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Rating: 
Summary: Small Wonder
Review: After waiting for a third revision of the 12 inch PowerBook, I decided to get one. I decided on the 12 inch because of the very portable size and the lower price. In addition to the standard features I opted for 256 MB of RAM (for a total of 512 MB) and the larger, faster hard drive (80GB @ 5400 rpm). I just couldn't imagine 256 MB of RAM being adequate for my needs, and everyone says the 5400 rpm HD is so much faster than 4200 rpm, so that and an addional 20 GB of space made it a no brainer. Anyway, this is my first Mac. I'm in art school and that's all we use there, and it's all the industry uses, not to mention that Apple gave me an enormous credit line when all I wanted to do was buy an iPod.
This is a great machine. Everything about it is so elegant. A friend of mine has a Gateway laptop, and I find it offensive by comparison. Not only is it big and ugly and plastic with ports on every side of it, but it has horrible ergonomics (a weird keyboard with narrower keys that are not the standard size and a horrible set of mouse buttons) and a typical but still cheesy optical drive that you have to slide out and then snap the disc onto the spindle. I guess what this says is that I've become a Mac snob, but the PowerBook is just so beautiful and so much more thoughtfully designed, all the ports are on the left side, and there are no legacy ports that no uses anymore any way, and on the right is the snappy slot-loading SuperDrive, for which I can not even describe the satisfaction you get when you put in a disc and it sucks it out of your fingers, giving a soft mechanical sound afterward as it mounts it. Also great is the latch, it's magnetic so that the clasp only manifests when it's near the other half of the laptop when you go to close it, when you open it, it retracts back into its slot, so there is no little metal thing sticking out the top of the display. I have had no problems with it, and I'd also like to note that I have no problem with the keys dirtying or scuffing the display, when the PowerBook is closed there is no contact between the two, it looks like Apple increased the amount of space between the two, because I know in the past a lot of people have complained about this happening. None of this is to mention the Mac OS, but this isn't a review of that, although I will say that while both Mac OS and Windows have their strengths and weaknesses, the Mac OS does have a curious way of some how making you feel more engaged with whatever it is you are doing, and just feels and looks a lot nicer to boot.
There are a few things I don't like about the PowerBook. One is the speakers, although that is minor. They sound as good as you can expect them too, but the volume doesn't go as loud as you would expect. Second is that this thing can get very hot. If you just have it on your lap for awhile expect it to get uncomfortably warm eventually. If the PowerBook is very well ventilated I noticed heat doesn't become a problem, but if you are hanging out in bed or on the couch without some sort of table or something, and it's actually on the bed or even your lap, it can get pretty hot. I never really use this thing at a desk, because I can't stand sitting at one and that's why I wanted a notebook to begin with. I guess there isn't much Apple can do about it, maybe use faster fans or something, but as they are the fans are pretty quiet, where as, to bring up the Gateway, the fans on that thing are really intrusively loud, although it does stay a lot cooler.
Everything else is great. I love that it is cased in aluminum. It feels and looks great, and when you tell people it's aluminum they are always impressed. The battery lasts a good while and, if you flip the PowerBook over there is a little button you can press that will cause a row of LCDs next to it to light up and reveal the remaining charge. These lights also blink to indicate the charge status while the PowerBook is charging. There are great features to use when the 'Book is closed and you don't want to open it and wake it just to check the battery status. Also nice is how the plug itself, where it plugs into the machine, has a led that glows orange if it is charging and green if the the battery is full.
Anyway, the keyboard has full sized keys, and after you get used to the inherently different dynamics of a laptop keyboard, it feels very nice. Unfortunately there is no option for the backlit keyboard like there is on the larger models. The trackpad is a trackpad, it's certainly a lot better than my friend's horrible Gateway one, which is actually smaller than the PowerBook's but is paired to a 15 inch screen (figure that one out!). On the whole the computer is really quite fast and responsive and just a pleasure to use with ZERO frustrating wait time for something small and stupid to respond or occur, which is so nice because i have ZERO patience, and the included Airport Extreme card is nice and saved me the expense of buying one separately. The reception seems pretty good, I was sitting in a park across the street from a hotel and had two bars showing, and was able to surf comfortably for an hour before I decided to leave. I can't comment on the Bluetooth as I don't own any Bluetooth devices yet.
The SuperDrive seems fast, although I haven't really burned much with it yet, mostly CD-RW back ups and a small backup to a DVD which didn't take as long as I thought it might if that counts for anything. I copied a couple music CDs and that went extremely quickly.
As for the screen, well, particularly if you put it side by side with the larger models it will seem small. But once I started using it, within 10 minutes I adapted completely to the size and it seems perfect now. Although I am an art student and do use a lot of graphic applications, the screen is adequate for me. Sometimes a higher resolution would be nice (it goes to 1024x768 max) but all that is really required is a little extra scrolling and zooming in and out in things like Photoshop than I am used to, and I have met people with 17 inchers who can't stand the size and weight when it comes time to take it with them somewhere, and I never have that problem because it's so small it fits in every bag perfectly and is very easy on the shoulders to carry. As for color and contrast they are of course great, it can wash out in the outdoors depending on the intensity of the sunlight, but any sort of color LCD will have that problem. If you are using it in even moderate shade you should be able to so comfortably, but If it's bright, direct sunlight though, forget it.
All in all I highly recommend this machine, it's such a joy in every way.
Rating: 
Summary: Apple: an inferior product with insulting Apple employees
Review: Apple Computer Corporation's product that I purchased, a 12-inch lap top `powerbook G4' computer, has been having a number of significant problems since not long after I foolishly purchased it new some months ago. Apple's `customer service/technical support' was a fruitless waste of my valuable time. They offered little more than ineffective, evasive token `fixes' and openly admitted useless speculation as to the nature of the product's malfunctions; Apple's representatives were quite rude. Inquiries about a case number have been ignored.
Apple's manuals and tutorials are not helpful.
Having gotten nowhere and with yet a new malfunction, I tried to use Apple's web site `discussions' for help. My legitimate request for help as an Apple customer was met with offensive personal ridicule and virulent incivility by several Apple web site `discussion' participants, persons whose actual identities or motives are not verifiable by me. They could be anybody at all, assuming whatever identities they choose. It is reprehensible that Apple would allow Apple customers to be treated in such a highly offensive manner on Apple's own web site in their very ethically reckless `discussion forum'. If Apple feels that their web site participants can be trusted, then Apple should accept liability for, and stand behind, what is posted. This is a consumer's measure of credibility and integrity.
Apple's computers are more expensive than other sorts of similar computers, yet my purchase, and its accompanying `support', has not even met the standard of a far cheaper computer. Consumers could receive the same callous mistreatment provided by Apple for less money by shopping elsewhere.
This consumer's experience is that Apple Computer Corporation is all form and no substance. Sieg Heil, California Uber alles!
Rating: 
Summary: Good machine. More software for MAC OS X will help
Review: Good machine. I love the way it looks, works and handles things. Macs can do things so nicely that PCs can only aspire. But it does just [this] many things.
Windows based software may be poor and unstable, but they sure can do many (read aloud - many) more things, and sure are cheap. PC software is available in such abundance that there are always at least some options out there to meet your needs. Not as neat as its MAC counterpart, if there is any. Yeah, I said, if there is any.
Do more things = meet more needs. Hey you, guys at Apple! Get more people to make more software to meet more needs. Software domain for MAC OS X have a lot of catch up with. Wake up Mr. Rabbit!
Wannbe converts: MAC is a different animal. It might not replace your PC altogether. Not yet. Be careful.
Rating:
Summary: Once you go mac you never go back
Review: I was really in the market for a small lightwieght PC notebook. But as the only ones I could find below 2000$ did not match my basic needs (good grafics, linux compatible) and I could not afford the top of the line 3500$ notebooks. I decided to settle for a 12" powerbook.
Since I was visiting the US at the time of purchase I thought I would buy it from the Apple store and meet with my future companion first hand. At first I was rather mesmorised by how sexy it was... But I thought that was just puppylove and that it would wear off after a while. So I scrutinsed the screen, the ports, the graphics and the drives. As the only other candidate that still would stand a chance agianst the 12" PB specs was a slightly more expensive and physically larger Dell that I had never seen apart from a wonkey picture on thier website. I took the plunge.
I invested my meager student allowance into the beast.
At first I thought I would replace the OS with linux and that I would have alot of problems with a win2000 only GIS software that I have to use for school. But, now, 6 months down the line this amazing machine is still as sexy as ever. It runs my wonkey GIS software (requires almost 3 reboots during installation) through virtual PC much faster than my old PII400. And I have yet to get around to putting linux on it as OSX just keeps blowing my mind. Everytime I want to do something, someone has already thought of that and implemented it as default in the OS.
The only problem I have had is, after a month the computer failed to recognise the builtin bluetooth, even after re-installing OSX the problem persisted and none of the packaged diagnostic software could detect any probs. After a week without bluetooth I decided to go down to the local apple store and have them sort it out. But just as I picked up the PB of my desk my mobile connected to it. And as strange as it seems I have had no problems with bluetooth since, despite rigorouse testing.
Overall this laptop gives the impression of being EXTREMLY well built. And I have yet to encounter any other laptop of this build quality (having worked for advertising firms where a 7000$ was the standard for running powerpoint presentations, with the justification that -we have to show our power through our superior laptops), this is in fact quiete a acheivment for any laptop, especially a sub 2000$ one. The bluetooth failure had me worried for a while but the overall build of the laptop keeps screaming well built and as such I dont think about that problem anymore. I just keep throwing it into my bag, taking it with me to classes and seminars, guiding it throught the worst student town weather/storms without complaints.
And to all you peze lovers out there, my beast comes to life in under 2s. I just open the lid and it wakes up offering to perform the most complex mathamatical functions. I havent had a virus since I got it. And the battery last for 5 hours without any hickups. I dont think you can beat this with any PC. If you dont think any of this is REALLY important, as I did before i went mac. I mean its not REALLY that important... But to tell you the truth, it is... Just try it, and you will find you probably can not live without it.
To summerise my 12" PB has suprised my in ways i did not expect it to, and has by far surpassed my expectations so far. And although i, out of principle, never award anything the top mark, I am happy to award something that keeps surprising me a 5/5.
Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Laptop
Review: I've had this machine for almost 3 months now, and it has given me as close to zero problems as computers are capable of. It is very small and portable. The display quality is excellent. The power management works great (excellent battery life and fantastic standby/resume reliability). The wireless performance is very good, and the machine is fast enough to be used as a primary machine. You'll definitly want to upgrade the RAM (I recommend at least the 512MB upgrade).
Rating:
Summary: Had some problems but still had a great experience...-Edited
Review: Previous comments edited for now; had some issues with the PowerBook and am now in the process of returning. I am contemplating returning to the Mac but may wait on it. It isn't the OS; I had some hardware issues that may just be limited to mu unit. There is a good chance that in several months I will be repurchasing this unit; I just want to make sure that a few problems I was experiencing were limited to me. The problems I had do seem to be exclusive so I would still recommend buying this notebook wholeheartedly and do not retract my 5 star rating; defects are innate to all electronic products. If you can, go to an Apple Store and play around with a unit, and then purchase the unit from Amazon.
Rating:
Summary: The best thing ever
Review: Ten years ago I had a Mac. Then I went to law school and discovered that I lived in a world dominated by Bill Gates's Microsoft. So I became a PC user. I spent this year in Iraq and I had a Compaq laptop with me that served me well. Then I saw the specs on the 12 inch G4 PowerBook with superdrive. It is all that people say and more. The keyboard is roomy and comfortable (hard to believe given the small size) and the iLife bundled software enabled me to take my hundreds of digital photos and MPEG clips and create a movie after just a few hours of work.
And for those who complain about the heat produced by the PowerBook, not true. The laptop, like all computers, gets a little warm, but at worse the heat is slightly uncomfortable.
The WiFi ability has me cruising the net wirelessly and easily. Simply put, this PowerBook has re-inventing computers for me.
As a lawyer and a soldier I primarily use MS Office. I bought Office for Mac and the stuff I produce at work runs seamlessly on my PowerBook, and the stuff I produce on my PowerBook runs seamlessly on my PC at work.
I flew from Kuwait to Germany to Newark this past week and the light weight of the PowerBook made it an instant hit with me.
This thing ranks up there with sliced bread and the TV remote control.
A little more room on the hard drive is all I would ask for, but, with my SuperDrive, I can save large files quickly.
Rating:
Summary: For Those Wanting Something A Little Different...
Review: The days are long gone of Apple's hardware supremacy, and with Microsoft's Windows XP Pro, Apple's software supremacy is also threatened.But that doesn't stop them from producing the sexiest hardware in town. If you're the kind of person who wants something a little niftier, or more exotic, in a laptop than Joe, the Apple 12" PowerBook is just the thing for you. It has power, functionality, and form. While it doesn't boast the processor speed of the G5 workstation, or even its 17" brother, it has enough power for you to run whatever applications you'll need. Be it games, movies, music, or good old fashioned productivity software, odds are this little number will perform as needed. The problem with the 12" PowerBook, and Apple products in general, is price. If you need something special, you're going to be willing to put the money down on such an attractive piece of equipment. But if you're looking only for performance and value, never mind the curvaceous exterior, you're better of grabbing a Windows XP Pro-based laptop instead. This unit is great for students and writers.
Rating:
Summary: The most exceptional computer I've ever owned!
Review: The most exceptional computer I've ever owned! And that's saying a lot. I've been running an advertising agency for many years and I've owned Mac's and PCs back to their origins. We now have nearly 100 computers from IBM laptops to G5s and I've used Mac laptops since I bought the ill-fated "Portable." However, this is by far the best. If you're not doing graphics every day, the 12" version is nice because it's so easy to use on a plane or in a Starbucks. All applications, including PhotoShop and InDesign run great and the Microsoft Office is seamlessly compatible with PC versions. The keys feel great and the wireless Airport is astonishing. Just open your Mac in hotels, airports, coffee shops, and office buildings and you're likely to find an available network. (You can even sit outside of a hotel in a pinch.) I've owned this for 9 months and you couldn't take it away without violence.
Rating:
Summary: I am madly in love!
Review: To keep it simple, my last notebook was an hp. I had that one for five years and compared to what computers have today, that one had nothing. To this day its runing pretty good. But now i decided to go with a Mac. I am beyond extactic. I love it. No computer is perfect, nor is this one, because my one and only complaint is that the speakers don't go as high as I would like. But whatever, because everything else is simple and elegant and smooth and I could go on and on. Oh and get this. My last notebook or actually it was a laptop weighed 10 lbs., this one weights less than half that at 4.6 lbs. My shoulders are screaming joy.
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