PowerBook G4 17. Review on Apple PowerBook G4

I have been using PCs and laptops for over 15 years and somehow have always not considered an option beyond Windows and Linux (to some extent). A couple of months ago, I decided to take a BIG risk and spend about $2100 on an Apple PowerBook G4 17''.

At that time, I just wanted to try something different for my personal use. Another big excuse for trying something different was that Apple was offering some refurbished PowerBooks and the G4 17'' that I ended up buying online at the Apple Store was priced at $2100, about $700 less than market rate. Anyway, being a longtime PC user, I realized that this was a huge gamble since I could get a high-end Windows-based laptop at the same price. I also realized that I was signing up for a lot of pain in getting and learning new software and ways to use the laptop. Anyway, let us get to my review, shall we?

At first glance, the PowerBook G4 17'' is slim and sexy. No two ways about this. The hot metallic look is as sexy as laptops come. Out of the box, the laptop powered up and I was using it in a few seconds. I was most impressed by the Dock and all the cool animation that comes with restoring and minimizing windows. In about 15-20 minutes, I got over the initial euphoria and my first pangs of anxiety hit me. I could not open a Word document that someone had sent me. I looked around on the Net and found a freeware Word reader and swore that I would use this and another Excel reader that I found and that I would not spend more $ on Mr. Gates and company.

I even made the resolve to go to the Apple Store in Cupertino and bought Appleworks and KeyNote. So far, so good. As a long time Windows and Unix user, I was in some conflict. Should I be using the cool GUI or should I go back to my college days and the Unix Shell? I decided to stick with the GUI...after all, this is what I paid the big bucks for. Over 2 weeks I loved the display, graphics and multimedia capabilities, but I was irritated because I did not have the right-click mouse option (Windows users take this for granted). So getting used to the single button mouse was a PAIN! I actually had to read the doc. to figure out how to get to the context menu!

Anyway, the Help included with the Apple was shocking. Thanks to my connections in OReilly, I managed to get a copy of OReilly's Missing Manual for Mac OS X. I have been reading up a few pages a day now for the last 5 weeks and I have manage to learn some new ways and tricks (new from the Windows user perspective). Anyway, it has been a huge learning process even for me. I consider myself an expert Computer user and yet the learning process was longer than I expected.

In about a month, I realized that I simply could not avoid buying Office V.x and was very disappointed that I was back in the Gates fold. The fact of the matter is that majority of documents in the business world are Office-based. I have got used to sharing files over the network or my USB Memory stick. Many of my colleagues have stopped sharing things with me because they think my Mac cant run it!

A short list of pains I faced and still face:

• One-button mouse.

  
  




• Single-click or Enter on a file in Finder RENAMES instead of launching Application

  
  




• Page Up, Page Down, Home and End are not consistent in all applications, they do different things

  
  




• Still unsure about key combinations (when to use Apple key, Options key, Ctrl key etc.)

  
  

Things I am impressed with:

• The way I can edit graphics, video etc.

  
  




• The display

  
  




• The manner in which printers have got recognized automatically. I have tried 4-5 different printers and the Mac has figured it out quite easily.

  
  

Things I am unhappy with:

• Battery life appears to be a little over 2 hours (unacceptable in today's world for a new laptop and battery)

  
  




• I can feel the heat thru my jeans when I keep the laptop on my (where else!) lap.

  
  

I might add that the one time I contacted Apple support, they were most helpful.

Here is my summary:

This is certainly NOT a laptop for someone who has been using Windows for several years and has learnt all the productivity tricks (like shortcuts, keyboard navigation etc..). It is a MUST BUY for people who do a lot of work with pictures, movies and music. The editing tools and display are fantastic for this kind of work. Unless you have some spare money lying around and you want to give your kids a cool experience, this is not a recommended laptop. I was certainly expecting a lot more because of the general hype and loyalty in the Mac community.