Customer Reviews

Apple PowerBook Laptop 15.2" M9676LL/A (1.5 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have had this computer 2 days now. It is just amazing. It arrived from amazon charged and ready to go. In 10 minutes I had it fully set up (it is _so_ simple to set up) and was surfing the web from my hotel.

Right now I am typing this whilst listening to the music from my ipod on it!!

I never imagined a computer could be this easy to use.

The only thing the other reviews didn't mention is that it is ready to go faster than I open the screen when coming up from sleep mode which is great when you just want to look something up.

If you have an ipod then you know how easy apple stuff is to use - just get this!!

Battery life is great - it shows the remaining time in the top right corner of the screen - I am getting over 4 hours.

Dan

I bought my PowerBook about a month ago, and it is simply the most wonderfull tool I have ever purchased. It has replaced my DVD player, my video game consoles, and my PC based music production workstation. I upgraded to 1Gig of RAM and bought an M-Audio FastTrack USB audio interface - the end result being an extremely powerfull and totally portable recording workstation. Of all the music setups I've had in my life, this is by far the best. To set up the audio interface all I had to do was plug it in - no drivers, no wizards, just plug and play.

All the buzz about Macs is completely true. OS X just makes everything easier and more fun, the system never crashes, the included software is incredible, and despite the clock speed discrepencies between the G4 and Pentium 4, my PowerBook trounces my Dell P4 2.6GHz! Also, be advised that spyware, adware, malware and virii are not isues on a Mac, and Apple's included web browser (Safari), mail client, and IM client are all at the top of thier respective classes. If your considering a Mac purchase, and want a portable, I believe the PB 15" is the best of all worlds as far as size, features and shear power (the 12" dosen't give you the screen real estate required for audio or graphic editing, the 17" is just too big to lug around comfortably and safely). Get one, you wont be sorry.

I've owned Apple computers going all the way back to the Apple II+. Along the way, I have had the very rare bad apple. However, this PowerBook G4 worked great right out of the box. It was nice to find it fully charged and ready to go. These days I'm not really a 'power user. I'm not crunching any serious numbers or even much game playing, but I still appreciated the crisp speed of the 1.5GHz processor. I can see a noticeable difference between the 1.5GHz and my old PowerBook G4 500MHz. I also like the keyboard and how it lights up in darker rooms. Finally the PowerBook hasn't lost any of its coolness. I still get people commenting on how cool it looks. I have to say that this is one of the best Apple Products that I've owned in over 20 years of owning Apple products.

I am using this Apple laptop for some time and thought its time to right a quick review. Apple as always famous for excellent design did a good job here as well. Few things I love about this machine
1. Very attractive look
2. Backlit keyboard to use in the dark (my favorite feature to use on the plane)
3. Good stereo speakers
4. Excellent screen resolution
4. Plenty of ports (Ethernet, Firewire, USB, speaker, telephone, etc.)
5. Built in Bluetooth (I think it's the best way to connect to cell phone)
6. Built in wireless (both 802.11b and 802.11g)
7. Lots of printer/scanner work well with this out of the box
8. Slot loading CD/DVD drive (I have DVD writer which works amazingly well and fast)
9. Built in Modem
10. extremely easy to change battery or memory, if you need to

Only two things I didn't like about it
1. Heats up fast and stays warm (and I read that its very bad for men to use a warm notebook keeping on lap)
2. Wireless connection lose some strength (about 20%)

As you see both the issues are because of the Aluminum case but it gives gorgeous look so I am ok with them.

Got this laptop about a month ago. Runs great. it's light, it's thin, battery lasts about 3 hours, and it has plenty of power. I play World Of Warcraft on it all the time, and it runs great. I purchased word/excel/PP for it for $150 extra, and that solved all my compatablity issues with PC/MAC. If you want a lightweight, high quality laptop, then this is probably the best deal out there.

My first computer was a Wintel and so were my second, third, and fourth. My brother decided to take the fourth one away from me just a couple of weeks ago, so I had an opportunity to buy a new computer. A few of my college friends were boasting about their Apple Powerbook G4s, and being the Wintel user that I've been all of my life, I was curious. I did a lot of research - looked at reviews, literally studied every tech specs on the Apple Powerbook website, asked around, etc. Then, OSX Tiger came out that week and every tech website that I went to was boasting on and on about how wonderful this new operating system is. I decided that I HAD to give it a try and so I did!

My Apple Powerbook G4 15" came last week with an additional 512MB ram (1GB memory total) and I have to say, I'm pretty satisfied with it. Everything is amazingly easy and I love the dock! All of the programs that I use daily are only 1 click away and it makes my desktop looks uncluttered as compared to my Windows XP's desktop. Everywhere I've taken this baby, people have been amazed as to how thin and beautifully designed this is! Compared with other laptops, this baby is extremely light too! To think, my dad, who wanted me to stay with Wintel, wanted me to buy an 8lbs. Toshiba laptop. For my very petite size of only 5'0 and a little under 100lbs., I don't think I would've been able to carry that Toshiba in a shoulderbag around school. In addition, Apple makes wireless connection so easy to install and use! My friend, who owns an iBook with the same Airport installed in his computer says it's so easy to steal other people's wireless internet with an Apple. I don't know if this is true for Wintel laptops, but immediately when I'm near a place with wireless internet installed, my Airport automatically "discovers" it for me and I don't have to enter any usernames or passwords or anything! That's how easy it is. Not only does Apple make wireless connection easy to use, but a lot of Wintel users don't know that Mac is not as vulnerable to viruses as they are! About almost 75-95% of viruses created are made to target Windows users. This is why you don't hear any complaints about Macs affected by viruses. Now, isn't that wonderful?

However, I do have some minor complains though. First, this laptop DOES get pretty warm if you set it down on a flat surface or on your lap even because of the aluminum metal. Just make sure you don't wear short shorts and it shouldn't be too hot or purchase a laptop stand. Secondly, I do miss the right-click option on Wintel a whole lot. Now, I always have to CTRL + CLICK everything if I want to right-click and it can be a chore sometimes.

During my first week that I got this Powerbook, I was wondering why my battery life was so short since I only used iTunes, iChat, and Safari, and Airport wireless at the same time. I did some research and found out that the best way to maximize your battery's energy span is by FULLY DISCHARGING it, LET IT GO TO SLEEP, and PLUG IN THE POWER ADAPTER and let it charge until FULL. This should only be done once during your first week with your battery or any new battery. I've also read that if you're not using Bluetooth or Airport, remember to disable them so that you don't waste any energy.

All in all, I'm very satisfied with my Apple Powerbook G4. I saved $200 with the Apple Education discount so if anyone is planning to buy one soon in the near future, remember to take advantage of the discount (even if you're not currently enrolled in school; just pick any school - a school your children go to or a school that you went to and you'll still get the discount)! It cost me $2,050 total including the 1GB memory upgrade and tax altogether when it should've cost me $2250-$2300. This is a great investment and I hope any Windows user with curiosities about switching to Mac should go to the Apple store and try it out for himself!

This is my 2nd portable mac, 1st was a 12" ibook. I like the mac os and needed extra power to run Virtual PC. So I sold my ibook and bought this powerbook.
PRO: Beautiful aluminum case.
The screen is amazing with fast video card. DVD's look great,
no ghosting or tracking.
Lighted keyboard.
Trackpad scrolling.
Mac OSX Tiger.
Expandability via usb 2.0, firewire 400 & 800, & bluetooth 2.0
Airport Extreme connects effortlessly.
Ease of use and much more.

Cons: Heat and limited battery when using airport extreme
wireless internet.

Four years ago I had been a mac user for about 15 years and was headed to college when I made the decision that a PC was probably going to be better for college. I bought a top of the line Dell, and although my experience wasn't terrible, I couldn't wait to get back to using a Mac. Last week I finally got a Powerbook G4 1.5 GHZ with 1GB of RAM.
First of all, there's nothing that can be described in words about how incredible the computer looks. The design is amazing, as nothing sticks out of the computer anywhere and the metal case looks very nice. I received the computer, and after taking 5 minutes to fill out a registration form, the computer was ready to be used.
I was surprised to find out how good the definition on my screen was, specially while watching DVD's. The widescreen is a great feature, not only for watching movies but also for being able to see two aplications at the same time.
I also found the computer to be really fast. My girlfriend has a Dell with a Pentium M processor, and my Powerbook performs much better. With the 1GB of RAM, I find that there never seems to be a lack of memory. The computer runs smoothly throughout.
The speakers that the computer comes with are above average for a laptop, although they do not go very loud. One positive that I found was that I could hook it up to my old PC speakers without installing any drivers and it worked perfectly.
I had read may reviews raving about OS 10.4 Tiger, yet nothing had prepared me for how good it really is. It runs very smoothly, and I find Spotlight and the new Mail to be great applications.
I had also read that the Powerbook got too hot after a while, and although it does get hot, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I find it to be the same as any other laptop that I have used before. As with any other laptop, I wouldn't wear shorts while putting it on my lap.
I thought that transferring files from my PC to my Mac was going to be a mess and take forever, but I called AppleCare and the technician taught me how to tranfer the files over my wireless internet connection at home. In two hours I had transferred all my files.
I also bought a Bluetooth mouse and it worked beautifully. As with any other product that I have used, I didn't have to install any drivers, and within a couple of minutes it was working perfectly.
In conclusion, I am extremely happy with my purchase. The only negative I can really find is that my computer was expensive compared to WINTEL laptops, but I definitely think that it was worth the price. I am never using a PC again!

I honestly never used a Mac before until I purchased this Powerbook (same specs) before college started. Although I lack knowledge of the Apple features, it is very user-friendly. Not only this notebook very good-looking from the outside, the performance works very well. The built-in features are very hassle free, no need to buy for wireless cards to detect wireless connection.

The only downside is the price, but for someone who looks for quality and ease, price does not matter. Actually, price is worth it.

I'm just a regular person with no training in graphics or computers. Apple has changed all that. I used PCs all my life and now realize that I wasted my time & money. PCs will never compare to Apple, and frankly, I don't undertand why people bother. I thought buying a G4 desktop was the best purchase of my life. But this powerbook (PB) is an even better purchase. Since I've bought it, I have totally (and I mean "totally") ignored my G4 desktop. I do all my computing from the comfort of my couch. I do everything wirelessly. Apple's OS X is unbelievably stable. This PB is great for the user who enjoys using higher end digital equipment and software. Apple software is simply the best. The graphics intense power simply sits on your lap. iPhoto is easy to use and with a .mac account, you can share your photos on the internet in just a few easy minutes. With music, garageband allows me to plug in my guitar and record my music. Then I use gargeband to add some bass, drums and other instruments. I then save it in iTunes and post my music on the internet where friends can download my music onto their iPods. I'm not even a good guitar player but garageband turns me into a musical genius. As for digital movies, I download my footage into Final Cut Pro and edit my movies while sipping latte at Starbucks. I then use my PB to burn my movies on a DVD and share them with friends and family. And I'm just getting started! As life goes on, Apple continues to improve and so do I. I highly recommend this powerbook. It will change your life...