Customer Reviews

Apple PowerBook Laptop 15.2" M9677LL/A (1.67 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Why wait? There have been problems reported with the new trackpad and noise from the 100 GB drive (which is an optional upgrade). The trackpad is a departure from previous models and likely needs some time to shake out on the manufacturing side. Okay, those two issues aside, this is THE laptop to own. Let me explain.

(1) The screen is unparalled in brightness and clarity. Apple pioneered the "widescreen" laptop, and its displays have only improved over the years. The 15.2" size is perfect for tasks that the 12" screen is too cramped to handle, and as to which the 17" is great, but adds to much weight and unwieldiness. (It looks like they may still be having problems with the latch design on the 17" -- it just isn't an ideal solution for a laptop of this size. But I digress ...)

(2) The speed of the system is remarkable -- noticeable even over the 1.5 gHz from last year's top of the line model. Whips through everything, even GarageBand 2 ... which is amazing processor and memory hog. (Please, Apple, fix that ...)

(3) The illuminated keyboard (triggered by light sensors that react to the ambient light levels in the room) now is bright enough to be very practical. Last year's model's with illuminated keyboards were pretty dim and not entirely useful. By the way, this year they've included the illuminated keyboard in both 15.2" models -- the SuperDrive and combo drive models. Last year, it only appeared in the SuperDrive model).

(4) Fit and finish. Unparalled -- no other laptop even comes close. Apple has the attention to detail of Mercedes and BMW.

(5) Size. Just an inch thick, and weighs in at a bit over five pounds. Very portable, with lots of custom cases out there in the marketplace.

(6) New technology to protect the hard drive in the event -- GASP! -- it falls. It's some patented gyroscopic doohickey, and I'm glad it's there!

I can't recommend this highly enough.

I sent back a Sony Vaio for this laptop and I am glad I did. The laptop is physically beautiful, a great blending of form and function. The processor is fast, I have run mutliple apps and downloads, even with just the 512 RAM, and no problems. Wireless is great, I am using AirPort with my old Belkin transmitter and can pick up from across the house and yard. Battery is running between 3 to 3.5 hours. I am new to OS/X but it is easy to pick up and, I think, a better OS then XP. A lot less virus and adware garbage to worry about. The SuperDrive whines a litle bit when you start it up but this is really minor. No problem with availability of software titles from what I have seen. However, I am not a gamer, so if you are, you might want to check this out first. I did however see a lot of game titles available for OS/X at the store. If you are undecided between this laptop and PC's like the Vaio and Dell series, I recommend go for this one. It is really a much better value and a very rugged, well built, physically elegent laptop. The only question is between the 15 and 17 inch, but, I think the 15 inch is a bit more portable but I bet the 17 inch is a great laptop as well.

I was a confirmed PC-bigot since DOS3.1 and made the switch evetually after increased frustration with Windows led to several failed attempts to move to Linux.

My only chance to try a new OS was to buy new Hardware.

A year on I'm not disappointed. OSX is the best of UNIX under the covers with a GUI that's sweeter than anything MS could dream of. The bundled apps have enabled a novice like me to prepare printed books of photos, make DVDs of my photos and home movies and even dabble in making a little music with Garageband.

But it's not just about media...MS Office for the Mac blows the socks of the PC version in power and beauty. Apple ship the development tools CD with the mac as well, so for a programmer, I can get started right away coding lovely mac apps (in ObjectiveC), as well as C, C++, Python, Ruby and Java, all of which ship pre-installed.

As far as the hardware (this specific PB) is concerned, the machine is lovely to look at, ludicrously fast to wake from sleep, and the only times I've rebooted it in the last year are when the automatic software update system suggests I reboot after an OS upgrade. I can even swap batteries while the machine is on and running. The backlit keyboard and superdrive are extras I wasn't sure I would need, but I'm damn glad I paid for.

Do it. Do it now. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

After years and years of PC use, I finally bought myself a Mac. I waited until Apple released an update for the PB G4, and I got the 1.67 Mghz with 128 VR and 1 GB of ram and a 100 GB HD and couldn't be more happy with it.

I've been a PC user most of my life, and now that I have a Mac I am asking myself why I never switched sooner. The OS is simple to use, so if you are wondering if it will be difficult to learn and use, think again. It is so easy to navigate and use, and best of all, it just plain works. No crashes, no glitches, no viruses and no freaking freeze-ups.

If you love music, photography, surfing the net or just want a computer that is easy to use and operate then please, get an Apple. Don't listen to the Apple haters out there because there are plenty of them. But now-a-days with all of the viruses and spyware that is plaguing the horrible 'Windows' operating system, I just don't understand why people still put of with Microsoft's crappy Windows OS.

Anyways, the price might be a little more expensive than say a Dell or a Gateways but look at the reliabitlity of owning a Mac. If you want more of an in depth analysis of what I referring to, go check out Consumer Reports and their ratings of the Apple in comparison to PCs. It's just a plain fact that you have way less problems with a Mac than you will with a PC and I think the initial investment totally pays for itself over time than owning a PC.

Hope I helped you out in your decision, and trust me, you will not be disapointed with a Mac purchase!

Stunningly beautiful and extraordinarily powerful, this laptop will impress even the most rabid Windows partisan. The screen is crisp and bright, and the 1280 x 854 resolution gives you as much room as you need.

The designers at Apple have once again outdone themselves. The keyboard contains a light sensor, which adjusts the screen brightness as ambient light changes, and also controls the keyboard backlighting. As the light dims, the keys are illuminated. When the lights go back up, the illumination turns off, and the keys go back to normal.

The 1.67 GHz processor is fast and suprisingly quiet. You'll never be left frustrated by load times.

There are a few things I wish they'd improve, however. The one-button mouse has to go! I don't know why Apple clings to this. I really wish the laptop scrollpad had two buttons instead of one; I typically use a BT500 Bluetooth mouse (which works perfectly with the Powerbook's built-in Bluetooth) to overcome this limitation. I also wish the keyboard was a bit bigger, with a dedicated row of F keys (F1, F2, etc) instead of sharing them with the computer's control keys (brightness, volume, etc). I also wish they'd move the function key to the other side; it is always in the way when I am trying to hit the Control or Option keys.

But those negatives can be completely overlooked by this spectacular machine. If you purchase this laptop, you will not be disappointed.

After disposing of my 1 year old, loud and hot hp nx9010, I wanted to get something that I'd keep for two or three years and not have the need to upgrade. So I settled for the PowerBook. It is so quiet that when the fan is on, its hardly noticeable. Its got a large HD (80GB); more than enough for my needs. Its a solid piece of kit. I set it up for the office network with barely any effort. 2 minutes and I was done. I'm using the standard web browser and mail app. and I figured them out without real effort. Another standard app that I've used is iSync. I used it with the Bluetooth option to get all the contacts that I had on my K700i cellphone into the AddressBook. The slight downside I've noticed is the battery time. I've managed nearly 4 hours which is less than the claimed (Apple) time. I've only had it for 6 days and Lithium Ion batteries optimise after a few recharges. Another slight complaint I have is that the PowerBook is made of aluminium and it conducts heat very well; therefore the PowerBook can get a bit warm. On hot summer days, it might not be possible/comfortable to put it on your lap. I'm looking forward to the winter months coz it'll be the swankiest hand warmer in the world. I havent tried the DVD writer yet, so I cant tell you how good or how bad the writer is. There's so much I'm looking forward to finding out.

This is an awesome laptop. My most satisfying Mac purchase to date.
Pros:
- Brilliant 15" widescreen display.
- Striking hardware design, aluminum casing.
- Mac OS X, The most elegant and stable consumer operating system I've experienced.
- Compared to several Windows laptops I've seen, the PowerBook seems more rugged, less flimsy, higher quality components (inside and out).
- Up to 2gb of RAM possible.
- Auto screen dimming, backlit keyboard.
- Zero configuration to connect to any wired or wireless network.
- Top notch Apple service and support, I highly recommend purchasing AppleCare.
- Size and weight, compact and lightweight.
Cons:
- Battery could be better. A friend of mine just bought an Inspiron 6000. While the 6000 seems cheapish, the battery lasts twice as long as my PowerBook battery.
- I really can't think of any others, you'll love this laptop!

This is a great laptop all around. Great screen, very lightweight, slim in size and with the most stable OS out there. I'm a previous PC owner (Toshiba Satellite Pro) and the peace of mind that Apple computers bring you is unparalleled, I don't even have an antivirus and no problem so far. The only, and I mean the only, negative thing about this Powerbook is that it gets incredibly hot, if you like working with the computer in your lap this is very bad.

Had to return an hp laptop because it refused to cooperate. ProTools Le was too much for it.
I didn't want a powerbook, I needed one.
The blend of beauty and pleasure shocked me when I booted it up the first time.
Slipped in the gig of pc 2700 ram with no problems.
It hasn't complained once.
The superdrive is super-intuitive and easily backed up a full dvd in as much time as my pc would burn files to cd-r.
All my peripherals are compatible with osx.3.8 (which I had to download from apple...breezy.)
I'm enjoying the interface, a lot less clicks and menus to access files.
Got giggly about the zoom feature for the display.
When's the last time your pc made you smile?

In short, my g4 is the perfect houseguest.

I have a friend of a friend who works at an Apple store and just recenlty he let me play with all the new stuff, some old stuff too and here is my impression of the new, improved 15 inch PowerBook. First off, and I feel like shouting this, but I won't, "It's about time Apple put out a computer that had enough memory in it to actually run it!" I have an old G3, 14 inch iBook and right off the bat I had to buy more memory, bumping it up to 640 megs, so knowing this baby comes with 512 right out the door, will bring a sigh of relief to anybody thinking of buying one.

The screen on this baby is gorgeous, no reading glasses for me here. This machine is svelte and sleek, comes with Airport Extreme built in. Has all the usual ports, plus FireWire 800 and it's crowning jewel, in my humble opinion, is the backlit keyboard. Apple claims it's ten times brighter than the old model. I can attest to the fact that it's brighter, but ten times, I don't know, I didn't see it. However, it's plenty bright enough to work in the dark. This 1.67 GHz model comes with a Superdrive and a scrolling trackpad (which I didn't mention in my other reviews). I found the trackpad scrolling business to be a little annoying, but no matter you can turn it off in System Prefs if you want. However, I imagine once you get used to it, one might find it darned handy.

Compared to my aging, but still working like a champ iBook, this baby screams. And the 80 gig hard drive gives you plenty of room to load up those MP3s to play in iTunes.

This, in my opinion, is not only the best PowerBook of the bunch, but the best laptop ever made. It is truly the Holy Grail of laptop computing. Apple has really gone and got it right this time.