Rating: 
Summary: Jobs has done it again.....
Review: Absolutely phenonomal computer. I have owned it for about a month and will sing the praises of it to anyone who will listen. Its a beutiful laptop, with the top, bottom and sides being smooth and unbelimished, not pockmarked and covered in screws like other laptops. Its alumium body is not only extremely strong, it is beutiful. The laptop has been known to get some stares in coffee houses and airports. It's as functional as the bigger laptops, but the size of an ultraportable. Apple is known for making computers that just work, and this one does. They truly think of all the little things when they build PowerBooks like this. Eg. a slot loading drive, so there is no tray to snap off. One of the best examples I can think of is the latch. On most laptops, the latch is on the top and is prone to breaking. On the PoweBook, however, it is spring loaded, so that it automatically retracts into the monitor when not in use. Then, when the lid is closed, a magnet pulls it out and latches it. The keys are also very shallow, so that when one uses it on a flight or in public, the tapping of the keys is so quiet it will not distrub anyone else. OSX is unbeliveable, and this computer is lighting fast. Buy it with the stock RAM, then take it to your local hole in the wall computer shop and buy a stick of RAM and install it yourself. Apple not only encourages this, they make it very easy. An amazing computer that will beat the pants of off anything out there. 6/5 Stars.
Rating:
Summary: Solid, Light, Cool Laptop!
Review: First things first! When you buy an Apple, you are far far away from all those bulky, dirty Wintels. A Wintel PC which claims a 2.8 GHz PC with windows and the same RAM, cannot match the power of this tinytot. Mac OS X is an awesome OS. Since Apple makes its own hardware and software, I believe macs have an advantage over PCs, which are a smorgasbord of components from a lot of diverse companies. Apple takes care of every minor issue you can think of, so you dont have to bang your head about it later.
About the Powerbook 12", I bought it after the recent upgrade coz it just seemed irresistible. The 256 MB RAM is still not sufficient. You'll need to upgrade it to atleast 512 MB, and I could do it myself in 5 mins flat. Mac OS X has some great applications for video, however Quicktime disappoints me when playing avi files. But you can find a host of other freeware that you can install on a mac.
Among all the Apple computers, the 12" Powerbook seems to be the best in terms of value for money. The design is fabulous, the keyboard the best among all the laptops I've seen so far. It tends to get a little warm under the left palm, but it doesnt bother me that much. The display is awesome. If you care, even the charger is beautiful. (compare the charger to those bulky Dell ones and you'll know what I mean).
To any avid PC-user who is doubtful of being comfortable with this powerbook, I'll just say 'go for it, you'll love it'. And dont worry abt the software, you get everything for a mac, except the games.
The world would have been a much more beautiful place, had Apple been in Microsoft's place.
Rating:
Summary: I switched!
Review: I was looking into buying a new computer this summer. I needed something very portable, compatible with Windows and of course, stylish. (Style is KEY!) I was working in a very relaxed office setting over the summer in a web development company, and the girl I sat next to is a hardcore Mac addict. She urged me at no end to get a Mac. She let me use her iBook a few times to get a feel for it, and in the end, I blew all the extra money I made last summer and bought a PowerBook (12inch, the only upgrade was to 512MB Ram and an extra battery,).
It has become an invaluable asset, replaceing all of the notebooks and binders I used to carry. It's about 5 pounds, so that's not too horribly heavy, but it does pack some weight if you've also got a yoga mat, lunch and two textbooks to carry as well.
I had used iMacs before in computer labs, but had grown up on PCs. I must say that I am thrilled to have switched. This interface is beautiful to use, easy to pick up and adjust to. With a little bit of tweaking and a few, "Where's that key?" moments, it's become my computer of choice. I've had it for four months, and the biggest stumbling block I've ever had with it is when I pull it out of my backpack to start taking notes and the idiot sitting next to me says, "Ewwwwwww! a Mac!" It is completley compatible with all the Windows programs my groupmates use, so there isn't an issue with file sharing. My friend liked mine so much, that two weeks later when her parents decided to buy her a laptop, she got the same one!
I only have a few dislikes about it. It doesn't come with any port covers, so I can only imagine how easy it might be for a paper clip to get stuck in the CD slot. Same goes for the Ethernet and USB ports. It only has two USB ports, and could certainly use more of those. I don't get the 5 hours of touted battery life; average is about 3.5, but longer if I turn down the brightness. Thankfully it recharges very quickly.
All in all, an awesome purchase that I don't regret.
Rating:
Summary: It Just Works - Really
Review: I've always used Windows/x86 computers, but recently I decided to make the switch to Apple and OS X. I thoroughly researched the Powerbook G4 and found that no PC laptop manufacturer could match the Powerbook's feature set and low weight for the same price. So I determined that Powerbooks are not overpriced, as is sometimes claimed. The only place where the Powerbook SEEMED to lag behind was in the processor speed. I was concerned that the PB (1.33GHz) wouldn't be as fast as a Windows notebook (some of which run at 3Ghz or more.)
The only way to find out was to go to the Apple store in my hometown and play with a Powerbook in person. After about 20 minutes of opening lots of programs concurrently, watching videos and listening to music, etc, I knew my concerns about the computer's speed were unfounded. I was sold.
(...)
So now I have my 12" Powerbook and I am very happy with my purchase. Some have called it a functional work of art, and I feel I can agree with that assessment - it's a beautiful computer. I searched the internet and found Mac OS X applications to replace the ones I used under Windows, and they are as good or better. Many OS X applications are open source and free to use. The operating system is beautiful and runs smoothly even when multitasking.
When I'm at home, I connect the PB to a Dell 21" LCD monitor running at 1600x1200 resolution, and a wireless keyboard and mouse. The PB's graphics processor has no trouble driving my monitor at that resolution. I also use a Firewire external hard disk. Everything is such a breeze to set up. For the most part, you just plug your hardware in, and it works without installing drivers.
On the road, I don't suffer from the 12" display. It's bright and clear, no dead pixels on my unit. It's a bit hard to have more than one window open at a time on such a small screen, so prepare to do a lot of switching (which can be accomplished by pressing F9 and clicking your desired window - so easy!) Sure, I'd like a bigger screen, but the portability outweighs that for me. I'm sure the 15" PB is equally good if you weigh the relative importances differently.
I still have a lot to learn about my new Powerbook, but I already feel comfortable using it. It's only been a few days, but I'm 'used to' OS X and its applications.
In conclusion, I'm absolutely satisfied with my purchase. If you're considering a Powerbook, go to an Apple store nearby and try one out. But come back to Amazon.com when it's time to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Review from the converted
Review: I've been a Windows/Unix user all my life. This is my first Mac and I love it.
Pros :
- Mac OS X is way more stable than any Microsoft Windows available
- Did you know that Mac OS X is UNIX-based? I love real unix shell.
- Light & small
- Slot-loading optical drive is better than the regular one, IMO
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g + bluetooth now included
- über-long battery life. My 5-month old battery lasts about 3 hours when I'm just browsing the web (wifi-on, bluetooth-on)
- not likely to get infected by virus/malware/spyware.
- iLife suite included
- supports dual display - I use this PB as a desktop replacement
- high quality soundcard - i've seen some PC laptop that has crappy soundcard. It's bad to the point that your MP3 sound really bad
Cons :
- Admit it, there are less software for Mac OS X. Make sure that you know everything you need has Mac version available. Don't depend on Virtual PC. It's tad slow on this 1.33GHz cpu.
- Software running on Mac is not as optimized as it should.
- This is the cheapest powerbook available. It's LCD screen isn't as good as 15"/17" ones. It's acceptable, reliable but you cannot expect something as good as
- 256 meg of ram is NOT enough for you to run regular software smoothly. Consider adding at least another 256.
- internal fan is sometime annoying when you do heavy graphics/calculation. You cannot watch DVD fullscreen without headphone. It's THAT noisy.
Rating:
Summary: Minimal, Efficient and Portable
Review: I've been using desktop PC's for many years, with occassional exposure to Macs throughout college. I work as a software engineer developing Java applications on a UNIX platform. Several of my coworkers develop exclusively on their 17-inch Powerbooks and have been raving about the user-centered design. They eventually got through to me and I purchased the 12-inch Powerbook model.
To begin with, it's extremely solid and compact. The aluminum case seems resilient to scratches and can probably take a bit of abuse (I've only had mine for a week, I'll give it time). The display is clear and crisp, a pleasure to look at. I use a 19-inch LCD for my desktop, and switching to my 12-inch Powerbook display causes me no grief.
I purchased my model from a local retailer and added 512MB of RAM, which I strongly recommend since 256MB is ridiculously low for modern OS' and applications. The system is very responsive and handles the load I put on it (web browser, iTunes, etc.) well. MacOS is a pleasure to work with.
The size of the notebook is great. I can tote it around the house (Airport Extreme gets incredible reception) without feeling like I'm lugging a 10 pound dumbbell - the Powerbook weighs under 5 pounds. And with energy savings enabled I get over 4 hours battery usage.
--Update after 6 months
I'm still loving my PowerBook, but have developed one issue that's become a big concern. The display hinges are over-tightened and may be suceptible to mechanical failure. I've ordered a "Glide Kit" from RadTech to condition to the hinges to prevent breakage. It's something you may want to consider doing, too, should you purchase this outstanding machine.
Rating:
Summary: Minimalist, Efficient and Portable
Review: I've been using desktop PC's for many years, with occassional exposure to Macs throughout college. I work as a software engineer developing Java applications on a UNIX platform. Several of my coworkers develop exclusively on their 17-inch Powerbooks and have been raving about the user-centered design. They eventually got through to me and I purchased the 12-inch Powerbook model.To begin with, it's extremely solid and compact. The aluminum case seems resilient to scratches and can probably take a bit of abuse (I've only had mine for a week, I'll give it time). The display is clear and crisp, a pleasure to look at. I use a 19-inch LCD for my desktop, and switching to my 12-inch Powerbook display causes me no grief. I purchased my model from a local retailer and added 512MB of RAM, which I strongly recommend since 256MB is ridiculously low for modern OS' and applications. The system is very responsive and handles the load I put on it (web browser, iTunes, etc.) well. MacOS is a pleasure to work with. The size of the notebook is great. I can tote it around the house (Airport Extreme gets incredible reception) without feeling like I'm lugging a 10 pound dumbbell - the Powerbook weighs under 5 pounds. And with energy savings enabled I get over 4 hours battery usage.
Rating:
Summary: THE best ultraportable notebook currently out now
Review: Let me first qualify this review by saying that:
1) I am/was a lifetime PC user with no prior Mac experience.
2) Before buying this notebook I comparison shopped for 3 months
3) My computer knowledge is far below that of tech professionals and hard core PC hobbyists, but I am however very computer literate.--> in short I'm an everyday computer user/consumer. Secondly before contemplating a powerbook any further, if you are an avid gamer or buy 3 or more video games a year and you want to use this notebook as a gaming laptop... I'd suggest you you buy a PC notebook for that purpose. Powerbooks are powerful enough to play games, but the mac selection of games is sparse. And now finally to the review... Specs- As with any notebook I suggest you have at least 512 MB of RAM. This was the only upgrade I added to my Powerbook. The Powerbook comes standard with a very generous 60gig hard drive, USB, firewire 400, ethernet, WIFI(b/g) and bluetooth. The only thing missing is the firewire 800, but that is not essential for most users including me. The Powerbook also comes with a very speedy 1.33 GHZ G4. How does this stack up to the new Centrino's (Pentium M)? Compared to my brother's IBM Thinkpad with a Pentium M 1.3 w/ 512 RAM, it runs equivalent or faster to the naked eye, unfortunately benchmarks are not readily available to compare mac and pc. But needless to say, whatever I can do on the IBM, whether its Powerpoint presentations, Photoshop, Flash, video or photo editing, I can do it on the Powerbook just as fast or faster. Also something that is very unique to this ultraportable is the 64 MB nVidia graphics card. Although there are better graphics cards out there on midsized laptops, ultraportable laptops RARELY have a graphics card as nice as this one. Combodrive- slot loading. This is amazing. No cd tray to deal with popping in and out. Just insert the cd or dvd into the slot and it is ready to go. This is not only a spacesaver since there is no tray, but it also is less prone to break since there is no tray to snag and break off. Why did I not pick the Superdrive that is also offered with this computer? In a few months they are releasing dual-layer DVD writers that hold twice as much data as writeable dvd's currently do, so I'm waiting to get an external DVD writer. Also its good to notice that many computers in order to stay small do not even include an optical drive like the Powerbook does. Price- Sony, IBM, Dell, Gateway. These companies all offer 12" notebooks, but customize them to equivalent specs as the Powerbook and they all come out approximately equivalent or much more expensive than the Powerbook. Apple is known for higher prices of their computers, but the Powerbook (specifically the 12" model) is a great deal price wise. Battery Life- This is VERY important if you want to tote your laptop around (and if you don't want to tote a laptop around, then why get a laptop at all?). Battery life is 5+ hours in my experience when just surfing the net and downloading files. Again how does this compare with other PC models? I think if you research you will find that most ultraportable Centrino's without an optional larger battery average around 4 hours. The IBM mention earlier lasts us about 4 and a half hours of use. Operating system- I think a description of this is beyond the scope of the review, but in short Mac OS X (Panther) is an absolute delight. I personally had very few problems with Windows XP, but it isn't just about the stability of Mac OS X its about the ease of use, integration and beauty of the system. Its something you just have to use first hand to fully realize it. Combine this with the excellent iLife programs that allow you to make movies, listen to music, video conference with relatives, and organize your photos and its very easy to forget about Windows. Design- I recommend you go to a local electronic store and hold the PC laptops in your hand and type on them and just look at them all over inlcuding the bottom. Then take a look at an Apple Powerbook. Again its something that is more adequately experienced than described. From the glowing Apple symbol on the cover to the almost seamless bottom, it is an amazing feeling, solid, and beautiful notebook. Everything else just feels cheap in your hands. Also the screen is crisp and clear and the keyboard is a full-sized keyboard, not a miniature one, that is perfect for typing. Laptop Heat and Sound- Use of the Powerbook for about 4 hours, I noticed it got only mildly warm and much less so than the IBM. However after about 4 hours the Powerbook got about as hot as the IBM, which still is not hot at all. I would say you could comfortably put the laptop in you lap very easily for the first 4 hours. After that, unless you have thick pants or like the extra warmth, I'd suggest putting it on a table. The Powerbook is very, very quiet, especially when cool. When it heats up after prolonged use the fan will kick in more often and make it a little louder. But still it is much more quiet than the IBM. Overall- I'd HIGHLY recommend this to anyone except gamers. I'm highly satisfied with this purchase and I hope you will be to if you decide to buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Three words: wow. Three... letter words.
Review: One of the things I had heard a lot about was the PowerBook's long battery life, and they weren't kidding. While 5 hours is a bit high, for normal use 3 to 4 is a very rough range. Even so, 3 hours is a long longer than some PC laptops gets, such as my old Compaq Presario 2195US. Even more so than the long battery life, though, which in itself is amazing, is the seamless transition from running from the power adapter and running from the battery. Unlike the Compaq I mentioned before, in which XP would switch to the battery settings, dimming the screen and slowing it down (and even when I set it to maximum performance it still seemed slower) everything stays the same. No kidding. Unplug. No difference. Plug it in. The same thing. While trying to setup my wireless network, I forgot to plug it in, running off the battery the entire time without even knowing it. When I finally did, I was amazed that I wasn't running from the wall: it was exactly the same experience as when it was plugged in. So for that 4 hours you get the most amazing experience due, in part, to Mac OS X.
In terms of power--RAM, CPU, etc.--I am impressed. The standard 256MB RAM that comes with the computer is simply not enough, and I've had a few slow-downs even with an extra 512MB installed (for a total of 768MB RAM). Albeit I was running a dozen large applications, the point is that extra RAM is a must and that maxing it out is the best thing you can do, so long as you have the extra money to spend. It really makes a difference. As far as raw processor power goes, I found it a bit slow at first (though much faster than a 1.33GHz PC). My experience here is sordid, though, because I at first owned an 867MHz Rev. A PowerBook for about a month or so before trading it in for this Rev. C beauty. Regardless, whatever slowdowns I experiences at first are all but gone--or I've grown used to them. Either way, this thing runs like a Ferrari.
I can't really comment on its size and weight, as I have yet to carry it around with me much, but I will make a note of the screen size: despite it being merely 12"--quite smaller than the 15" screens I have been using on laptops for the past year--I was accustomed to it almost immediately. I remember using my mom's laptop at one point a week after buying this that looking at her 15.4" widescreen was just.. I was thunderstruck at how large it was. Afterwards, I went back to my laptop, and saw a normal-sized screen. I was incredulous before making my purchase, people who said the screen was fine being quite unconvincing, but I have to say that they were absolutely right. You get used to it in an instant, and everything else is, well, huge in comparison.
And how quiet it is! I've never been one to be bothered by the sound of computer fans--though the ones in my old desktop were outrageously loud and annoying--and thought my old laptop to have been quiet, but after using a PowerBook for two months, I know better. I would classify my old Compaq as not loud, as it truly wasn't, but definitely not quiet. Quiet is this, my PowerBook. More than a few times I've made a reach for the power button, and even begun to press it, before I realized that it was asleep, usually brushing against my mouse and awakening the computer, the screen glowing as it came to life. That is quiet.
I simply must mention Mac OS X, even though it isn't a hardware part of the PowerBook. It has made my experience exponentially better. Though odd at first--I had to relearn how to make line breaks in IM clients, how to use the Command key as often as the Control key, and even learn the combos (Command+Shift+Letter, for instance)--it really has made computing more fun. I know it sounds corny, and at first it wasn't that way, but having grown used to it, seeing some of the applications out there, using them, etc., I couldn't be happier. On top of a different way of obtaining most apps--that is, paying for them via credit card and simply buying the CD key, then downloading the trial software and unlocking all the features--there is such a diverse selection to choose from. For instance, there's iComic, which, using Perl scripts, allows you to view [web]comics from within it, and even download them to your hard drive automatically. I don't know of any PC program that does this. As opposed to doing everything with one program, you have multiple, smaller, more efficient applications. For instance, instead of using Photoshop to slowly and painstakingly fade the ends of my images out to a white, I can simply set a template in, say, Yellow Mug Software's EasyFrame, drag all my files into it, and it'll do the same thing automatically. Which brings up arguably the best part: the widespread use of drag 'n' drop. The most basic and amazing use being that, when you want to open a file in a non-default program, instead of right clicking, going to Open with..., etc., you can simply drag the file to the application in question and drop it on it, automatically opening it in that application.
Overall, my experience with this PowerBook, and its OS, has been nothing short of stunning; amazing; the greatest computer experience of my life. Not only is it fun, but the OS is unparalleled and it finds the balance PC laptops can only dream of achieving: being portable without sacrificing performance.
Rating: 
Summary: less than deadpixels consecutive you are screwed
Review: This computer rocks, It is really fast. And so easy to use and customize.
It's over priced. It should cost around a thousand.(made in china but designed in California).
First of all this is a great product, I bought that as a gift for a friend.
I'm a P.C. guy, I'm definitively buying one for myself but at a local apple store see below why :
After switching it on; I discovered that there was a dead pixel a bright green dot on the screen
Very annoying your eyes always look at that spot.
After visiting my local Apple store (waoooo !!! the most friendly and knowledgeable staff I ever deal with - the Los Angeles - Grove store) these guys are great;
So after visiting the store to exchange the Powerbook they told me that since I had only one deadpixel, it's not considered defective, that I should return it to AMAZON, but if I had bought at an apple store, I could speak with the manager and have it exchanged special that it was only 2 days old.
After contacting AMAZON for a return here's an extract from AMAZON answer
"As an industry standard, manufacturers consider more than three
consecutive dead pixels on a LCD display to constitute a defective
product. As you have only one, we are unable to send a replacement
for the Apple PowerBook Notebook 12" M9183LL/A."
Don't get me wrong AMAZON has a great customer service, but in this case they should listed in the product description. That this product may come with deadpixels and if you have less than 3 deadpixels consecutive you are screwed.(what is the definition of consecutive ?)
If they had put that warning, I'm wondering how many customer will still buy any electronic equipment with LCD display on amazon
So my advise is buy locally at your apple store. Test it right away, or even if you notice any deadpixel, you can always return it to your local store
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