from about 1.5 ft off the ground - now have a nice ding. Other users/reviewers have also mentioned this issue as well). Just don't be as klutzy as me and you should be fine.

Hope this helps.

This aluminum-shelled gem marries beauty and brawn so well that that owners of lesser laptops will surely have a hard time hiding their envy. It's fast and capacious and, like other Apple products, a joy just to take out of the box and see how Apple has thought about every step of the user experience, from unpacking to setting up the built-in wireless networking (a total breeze, and I'm a klutz at that kind of thing). In that same vein, there's the G4 Powerbook's keyboard that automatically lights up with a soft glow from underneath the keys as the light in your office or your airplane cabin dims. It's a small thing, but indicative of a genuinely respectful, design-centric, user-oriented mindset that no other computer company can match.

The display is lovely to behold and s-h-a-r-p, and the wealth of (count 'em) 1.3 million pixels makes it hard to go back to my 15'' flatpanel iMac desktop screen. Watching a DVD on a Powerbook screen this big and this good is about as satisfying as visiting my local cineplex, sans the sticky floors.

Like the new G5 desktops, the G4 Powerbooks strike me as quite hi-tech and futuristic. That's not a bad thing, but it's a far cry from the happy candy-colored iBooks of a few years ago. The G4 Powerbooks are also not as "warm & inviting" as the current generation of elegant white Powerbooks. The persona of the G4 machines is a bit more stand-offish, stark even, and you either like that or you don't. I think they're plenty gorgeous but, at the risk of sounding sexist, my hunch is that it's a 'guy' computer, and that a lot of women won't take a shine to these machines. But I'll let Apple's marketing department worry about that.

Finding Panther (Mac OS 10.3) loaded on this machine was a greater boon than I'd imagined. I've used 10.2 (Jaguar) since it came out in August 2002, but Panther is such a big step forward, it almost qualifies as a whole new operating system -- without the learning curve. You can log out without quitting open applications, for instance, in a matter of literally seconds. The improved Finder -- which appears to be modeled in part on Windows XP, though no Mac user would admit that without the benefit of thumbscrews ;-) -- makes navigating through complex hierarchies of folders and files a snap, and it's easy to customize. Also, Apple has brought back color labeling of files and other items -- an OS9 staple it stupidly discarded when the company launched OSX a few years ago. There are more than 150 other big and small improvement (wait'll you get a load of a feature called Exposé, which displays all your open windows, across applications, at the roll of a mouse!), but this is supposed to be a review about the computer, not its operating system.

Well then, the G4 17'' Powerbook is a tactile and esthetic pleasure to use. The fit is tight, the finish beautiful. Everything just works right out of the box without the user having to study manuals or spending time on the phone with tech support. I would gush about this machine (and so far I have!), but there are a few minor points of criticism, too:

- Apple does sometimes put good looks over practicality. The shell of this Powerbook has no ridges on it -- it's just this sleek, smooth expanse of aluminum. Very purty, but since this is a large and relatively heavy laptop, you're quite likely to let it slip from your grasp at one point or another. Some kind of grip would have been a good idea. Also, there's a latch at the front of the machine that you push to unlock the screen. The latch is almost perfectly flush with the front of the case (so as not to visually break the sleek line of the shell, I'd wager), and I find that it sometimes takes two or three pushes before the screen pops open.
- The material looks like it might scratch easily (but I'm trying not to find that out first-hand). At this price -- 3,000 semolians! -- Apple should have included a soft leather sleeve or something, so that you can toss the thus-protected Powerbook into a shoulder bag or backpack and not worry about it. I ordered a neoprene third-party solution called a Sportfolio (40 bucks) that does the job.
- I've been forced to use them for years and I still don't like 'em: trackpads. Ugh. Get a mouse. Kensington makes one that works well with a Powerbook; it has a retractable USB cable that stores inside the device when not in use.
- The power cord plugs into the side of the machine. That's a bit unsightly. It should have been in the back, where it essentially doesn't show.
- More visual clutter: the sides of the machine. They're outfitted with a bevvy of ports, including a Firewire 800 port and an S-video socket (excellent!) and no cover (not so excellent). I realize doors can easily break off, but maybe a molded rubber strip would have (a) been better-looking, and (b) kept dust, dirt, and lint out.
- Apple should take a cue from the automobile industry and its included standard 3 year/50,000-miles warranties. The Powerbook has a one-year warranty and only 90 days of phone support. To extend coverage to three full years, you're supposed to purchase a protection plan for -- gulp -- 350 bucks. I guess I'll do it, but I have the uncomfortable feeling I'll be paying for a few years' supply of Steve Jobs's black turtlenecks. I'm OK with him playing hardball with Disney, he just should let up on his own loyal customers a bit. ;-)

I've had the G4 17'' Powerbook for a week and intend to really put it through its paces in weeks and months to come. So far, the verdict is very positive. The first Apple Powerbooks, in 1992, also cost multiple thousands of dollars, just like this one. For the same money (less if you count inflation), you can now buy a super-good-looking supercomputer that is a kick-ass music player, an excellent movie-playback machine, a top-notch number cruncher, a high-powered portable recording studio, a serious photo- and video-editing tool, and on and on... I shrugged when I heard about Apple's plans, three or four years ago, to turn their computers into "hubs for the digital lifestyle." But the company did just that, and no portable computer today is a more capable, pleasure-to-work-with digital hub than this gorgeous 17'' G4 Powerbook.

Addendum: A few weeks after I wrote this review, I'm on a plane, with the Powerbook in its neoprene sleeve tucked safely in the overhead luggage compartment. Well, maybe not SO safely after all. After touchdown, people start grabbing their bags, anxious to get out -- and some idiot yanks her own luggage out so hard and carelessly that my computer goes flying. It drops in a graceless arc, like a limply flung brick, and lands with a thud that churns my stomach. I actually gasp. This is more abuse than any consumer laptop can handle. After all, it's a fall from almost seven feet high; surely the case is cracked, or the screen broken, or the hard drive knocked out of whack and my data lost -- or all of the above. Absurdly enough, though, I'm wrong. I zip open the sleeve, fingers trembling, but all is as it should be. The aluminum case is un-dented and as tight as ever; the screen unblemished; the hard drive unperturbed. Now, I wouldn't care to duplicate this little involuntary experiment. Clearly I got lucky. But it's also proof that Apple builds its Powerbooks with real structural integrity -- equipped to deal with the rigors of the road, and with the abuse inflicted on it by hapless users and clumsy strangers alike.

I don't know what more I can add to all of these great reviews

but believe the hype!!!

this is one AWESOME laptop!

I'll just make a list of why I love it --- forgive me if it comes off with any irrationality ---

1. Portability ---- seriously, feel free to laugh, but this laptop really is portable....... yes, it can get heavy (by the end of the day) but it really is comparable, if not lighter, than most laptops available......... I commend Apple for doing such a great job on actually making this computer portable enough to throw in a backpack and take with you

2. The Widescreen 17" screen!!! gosh this screen is beautiful! Sometimes I find myself using a smaller computer and I can't stand it ---- I've officialy been spoiled! Even 15" widescreens won't do anymore!

3. Keyboard ---- there's something special about this keyboard - its pretty cool

4. Speed ---- Apple gets knocked around a lot for its speed, but seriously, the G4 in this thing really handles things greatly! I highly recommend 1 gig of RAM, for the ultimate speed and stability ----- this thing will run Final Cut Pro, Garage Band, OS X, all of those programs, greatly! Take my word for it ---- no probs at all!

5. Stablity ---- this is more of a software thing, but OS X is such a great OS!!! Never freezes, never crashes ------ I have five different apps open right now (Safari, AOL, Preview, MS Word, and iTunes) and the speed isn't slowing down one bit!

6. Output options ----- were talking Firewire, Firewire 800, USB, DVI, best of all, SVIDEO and AUDIO output ---- making it VERY easy to connect this baby to a nice TV!!! its pretty freaking cool

I don't know what else to say ---- buy it! IT ROCKS

for those of you afraid to switch, let me give you reasons why ---

- Microsoft Office on OS X (which works better here than it does on XP)

- Final Cut Pro (better than any Windoze editing system)

- All Adobe apps available here

- All Macromedia apps available here

did I forget anything?

Yes, yes, it's heavy and hot as hell. This is not the machine you prop up on your legs to read Google News in bed. Hopefully you have something better to do with your US$3K-$4K anyway.

I'm a professional media designer and image maker, and I replaced my old dual-processor Macintosh with the 17.1" 1.33 GHz Powerbook. This is a machine to tote onto a job site or to a presentation and produce great work...perfect for freelancers and those who might not work at their home base all the time.

Two great things I've not seen other reviewers mention are the audio hardware quality and dual-monitor support; these can't be under-rated. My Dell PC's audio line out is noisy and full of hiss, while the Powerbook's line out is so quiet that many musicians simply plug it into a club's audio system and it sounds great. Dual-monitor support is second to none. After chafing a bit at the widescreen nature of the screen (i.e., only 900 pixels tall), I instantly shut my mouth when I plugged in another monitor and it immediately started running at 1600 x 1200.

While there are some compromises one must make in going mobile, this machine does not disappoint. Rear legs for improved elevation, easy expandability, even a real tray for the DVD-RW drive ... all these things have been removed to make the machine as streamlined as possible. But I happily accept all these compromises to use a Macintosh that is powerful, relatively lightweight, portable...and sexy as all get-out. It's the only computing device I've ever owned that is a conversation starter. Now if these people would only just let me get back to work...

Yeah, I know it's a little more money than the knock-off PC clones from Dell and Gateway, but this is a far superior computer. The Mac platform is not only the most powerful one available, it is also the simplest and most versatile - once you learn it.

The 15-inch is the perfect size for me. I looked at both the 12 and 17-inch models and felt they were a little too small/big respectively. There is something attractive about the 12 inch - a friend of mine has one and he carries it around everywhere, able to write anywhere anytime. And seated at a desk the 17-inch is also attractive, presenting a massive, bright screen to work on. But all in all, the 15-inch provides the best both worlds. It's very portable - maybe not as easy to tug along as the 12-inch, but certainly manageable with a small backpack. The 17-inch can be problematic on a plane if there are people crowding you, and it's certainly cumbersome to maneuver in tight spaces, whereas the 12-inch is easy to maneuver but can cause a little eyestrain from a distance.

I definitely recommend a Mac, first of all, and within that I recommend the 15-inch G4 notebook. If you must have a 12-inch, you might take a look at the 12-inch iBook, which is cheaper but obviously not as feature rich (the iBook's graphics card is not as powerful and the processor is slower, most notably).

The complaints I have are exterior - the computer doesn't age well (i.e., it nicks and scratches rather easily) and there should be some sort of elevation device to raise the back end while typing (like the older Powerbooks had).

All in all you can't go wrong with any Apple laptop you choose. They are truly making the digital life a reality with all of their integrated software - iTunes, iPhoto, iSight, and the iPod are particularly cool. No other laptop will have an operating system with so many fantastic programs that are so perfectly integrated together. If this is remotely in your price range, go for it. It can literally change the way you operate on a day-to-day basis.