Customer Reviews

Apple PowerBook Laptop 17" M9970LL/A (1.67 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)

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

 

 

I follow the progression of Apple's Powerbook line of notebook computers closely. In fact, I try to read up on the history of the line and people's experiences with each model, whenever I have a chance. I also own a Powerbook, and I eagerly await each update to the line, in order to see, if it is time, for me to upgrade.

In October 2005, Apple updated its Powerbook G4 15 & 17 inch models, for the first time, since late January 2005. Unfortunately, a faster processor was not included in the update. However, it was still a worthy update!

Processor - The 17-inch Powerbook continues to be ran by a PowerPC G4 processor running at 1.67 GHZ. This processor is more than acceptable, for the vast majority of customers. It does a great job at daily computer tasks, and it is even very capable, for pretty intense photo work, and light video work. It is only unfortunate that we could not have seen a small boost to the processors, however, it was evidently not something feasible in this update, so Apple made up for it, with updates to other areas!

Screen Resolution - The biggest improvement to the 17-inch Powerbook is an increase in screen resolution. Simply, a higher resolution allows you to fit more data, onto your display, making you more productive. The display now sports a 1680x1050 resolution, which was previously only1440x960. The new resolution is as high as Apple's 20-inch cinema display, so you will be able to fit more applications and more of your photographs, on the screen. A valuable asset.

Double Layer Superdrive - The Powerbook G4 now has superdrives (DVD burning capable) across the line. However, the 15 & 17 inch Powerbooks now sport double-layer super drives, which allows you to fit up to 8.5GB of data, on a single double layer disk. The drive's speed is still marketed as 8x.

Memory - The Powerbook continues to come standard, with 512 MB of memory, but new system architecture now makes use of DDR2 memory. The 17 inch Powerbooks can be user upgraded, to have a maximum of 2 GB of memory. If you're going to be using your Powerbook, for more than basic consumer tasks, you will want to add more memory.

Graphics - The 17-inch Powerbook now features 128MB of video memory standard, and the ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 card allows you to connect your 17-inch Powerbook to beautiful, big, displays such as the Apple 30-inch cinema display.

Ports - The 17-inch Powerbooks have a great array of ports. Some of the very best in the industry. S-Video output, DVI output (plus a VGA adapter), Firewire 800, Firewire 400, Gigabit Ethernet, 2 USB 2.0 ports, audio in, audio out, and a PC card slot. Whatever it is, you'll probably find a way to connect it to your Powerbook G4.

Mac OS X - If you're considering Macintosh for the first time, you're going to love the Mac operating system, Mac OS X Tiger. It is incredibly user friendly, and you'll quickly find the interface and design is saving you time. Furthermore, Mac OS X is much more secure than Windows, so you can put your mind at rest.

iLife - Although many power and professional users of a Powerbook are going to be using his or her Mac, for a lot of professional work, with professional applications, Apple still includes iLife with every Mac. iLife is a great way to manage your personal digital life. Store and manage your digital images in iPhoto, jam to music in iTunes, create music in Garageband, and create simple movies in iMovie.

Furthermore, there are convenient applications built right into the operating system such as Dashboard, iCal (a great calendar that syncs up with your external devices including iPod), Dictionary, Expose, Stickies, DVD Player, and more.

Hard Drive - The 17-inch Powerbook now comes standard, with its biggest hard drive yet. The last model had a 100 GB drive standard, but this Powerbook has a 120 GB drive. It runs at 5400 RPM. An upgrade to a 7200 RPM drive is available, from Apple directly.

Appearance - The Aluminium enclosed Powerbook G4 may very well be the most beautiful notebook computer line ever made. It is an easy case to argue, for the sleek lines and beautiful finish catches the eye of all who see it.

Battery Life - In ideal conditions, the 17-inch Powerbook G4 now sports longer battery life, with up to 5.5 hours.

Wireless - Your 17-inch Powerbook will come standard, with an Airport Extreme card, for wireless networking. Furthermore, a bluetooth module is included, allowing you to use wireless devices, such as keyboards and mice, plus sync devices such as a mobile phone.

Price - The 17-inch Powerbook is a better value than ever. Not only does it pack in more features than it previously offered, but it is also two hundred dollars chapter.

Overall, Apple has put great new features, in this update to the 17-inch Powerbook G4. You'll find yourself more productive with its high-resolution display, double layer superdrive, bigger hard drive, and fantastic video output options, with its capable video card. The Powerbook G4 17-inch is a fully-capable and feature-rich professional notebook computer. If you choose it as your notebook computer, you will no doubt benefit from its performance, reliability, and simplicity of design.

Make no mistake, the PowerBook G4 17" is a heck of a machine. It's big, beautiful, powerful, and ridiculously easy to use--which is Apple's justifiable battle cry. When you open up this computer on a plane, you will be the envy of your row. IF you can open it.

Try to use this sucker in coach and you'll instantly discover a disadvantage of that big, beautiful 17" screen. You can not rest the computer on the tray and open the screen. No way, no how. Even if you rest it on your lap and shove your elbows into your gut, you can just barely get enough room to use it. And be sure to tell the guy in front of you to give fair warning if he plans to recline his seat. I'd bet more than one 17" screen has met an untimely demise that way.

Oh, and if you plan to use this on a plane, be sure to get seated in a row with a power outlet. The battery on this lasts just over an hour, fully charged. Another downside to that big, beautiful screen. You can stretch it a little by dimming the monitor as dark as you can stand, but it's pretty unlikely you'll make it through a full-length movie on battery alone--never mind if you want to work for a full coast-to-coast flight. (BTW... when pluging into a plane power outlet, for which you'll need a separate adaptor, be sure to buy a kit with both the cigarette-lighter style plug and the little round three-prong indented one, and bring then both; you can never be sure which a given plane or airline will have.)

Finally, even closed, it's tricky to find a briefcase or packback that fits this monster comfortably. The ones designed for a 17" laptop are huge; you can squeeze it into a smaller one sometimes, but be sure to actually bring the computer with you to try it out.

There are a few other petty annoyances with this machine (doesn't wake up from Sleep mode reliably; slot loading CD/DVD tray doesn't always spit the discs out far enough to grab the hole, so you have to finger the surface) but this computer's greatest strength is definitely its greatest weakness. For $1000 less, you can get essentially the same computer with a smaller screen. How much do you REALLY want that extra big screen? Ask yourself that question very seriously before you plunk down big bucks for something that is, in many ways, very impractical. Are you buying this computer as a traveling desktop you can take to clients to make them ooh-and-ahh at your presentations? It's great for that. Are you buying it to be a road warrior? Go for the smaller one.

-- mm

I just received my 17" Powerbook and it was PERFECT out of the box!

I have owned IBM/Sony/Dell and never have I just: 1)Open Box 2)Plug in 3)Turn on 4)Answer a few network questions 5)On-Line!! It launched into a quick software update and not one freeze, error message or hours on hold with tech support (somewhere in India-in the case of Dell) What a great design!

What I can add to Stephen's review is this, consider the Apple Care protection plan. Not that you will need tech support but just to have batteries covered is worth the cost. Any battery is going to have a limited life especially if you have some heavy drain/charge cycles. Apple unlike other companies just asks some simple on-line questions and they will overnight you a new battery without delay, period!

If you read consumer reports you will see for yourself the kind of quality and service you will receive. No other company even comes close!

If you have a need for windows(Microsoft) you can purchase software to make your Mac act like Windows XP (without the crashes) and run the software you might need.

Side note, if you are a student you can receive some nice discounts from Apple.

I could never really afford a new 17" BowerBook, nor a new MacBook Pro 17" that is coming out. But when the Apple Store manager told me I could get a new 17" PB for $1,500, I had the credit card out in 1 second.

And man do I love this machine!

it's big, it is true, but it has the same resolution as an Apple 20" Cinema Display. You can get alot of work done on this screen with room to boot.

The greatest benefit for me is the ability to use this in presenter mode with Keynote. I can see my notes, and slides across the stage. Best use yet of the 17"

Buy one if you need the screen size and ability to take your desktop with you on the road.

My new (dec. 05) P'book 17" - fully loaded - is in for it's third repair.

I am now getting my 3rd replacement logic board, 3rd replacement hard drive, and 2nd replacement display. In the 2 months I have owned this I have gotten 13 days use of it. Apple keeps replacing components but either their components are all dodgy, or there is an underlying problem (e.g. power supply) that they are incapable of looking for and/or diagnosing.

4 hard drives, 4 logic boards and 3 displays on a brand new machine?

The Apple Warranty states that refurbished parts may be used; but seeing as the technicians are not even fully documenting all that they do, I have no way of knowing if I am having bad parts put in. When I asked for Apple ot simply replace the machine, one particularly-condescending tech support person told me that it has not had enough 'downtime' yet; but one more catastrophic failure would be enough and they would replace it.

From Apple's customer-help site, I am not the only one with this ongoing problem.

Don't get me wrong - I am a complete MacHead, no way I will switch to a Windows machine yet (though I am currently using my antiquated 2002-vintage Powerbook-G4, oh the screen resolution sucks by comparison to the new 17"). Given my track record with previous Powerbooks and desktops I am simply not happy with the possibility that I can work away on my laptop and lose the day's work when everything dies with no warning. Apple tech support helpfully suggested I backup my data DAILY. (Given that I have NEVER had any failure of any other mac, ever, this is simply unacceptable). I can not trust this machine. (On the bright side, I only get a days worth of use out of it before it dies again... is that a GOOD thing?)

Be warned.

This was my first Mac and it has been all it was supposed to be. The display is huge and clear; the software works well; the notebook actually plugged and was usable straight out of the box.

I upgraded to Tiger recently and found I like the computer even more. The PowerBook has completely replaced my PC desktop although originally the idea was to use this more out of the office. Well, it is large and not as easily hauled around as I imagined originally. I do take it to my job occasionally and after buying the right carrying case find it works BUT I am getting a second, smaller Apple Notebook for out in the field. This one shines at home especially paired with that 23" Apple monitor...I completely stopped using the other PC with the big screen which I bought strictly for photography and it is on it's way to a new home.

The battery life of this PowerBook is short - an hour is about right. I can live with that. Finding a carrying case took a little work as it is both big and heavy--found one I love. One truly time saving aspect of the Mac is the time I DO NOT spend on downloading virus updates. It got to the point with my PC that I was downloading daily; I don't expect to be virus free without a little work but daily?? Even with the learning curve going from Windows to Mac I recommend this without reserve.

LOVE this notebook and easily give it 5 stars.

Wonderfull machine. This machine is a looker. Wherever you go with this baby you will be noticed. The screen is the best. Performance wise was not so astonishing even at 2 gb ram. The superdrive is good, but still i have a few coasters from this baby lying around. The screen is very fragile and expensive to fix. Wouldn't recomend it for a road warrior. Still an amazing machine if you like the way it looks and don't plan on moving it much.

I agree with the reviewers who said that there are some compromises required to slide this bad boy into a backpack or open it up in Cattle Class while flying. However, I've had mine for over three years, and am about to buy another one (I need a bigger hard drive). I love my 17" PowerBook and can't imagine switching to anything different. I have seen and tried all the other laptops around the office, and this one is still head and shoulders above other Wintel newer ones.

My current 17" PB also went off my motorbike with me in an accident a few years ago. The front left corner (hard drive!) was severely dented and the aluminum bent out of shape. I put it to sleep, took a pair of Vice Grips and a mallet to it, and pounded it back into shape. Opened the lid and started typing. Several years later, it is still working reliably. In some respects, I'd rather not get a new one, as this one has performed so well!

Two (bandaged) thumbs up!

Great software platform, absolutlely worthless hardware to run it on! Don't make the same mistake I did; purchased a PowerBook Notebook 17" less than 6 months ago and it has spent a month, on and off total, being "repaired" for all kinds of issues. Read the fine print in the extended warranty; this company loves to use refurbished parts to fix their computers. As much as Steve Jobs likes to pontificate on his next operating system( you can watch it in all it's "glory" on Quicktime) he has forgotten two important factors: (1) A quality computer to run it on (2) Basic Customer Service 101, " The customer is always right". The reality of this is that Apple has become nothing more than an online music store (iTunes) and a maker of a MP3 player to listen to it on (iPod).