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Summary: powerbook
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: WARNING: Don't make the switch!!!
Review: About a year ago, when researching the market for a computer system for my photography business, 9 out of 10 photography / graphics professionals highly recommended that I buy a Mac for my business. So I did. What a BIG mistake! I bought a G4 PowerBook, and since taking it out of the box, I have had nothing but problems. I am on my third disc drive, have a severe overheating problem (PowerBooks have a history of this, including melting keyboards), continuously have to deal with software issues, and now have a screen defect. And to make matters worse, Apple's customer service is, by far, the most appalling of its kind.(...)
Rating: 
Summary: Fan-Freakin'-Tastic!
Review: As a 20-year PC user (my first computer was a pre-8088 luggable), I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I got my PowerBook. I'm not a switcher, and I'm certainly not a fanboy, but I love this machine. It's fast. The graphics look great. The machine's design is wonderful: the backlit keyboard, the glowing apple on the lid, even the power cord balances form and function nicely.There are a few areas that have room for improvement. For instance, the computer didn't come with an operator's manual. Granted, it's the trend lately to not include manuals with computer products, but I could have used one (if for no other reason than to determine what the hotkey represented by what looks like a down-escalator is (trial and error reveals it to be the option/alt key)). Fortunately there are a lot of good third-party manuals and tech magazines to fill the need. Likewise, there are manufacturers of multi-button mice that work with the Mac; still I fail to see the advantage to the one-button touchpad, splitting the button in two would have made the PowerBook near perfect. After a couple decades it's nice to have an easily transportable computer again. The 15-inch color screen is a vast improvement over my old luggable's 4-inch amber monochrome screen. The weight and battery life are equally impressive (considering the PC ran on power cord only any battery life would be an improvement, but 3.5+ hours for word processing is wonderful). I still like my desktop PC, but as I overcome the learning curve I expect I'll like my PowerBook even more.
Rating: 
Summary: Caution from a Mac fan
Review: 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.
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Summary: I switched!
Review: Continual restarts and bugs finally got me looking at Mac about six months ago, so after some preliminary research, dove headfirst into buying a generation 5 PowerBook (Ti, 1 Ghz, w/ superdrive).
Was an immediate converter into how seamlessly everything fit into one another. Making movies while importing music from iTunes and photos from iPhoto were a snap. Getting directions to any business via Sherlock is easy. Type in your Uncle's name from a state away, and Sherlock will get his address from Address book and recalibrate the directions. Wow.
Anyways, after a month of owning the Ti, started drooling over the Aluminum PowerBook. It was faster, much faster connectivity (USB 2.0, Firewire 800, Wireless G etc..), Bluetooth, stronger hinges, and an aluminum finish which should be much more durable than the painted Ti.
I had read about the white splotches on screen, kernal attacks, and the releasing latch...so I sold the Ti and ordered the Aluminum and opened the box with a little apprehension... Two weeks later. I think I made the right choice. Aluminum casing seems much more rigid and stronger. iLife 04 processes things much faster. Screen when closed is not quite flush as one corner is slightly elevated. No evidence of white blotches, but my personal preference was the screen of the Ti. It sits a little higher off the keyboard than the Al (due to hinge structure) and the interface between screen and casing just seems more fluid and finished.
The Aluminum is literally hot. Almost hot enough to melt my polyester pants when I'm ripping a music CD or just have a couple of intensive applications running. The Ti never ran this hot and contrary to another reviewer on this site, the fan is on about 25% of the time. It's still quieter than previous generations, but it's on nevertheless.
I love the backlit keyboard, but when you're looking at the keys from a 25-45 degree angle, you seen bleeding of the light from the edges. A little distracting. Apple should encase the fiberoptics and embed it so the only light release is at the top of the clear character of the keys.
The new screen design prohibits this, but I still prefer to have some ports available only in the back. When using the PB as a desktop, I would prefer to have the monitor port and power port available in the rear. The light of the AC adapter is distracting and when I use the monitor adapter, I would prefer that clutter in the rear.
Surprisingly, with all the talk about the poor wireless reception of the Ti, I got better reception with the Ti than the Al (even with it's redesign of the antenna in the screen.) All in all, I am pleased with my switch to Apple. It has changed my digital life. I took pictures and movies before, but they just sat in my closet. Now with it's included apps, I am excited to present it in a format that's viewer friendly and allows me to be creative. Even with all that I listed, I think the move from the Ti to Al will be worth it, but that will probably until they release the G5 PowerBook in the upcoming year, and then I'll probably be kicking myself again.
The increase of processor speed, USB 2.0, Bluetooth and backlit keyboard were the main reasons I upgraded. I am a little concerned that this is the first generation of a new line, but in actuality, it may also be the last, as the G5 has to be coming out soon.
Hopefully I have been able to throw out some nuggets of info that aren't typically on your normal reviews of specs and published info out there.
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Summary: Longtime PC user... adopted into Mac family
Review: First of all, I'll begin by saying I've been a long time PC user for years. I've always admired the Macs, but they never had the right OS. The 10.2 version of OS X definitely changed that for me. You see, I use PCs because frankly, they were cheaper and had more software compatibility, but they have security issues and stability issues. I like the UNIX systems (Linux and Solaris) for their robustness, but frankly, I never could get into XWindows. Now, w/ Mac OS X, I have a great UI and a UNIX shell for power use -- sounds like Nirvana! So I finally caved in and picked up a Powerbook 15. The 12" is a little too small, and the 17" is too large to be portable. I took the wraps off the 15" Powerbook and set it next to my Dell Inspiron. Never has my Dell looked so ugly than when next to this aluminum beauty. I powered up the Powerbook and quickly figured out my way around. My only gripe was that the Terminal application was buried two levels deep in the menu, but that was quickly fixed by pinning it to the dock. All my favorite UNIX tools were there: perl, awk, gcc, and vi. What do you know SSH is there out of the box. Within minutes, I had downloaded eclipse, set up an SSH tunnel to my office and was working on the same Java application that I had been working on my Dell. The only difference is I didn't have to download 15 applications to get it all working. Beauty! One downside -- the laptop is so beautiful that I'm being extraordinarily (picky) about how I put it away. I kept some of the packaging and continue to use it. I put the foam sheet between the keyboard and the screen when I close the powerbook and I cover it w/ the foam cover to prevent it from getting scratched when I stow it away into my bag. :)
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Summary: Sweet as Hell
Review: Got this for XMAS. First Mac since 1990. The switch back has been very enjoyable so far. I have been on a trip to Florida and never have I had so much fun taking digital pictures I have literally taken 400 shots which is about 350 more than usual. Also, burning CDs from my parents collection to iTunes has been a breeze. I am looking forward to copying my 500 disc library from my old Sony PC along with my pics. My iPod will simply rock with this computer, way more than with my PC. Also, the DVD was amazing on the plane down here. Simply perfect. Sexiest machine I own. Better then my Nissan 350Z. Props to Steve Jobs for the iPod, it has converted me back to Mac. Now I am playing with a seriously powerful lap top and enjoying computing more than ever before.
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Summary: Best Computer System Ever Used!
Review: I am not going to bore you with all the tech details the 15.2" Powerbook with Superdrive comes with, but I do want to let you know that I usually buy a new computer every year. They have all been PC's, but I got sick and tired of crashes and that dreaded "end program now" prompting from Windows Xp. This would happen with any program that used alot of RAM such as photoshop etc. Using two heavy duty programs or multi-tasking was impossible with Xp. Now with this beautiful Mac, no crashes, rock stable performance. I can run multiple screened programs effortlessly on the fly. The panther OSX system is rock stable. The computer is beautiful looking, it comes with some of the best software I have ever seen in a laptop. Steve Jobs has made me a believer! I will never go back to owning just a PC. And the beauty of it all is that you can now share files with almost any Windows file format doing away with old compatibility problems. This computer is fast and does not stick. It is light, and looks very sleek. Nothing can beat that!
Rating:
Summary: Best Computer System Ever Used!
Review: I am not going to bore you with all the tech details the 15.2" Powerbook with Superdrive comes with, but I do want to let you know that I usually buy a new computer every year. They have all been PC's, but I got sick and tired of crashes and that dreaded "end program now" prompting from Windows Xp. This would happen with any program that used alot of RAM such as photoshop etc. Using two heavy duty programs or multi-tasking was impossible with Xp. Now with this beautiful Mac, no crashes, rock stable performance. I can run multiple screened programs effortlessly on the fly. The panther OSX system is rock stable. The computer is beautiful looking, it comes with some of the best software I have ever seen in a laptop. Steve Jobs has made me a believer! I will never go back to owning just a PC. And the beauty of it all is that you can now share files with almost any Windows file format doing away with old compatibility problems. This computer is fast and does not stick. It is light, and looks very sleek. Nothing can beat that!
Rating:
Summary: The Best
Review: 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.
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