Hallo all.
So I finally got (and had time to) fire up my Powerbook this week. It's a brand-new machine, if you need the specs they are:
G4 @ 1.67 GHz
512MB RAM
Radeon 9700 w/ 128MB VRAM
80GB HDD
15.4 (?)" screen
Yadda yadda, built in blah de blah.
My previous machine to this has been a Sager NP5680, which is a spectacular notebook for the gamer. I continue to use it on a day-to-day basis, but more of my activities will be moved to the Powerbook with time - it takes a while to transfer the almost two years of my stuff that's accumulated on the Sager. It runs Windows XP Professional, which I've kept scurpulously svelte and fast, so you won't be hearing a lot of OS comparisons from me, other than I've noticed that the way I have my XP set up, it's just as fast as OSX. I also feel the desire to point out stability: With my XP setup, I have had almost no hard crashes (2) since I purchased the machine, and I've only reformatted it once - it wasn't necessary, I wanted to create to create separate OS and data partitions, so there you go.
Windows has always been kind to me. Perhaps its because I really have no patience for when things go wrong, so when they do, I fix them till they're fixed. I do have to do a fair amount of maintenance and babying in order to keep that true, but even with OSX I'm led to understand one needs to flush caches, repair permissions and the like to keep the OS up to scratch. I see no practical difference in this regard: Software needs upkeeping. If you don't keep up with it, it doesn't matter if it's OSX, Linux, or Windows, it'll get bogged down and make you feel like you want to use the machine as a boat anchor.
That being said, I am absolutely thrilled with my Powerbook. There are a plethora of features - I'm very much one for the "extras," as you'll find - that simply aren't available on many other machines and certainly not from, say, Sager.
I am absolutely in love with the way the machine looks, firstly. It is a sleek lozenge of computing power, with a minimalist, does-what-its-supposed-to look. The machine is also absolutely silent compared to any other notebook I've owned. The fit and finish of the Powerbook is absolutely above reproach - in every physical regard, I have to say that the Powerbook is simply the highest-quality piece of computer equipment I have ever owned.
The veritable cornucopia of features, however, is what truly makes me pleased with my 2200-dollar computer (every one I buy gets more expensive...hm...). The Sudden Motion Sensor, SMART reporting, and most of all, the ambient-light sensor system. I live in Alaska, where the available light can vary wildly from season to season, and my apartment doesn't have the world's best lighting system (though I'm working on that), so Apple's decision to have a variable light-intensity system that is completely transparant to the end user is a feature I find simply incredible. The Scrolling Trackpad is another feature that I simply never knew I needed. I have always used external mice, even for my computers, largely because trackpads, by and large, don't scroll (I am aware that several of the newer notebooks from Toshiba and HP feature inegral "scrolling areas").
Another factor for me is the size and weight of the Powerbook. Since I stopped gaming some time ago, the Sager's "luggability" has not endeared it to me in the actual "portable" catagory. Weighing over 12 pounds and having an absolute inability to put it on my lap, portable computing for me was a little ways off. I can't count this against my particular Sager, as it was designed as a desktop replacement - in that regard, it is fantastic. It was not designed to be moved around a lot - so the fact that it really can't be isn't a point against it. But I still wanted a computer that I can put on my lap, or carry around without feeling like I'm lifting weights and the Powerbook performs that admirably.
One big point in favor of the Powerbook is the absolute lack of things I had to do in order to get it configured the way I like. I'm a bit of a fan of organization and minimalism, and quite unlike Windows machines, I did not need to spend two hours uninstalling all the garbage that came with the system. OSX came configured the way I would configure it, which made me very happy. The "out of box" experience is phenomenal, and I can't say I've been more pleased with the immediacy of usefulness outside the iPod.
I am somewhat confused by people complaining of fan noise and heat problems with the Powerbook. Under absolutely no conditions would I describe it as ever getting "scorchingly hot," or "distractingly loud." Perhaps it is my long years of being accustomed to DTR-class machines, but I simply do not hear a fan. Additionally, while the underside of the case gets noticibly warm, I feel that it does not get too hot to use on one's lap after any period of time - and I was playing Knights of the Old Republic at the time, too.
For Web surfing, email, and word processing, this machine functions incredibly well. I've yet to load Photoshop onto the machine, but as I'm led to believe PS is actually kind of designed for a Mac anyway, so there shouldn't be any kind of issue there. I do a lot of network setup and design, and all of the various tasks I undertake doing that work flawlessly. I'm really very impressed with this machine.
Of course, nothing is without its faults. I'm really digging OSX, but occasionally I'll find a bit of an annoying bug - for example, the Help screen for the AirPort doesn't seem to work beyond the first page. Clicking on any link just locks up the program and I have to quit it. Not a big deal, but slightly irritating nonetheless. Firefox also seems to have an issue with a few websites - I'm not sure if this is a Tiger problem or a Firefox problem, but for sites such as Ars Technica or the Tripp-Lite website, I get a beachball for several seconds before the page loads. It is somewhat puzzling.
I really love the Expose function of OSX. I'm not sure why, but I like it a lot more than the Taskbar for Windows, even though they serve roughly the same function. On my Windows machine, I keep it at native 1600x1200, so I never, ever run out of space on my taskbar. I just like Expose more, though I can't really nail down a decent reason why.
Dashboard has yet to make me go "Oh, wow!", which seems odd. I guess I'm not entirely sure what I should -do- with it, seeing as how I don't track stocks, weather forecasts for here are consistently wrong and anyway, I have this device called a window, and my email/messenger programs alert me when I need to look at them. I do have a tremendous amount of trouble remembering what day it is (don't ask), so I've kept the Calendar widget available, which is nice. I'm sure it's useful for something, but at the moment I'm a little stumped as to what I should do with it.
Spotlight is a lot of fun. It seems very powerful and flexible, if needing slight maturation before it reaches its full potential. Apple was right is singling it out about Tiger, I find it simply amazing in the "why didn't anyone think of this before?" way.
My Office applications for the moment seem to run all right through NeoOffice/J, although the .doc compatibility seems like it needs a few things ironed out. Not a big deal, though, really; and it's more a bug with NeoOffice than anything else.
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with my Apple Powerbook. I can't make any quantifiable statement as "it will make me more productive," or "this is a better computer," largely because I've never really had beef with Windows. WinMe and before annoyed the snot out of me, and OSX is as to them as a lightsabre would be to rocks and sticks. Windows XP though, never gave me problems like the ones that usually inspire "switching." Then again, I work professionally in the field of IT and actually know how to keep my machine up. It will be a pleasant respite from worrying about spyware and all that assorted garbage on my Powerbook, but I do not expect this state of affairs to last much longer, if Apple truly gets the toehold it seems to be.
In conclusion, the Powerbook and OSX serve my needs equally well as Windows XP does, but I find the form factor and construction of my Powerbook to be light-years ahead of any PC notebook I've used or owned. There are features of the OS that I really enjoy, although I can't say I couldn't get along without them. The Powerbook as a unit has many features and extras that have me applauding Apple's attention to detail, and I enjoy the Apple Aesthetic as much as the next person. Will I leave Windows and my old machine behind? Not on your life, there are years of decent use out of it and, let's face it, there are things Windows does that you can't (easily) do on a Mac. My Windows box just won't be moving around much anymore. I am simply extremely impressed with Apple's Powerbook G4.
If I were to give it a rating, I would say that the Powerbook G4 rates an easy 4 out of 5 stars.
- Aeon
So I finally got (and had time to) fire up my Powerbook this week. It's a brand-new machine, if you need the specs they are:
G4 @ 1.67 GHz
512MB RAM
Radeon 9700 w/ 128MB VRAM
80GB HDD
15.4 (?)" screen
Yadda yadda, built in blah de blah.
My previous machine to this has been a Sager NP5680, which is a spectacular notebook for the gamer. I continue to use it on a day-to-day basis, but more of my activities will be moved to the Powerbook with time - it takes a while to transfer the almost two years of my stuff that's accumulated on the Sager. It runs Windows XP Professional, which I've kept scurpulously svelte and fast, so you won't be hearing a lot of OS comparisons from me, other than I've noticed that the way I have my XP set up, it's just as fast as OSX. I also feel the desire to point out stability: With my XP setup, I have had almost no hard crashes (2) since I purchased the machine, and I've only reformatted it once - it wasn't necessary, I wanted to create to create separate OS and data partitions, so there you go.
Windows has always been kind to me. Perhaps its because I really have no patience for when things go wrong, so when they do, I fix them till they're fixed. I do have to do a fair amount of maintenance and babying in order to keep that true, but even with OSX I'm led to understand one needs to flush caches, repair permissions and the like to keep the OS up to scratch. I see no practical difference in this regard: Software needs upkeeping. If you don't keep up with it, it doesn't matter if it's OSX, Linux, or Windows, it'll get bogged down and make you feel like you want to use the machine as a boat anchor.
That being said, I am absolutely thrilled with my Powerbook. There are a plethora of features - I'm very much one for the "extras," as you'll find - that simply aren't available on many other machines and certainly not from, say, Sager.
I am absolutely in love with the way the machine looks, firstly. It is a sleek lozenge of computing power, with a minimalist, does-what-its-supposed-to look. The machine is also absolutely silent compared to any other notebook I've owned. The fit and finish of the Powerbook is absolutely above reproach - in every physical regard, I have to say that the Powerbook is simply the highest-quality piece of computer equipment I have ever owned.
The veritable cornucopia of features, however, is what truly makes me pleased with my 2200-dollar computer (every one I buy gets more expensive...hm...). The Sudden Motion Sensor, SMART reporting, and most of all, the ambient-light sensor system. I live in Alaska, where the available light can vary wildly from season to season, and my apartment doesn't have the world's best lighting system (though I'm working on that), so Apple's decision to have a variable light-intensity system that is completely transparant to the end user is a feature I find simply incredible. The Scrolling Trackpad is another feature that I simply never knew I needed. I have always used external mice, even for my computers, largely because trackpads, by and large, don't scroll (I am aware that several of the newer notebooks from Toshiba and HP feature inegral "scrolling areas").
Another factor for me is the size and weight of the Powerbook. Since I stopped gaming some time ago, the Sager's "luggability" has not endeared it to me in the actual "portable" catagory. Weighing over 12 pounds and having an absolute inability to put it on my lap, portable computing for me was a little ways off. I can't count this against my particular Sager, as it was designed as a desktop replacement - in that regard, it is fantastic. It was not designed to be moved around a lot - so the fact that it really can't be isn't a point against it. But I still wanted a computer that I can put on my lap, or carry around without feeling like I'm lifting weights and the Powerbook performs that admirably.
One big point in favor of the Powerbook is the absolute lack of things I had to do in order to get it configured the way I like. I'm a bit of a fan of organization and minimalism, and quite unlike Windows machines, I did not need to spend two hours uninstalling all the garbage that came with the system. OSX came configured the way I would configure it, which made me very happy. The "out of box" experience is phenomenal, and I can't say I've been more pleased with the immediacy of usefulness outside the iPod.
I am somewhat confused by people complaining of fan noise and heat problems with the Powerbook. Under absolutely no conditions would I describe it as ever getting "scorchingly hot," or "distractingly loud." Perhaps it is my long years of being accustomed to DTR-class machines, but I simply do not hear a fan. Additionally, while the underside of the case gets noticibly warm, I feel that it does not get too hot to use on one's lap after any period of time - and I was playing Knights of the Old Republic at the time, too.
For Web surfing, email, and word processing, this machine functions incredibly well. I've yet to load Photoshop onto the machine, but as I'm led to believe PS is actually kind of designed for a Mac anyway, so there shouldn't be any kind of issue there. I do a lot of network setup and design, and all of the various tasks I undertake doing that work flawlessly. I'm really very impressed with this machine.
Of course, nothing is without its faults. I'm really digging OSX, but occasionally I'll find a bit of an annoying bug - for example, the Help screen for the AirPort doesn't seem to work beyond the first page. Clicking on any link just locks up the program and I have to quit it. Not a big deal, but slightly irritating nonetheless. Firefox also seems to have an issue with a few websites - I'm not sure if this is a Tiger problem or a Firefox problem, but for sites such as Ars Technica or the Tripp-Lite website, I get a beachball for several seconds before the page loads. It is somewhat puzzling.
I really love the Expose function of OSX. I'm not sure why, but I like it a lot more than the Taskbar for Windows, even though they serve roughly the same function. On my Windows machine, I keep it at native 1600x1200, so I never, ever run out of space on my taskbar. I just like Expose more, though I can't really nail down a decent reason why.
Dashboard has yet to make me go "Oh, wow!", which seems odd. I guess I'm not entirely sure what I should -do- with it, seeing as how I don't track stocks, weather forecasts for here are consistently wrong and anyway, I have this device called a window, and my email/messenger programs alert me when I need to look at them. I do have a tremendous amount of trouble remembering what day it is (don't ask), so I've kept the Calendar widget available, which is nice. I'm sure it's useful for something, but at the moment I'm a little stumped as to what I should do with it.
Spotlight is a lot of fun. It seems very powerful and flexible, if needing slight maturation before it reaches its full potential. Apple was right is singling it out about Tiger, I find it simply amazing in the "why didn't anyone think of this before?" way.
My Office applications for the moment seem to run all right through NeoOffice/J, although the .doc compatibility seems like it needs a few things ironed out. Not a big deal, though, really; and it's more a bug with NeoOffice than anything else.
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with my Apple Powerbook. I can't make any quantifiable statement as "it will make me more productive," or "this is a better computer," largely because I've never really had beef with Windows. WinMe and before annoyed the snot out of me, and OSX is as to them as a lightsabre would be to rocks and sticks. Windows XP though, never gave me problems like the ones that usually inspire "switching." Then again, I work professionally in the field of IT and actually know how to keep my machine up. It will be a pleasant respite from worrying about spyware and all that assorted garbage on my Powerbook, but I do not expect this state of affairs to last much longer, if Apple truly gets the toehold it seems to be.
In conclusion, the Powerbook and OSX serve my needs equally well as Windows XP does, but I find the form factor and construction of my Powerbook to be light-years ahead of any PC notebook I've used or owned. There are features of the OS that I really enjoy, although I can't say I couldn't get along without them. The Powerbook as a unit has many features and extras that have me applauding Apple's attention to detail, and I enjoy the Apple Aesthetic as much as the next person. Will I leave Windows and my old machine behind? Not on your life, there are years of decent use out of it and, let's face it, there are things Windows does that you can't (easily) do on a Mac. My Windows box just won't be moving around much anymore. I am simply extremely impressed with Apple's Powerbook G4.
If I were to give it a rating, I would say that the Powerbook G4 rates an easy 4 out of 5 stars.
- Aeon
