| Performance | 9 | |
| Setup and Ease of use | 8 | |
| Service and Support | 7 | |
| Features | 9 | |
| Design | 9 | |
| Overall | 9/10 | |
The design of the PowerBook G4 is magnificent. As mentioned before the PowerBook G4 is made with Titanium. The entire laptop chassis is not exclusively made with the metal; instead it is constructed from thin pieces of Titanium held together by a light-gray plastic frame. The Titanium does make the PowerBook G4 lighter and it does indeed feel very strong. Instead of using curves and molded plastic, Apple has created a very streamlined computer with straight edges and minimal curves. Because the PowerBook G4 doesn't have expansion bays, the CD/DVD drive is built in and is front-slot loading. This can become a hassle when trying to eject a disk while operating the PowerBook G4 on your lap. The PowerBook G4 also comes with a fantastic, ultra-wide, 15.2" display. The display produces a very bright image with great contrast. The edge around the display is much thinner that the previous PowerBooks, which make the screen, seem even bigger. Unfortunately what drives this display is still the same basic ATI Rage Mobility 128 controller that was in the FireWire (Pismo) PowerBook and only 8MB of VRAM is provided. The display can support up to a 1152x768 resolution at a 3:2 ratio as well as 896 x 600 and 720 x 480. Four standard 4:3 resolutions (1024 x 768, 800 x 600, and 640 x 480) are also available but the PowerBook puts two black bars on the side of the screen. The inside of the PowerBook G4 is almost as great as the outside. Apple certainly crammed a lot of power and silicon into a very small space. Installing RAM in the new PowerBook is the same as previous models. The keyboard lifts up which allows access to the two RAM expansion ports. The PowerBook can support up to 1 GB of RAM but its slots cannot accept SO-DIMMs taller than 1.5". Most 512 MB SO-DIMMs are 2" but smaller versions are being produced. In order to install an Airport card, the bottom of the PowerBook has to be removed and the process is a little more involved. At the heart of the PowerBook G4 is - yup you guessed it - a G4. Apple offers the PowerBook G4 in two processor speeds, 400MHz and 500MHz and both have 1MB of backside cache. Now these are the same clock speeds as the Pismo PowerBook G3, so how does the PowerBook G4 compare? With everyday activities such as opening applications and running scripts, there is no noticeable difference between the Pismo PowerBook G3 and the PowerBook G4. Performance in Altivec-enhanced applications such as Photoshop or SoundJam is considerably faster on the G4 than the G3 PowerBook. The only down side to this fast G4 processor is a major heat issue. The PowerBook G4 doesn't get warm; it gets hot. The area by the right speaker and power button becomes so hot that it's hard to keep a finger on that spot for more than 5 seconds. The internal fan turns off and on numerous times a day for me and I don't do more than chat, download and listen to music. New to the laptop scene is Apple's PowerStep technology, which can be activated by a check box in the Advanced tab of the Energy Saver control panel. PowerStep lets slow down the processor speed by 100 MHz to save power. This is very usefull when trying to squeeze out every possible minute of playing time when watching a DVD. There no noticeable difference in playback. PowerStep is also useful for non-processor intensive programs such as word processing.
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The Lowdown: As a laptop, the Titanium PowerBook G4 is the quintessential portable computer. Everywhere I went there were either gasps of awe or looks of envy. It is hard to not smile when someone blurts out, "That is the coolest computer I have ever seen in my life!" Its lightweight and low profile make it a delight to carry in a bag. The new Titanium PowerBook G4 seems to embody what technology should be. It’s attention to detail in its smooth lines, uniform color, lack of distracting flashing indicator lights, its almost impossibly thin case, and wide screen all contribute to inviting you to become a part of its world while at the same time making itself right at home in yours.
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