Customer Reviews

Apple Powerbook Laptop M8591LL/A (667-MHz PowerPC G4, 256 MB RAM, 30 GB hard drive)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This Powerbook is my 7th Apple Laptop. My wife and I currently own three. I needed to replace my Powerbook G3 FireWire (Pismo) but didn't like all the specs on the Ti G4, which was first introduced in January of 2001. This generation added everything I had complained about. 1. Mic in port. 2. Higher Res Screen. 3. More VRAM (32mb from 16mb). and 4. the ability to drive an external monitor from a digital output. This machine is fast and an absolute pleasure to use.

I just picked up my first Apple computer after 20 years of working on PC's. I decided on the Powerbook after studying notebooks based on Windows as well as OS X. I kept coming back to the Apple's due to the quality and features.

After my first day on my Powerbook I'm not disapointed. The screen is beautiful and the quality of the notebook is top notch. Compared to the quality of PC notebooks the Apple's stand above the rest. I'm still getting use to where everything is located but over time I'm sure it will be as comfortable as working on my Windows machine.

I also purchased the Airport wireless so I could surf the internet from anywhere in the house. If you are setting up the Airport via dialup or broadband the setup is straight forward. If you are trying to setup on your home network it is not quite so easy. I had to make 2 calls to Apple support to finally get it connected to the ethernet lan. Now that it is up and running I love it.

All in all I give high praise to Apple for the job they did on the Powerbook and OS X. The only negatives so far are the battery time and heat output . The battery seems to drain faily quickly when you have the airport card and a cd running. The laptop does generate a good bit of heat. Not sure if its the case material that is transfering the heat more than a typical laptop but after a medium amount of use the laptop gets pretty warm.

This is an awesome laptop. My company bought me the powerbook and my coworker a HP P4 1.6 ghz- both with 512 mbs of memomry. He prefers the HP only because the applications that he uses (mis guy)is more available on windows (plus he's always been a pc guy). I've also have always been a PC user (and still am). I've compared using photoshop, quark, flash, microsoft office on both systems. Even when rasterizing eps files, i didn't really notice the speed difference. Both systems had plenty of memory and I haven't had any problems with it freezing up. The screen on the apple is so much nicer (and wider) than the HP. It is also so much easier and more reliable to burn cd's (both music and data) on the apple than the hp. Both systems hooked up to the network pretty easy- however the apple had a built in wireless (airport) while the hp needed a seperate card. The apple is also alot lighter and slimmer than the hp and you can tell the design is so much better. the apple is made of titanium and carbon fibre i believe and everything is designed so clean. Another nice thing about the apple over the hp was that all the included software was usefull and good (itunes, imovies, etc) while the hp was loaded with alot annoying junk software (including all the internet junk).

The only complaint about apple is that other than the essential softwares and even components - programs are harder to comeby and usually really expensive.

The Powerbook G4 is one of those computers that once you start using makes you wonder how you lived without it. I have owned by Powerbook G4 Titanium for about a month and it is great. I use my PBG4 at work where we have Airport and use it for everything. I do however get frustrated when I get out of range and I am annoyed that the Powerbook has a smaller range than my old iBook. The speed is what makes me amazed. In Mac OS 10.2 this baby clocks faster than the speed limit. I love the combo drive to burn and to watch DVDs on those rainy days. Sound is great and PC Card slot is great to have. Another cool feature is the LED lights on the battery that let you tell how much power you have without turning the computer on. Also, speaking of batterteries the Powerbook is great on long business flights when you're watching a DVD and it goes long. If you're like me and you carry a spare you can change batteries without shutting down, thanks to an internal 3-minute battery. Almost everything is great. There it is.... almost. As much as I love my PBG4 there are some cons. I am disappointed that with the new PB there is no IR port as there was with the older models. I also would have liked the computer to come with more than one Firewire port. Another thing that would have been great is a set of media keys either on the keyboard or somewhere on the case to control iTunes when listening to Cds or MP3s. Despite these cons there is no reason one should not go out right now and buy one! Do it, you will not regret it.

I had considered the iBook, but the added value of the G4 and big screen make this discontinued PowerBook a great value. The ATI 7500 graphics card in this is not the ATI 9000 model in the latest Powerbooks, but this doesn't have a big speed impact unless you use lots of video editing software. I'm using the Powerbook for multi-track audio recording with Emagic's Logic. This laptop has enough power for that and all my other apps. I do recommend more ram though if you are running complex music sequencing, video, or photo editing. I added an additional 512 MB .

I was a little bit skeptical about buying one of these. I was told they are somewhat fragile, at least more so than the iBooks (and they are), but I think it's worth it. This is in my opinion the most beautifully built, best working (and best looking) notebook computer out there. It is 1" thick (CLOSED mind you). It features a beautiful, bright 15" Monitor. Other features include a slot loading CD-RW drive, USB, Firewire...the list goes on. Once you max out the RAM in one of these (holds 1GB), the machine really flies. I use mine daily for web browsing, email, Microsoft Office, and work in Adobe Photoshop. It's a pleasure to use.

You already heard the pros, now for the cons. The machine gets pretty warm, especially if the computer is sitting on your lap and doesn't have as much room to "breathe." Airport (802.11b WiFi) reception isn't as good as it is in other notebooks because of the material it's made out of, plus the fact that the antennas are on the sides of the bottom part of the computer instead of being located where the screen is (like the iBooks). It is somewhat fragile--the finish scratches easily if you're not careful. The joints where the screen connects to the body don't look like they could handle a ton of pressure; I'm scared to think what might happen if I were to drop the computer hard enough. So yes, it is more fragile than other notebooks, but I really take good care of mine so I try not to worry about it much. Just carry it around in a case, don't abuse it, and you should be fine.

Finally, in reponse to another review I read, I have to disagree with what was said about Apple's tech support. They have the BEST tech support out of any company I've ever had to deal with, hands down. The technicians are extremely friendly and knowledgable. When I had problems with an iBook I had previously purchased, they resolved my problem quickly and at no extra charge for me. If good tech support is important as to your buying decision, go with Apple--you won't be disappointed.

This is one of the best powerbooks I've ever owned expect for one minor bugger.... at times the chasis can get a little too hot to put on your lap. But with today's faster processors comes with more heat, so I guess it's no big-e. I used a coupon from UnderTag.com, so it was a bargain for me too.

I really don't have room to write about how great this machine is. I bought one in Jan and cant live without it. It is everything and more than I imagined. Highly recommended. If your in the market for a powerful professional laptop, get the Ti Powerbook G4. If you only need a minimal performance machine and dont want to spend the money then an iBook is a great alternative.
LOVE IT

Who says that alot people don't use macs? Well I currently have a job in digital video editing and the is no other computer in our field. With MacOS 10.2 you can network with PCs, share files, run microsoft office and open PC files. Apple is the defintion of cool(at least I think so). Everthing they do is orginal, take the Newton/MessagePad series. About one and a half years before the first Palm. It was the orginal PDA, who thinks diffrent, only Apple. Not to mention MHZ (megahertz) doesn't matter as much as people think when comparing PCs to macs. The G4 chip on this computer is a 7 stage 677 mhz processer (think of it as 7 steps at 677 miles per hour. Compared to the Pent4 a 20 stage processer, so the pcs need a high mhz to keep up with the macs.

I have had this laptop for about 9 months. I absolutely love this computer. It replaced my old G3 laptop that was much slower and was starting to get long in the tooth. I use it for powerpoint presentations at scientific conferences and it is very fast and compatable with LCD projectors.