Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

Apple Archive

Replacing a 15" Titanium PowerBook with a 12" Aluminum One

- 2003.04.04

Okay. Maybe I was a little bit hard on Apple for my general bad luck with their laptops in last week's column. I don't feel that I am hard on my machines at all. Yes, they get a lot of use, but I don't abuse them.

When working, all of the machines I had performed fairly well and did basically what I wanted them to. The 333 MHz G3 was probably the best of them, and I probably should have kept it. Unfortunately, the new models always look extremely tempting to those with an older one.

Thanks to a couple readers, I found out that Apple has a flat repair price for problems caused by a defect, and, although it's not expensive, I still don't think I'll be getting this one repaired for myself. The new models are looking awfully good right about now (as they usually do), and I am planning on purchasing a 12" PowerBook G4.

The first thing you'll notice is that I said I was getting the 12" model, not another 15". A few things held me back from that. First of all, the 15" models haven't been redesigned yet and lack PowerBook G4 Bluetooth, AirPort Extreme, and FireWire 800. This probably means a revision is due out soon, and I'd rather not buy a model only to have it obsolete a month later.

Secondly, the 15" PowerBook is a large laptop. Since I carry my PowerBook around all day at school, a smaller size really would be better. Now, I know that a 12" screen is a small screen, but hopefully I would only have to use the built in screen while at school, using an external 17" monitor at home. The 15" G4 is also quite a bit more expensive - and what do you get? An 867 MHz G4 processor, just like in the 12" model.

I am also planning on selling my G4 tower, which has been sitting on my desk, switched off, for months. On top of that, I will be selling my Hewlett Packard PC and getting a Dell Latitude CPx laptop to replace it. Any leftover money will go toward adding a FireWire/USB card to the beige G3 minitower I picked up at a local flea market about a month ago - and possibly replacing it's hard drive.

Adding a USB/FireWire card will allow me to synchronize my Visor Deluxe, connect my USB Epson photo printer, and use my iPod. Considering this machine is almost five years old, that's not too bad. It also has an internal Zip drive, which I have started using a bit. I don't think I will be installing OS X on it - I'll leave that to my new 12" PowerBook and it's 867 MHz G4 processor, which should be much faster than either of my previous G4s.

I have heard that some users are having problems with their 12" G4s, mainly the fact that the wrist rest gets warm above the hard drive. As long as it doesn't get scalding hot, it shouldn't be a problem for me.

The other issue I've been hearing about is case warping. This could be a problem, as I can't stand to type on a keyboard that isn't perfectly flat.

I am hoping that the case on the 12" model is more scratch resistant than my 15" G4. While I have taken very good care of it, and there are only a couple small scratches, I know people who have PowerBooks with big scratches all down the top of the machine.

If you've got the 12" PowerBook G4 and have a minute, I'd love to hear what you think of it and any problems you might have encountered with it so far.

Recent Apple Archive articles

iPods, notebooks, and other modern electronics more readily replaced than repaired, 12.07. Whether it's an intermittent failure or a broken display cable, more often than not it's cheaper to replace a broken electronics device than repair it.
Options for replacing your older iPod, 11.19. Whether you've run out of space on your old iPod or want features it doesn't have, here are your options in new and used iPods.
Could the $200 'green' PC with gOS Linux become a threat to Apple?, 11.14. The low cost, low power Everex desktop comes with a customized version of Ubuntu Linux, has a Mac-like Dock, and sells for $400 less than the Mac mini.
Leopard different, a bit buggy, but worth the upgrade, 11.02. Leopard on a Power Mac G4 and a MacBook Pro: It runs well on both computers, but each has some odd bugs, and some of the changes are a step backwards.
More in the Apple Archive index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac mini Core Solo, Feb. 2006 - The only Mac to use a Core Solo CPU, this model ran at 1.5 GHz, has integrated graphics, and includes a Combo drive
Group of the Day: SuperMacs is for those using Umax SuperMac clones.
November 24 in LEM history: 98: Microsoft's heavy hand - 00: Looking at the iMac - 04: The best Mac for the holidays - Picking the right replacement for a dead mouse - Better battery for 15" AlBook
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Best G4 iMac Deals, 11.24. Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $150; 800 MHz Combo, $229; 1 GHz, $289; 17" 1.25 GHz, $200; 20" 1.25 GHz, $509.
Best MacBook Air Deals, 11.24. Used from $899; refurb from $1,099; new 1.6 GHz/120 HD, $1,150 after rebate; 1.8/64 SSD, $1,150 a/r; 1.86/128 SSD, $1,350 a/r; 2.13/128 SSD, $1,694 a/r.
Best PowerBook G3 Deals, 11.24. Used 233 MHz WallStreet, $75; 266 MHz, $160; 400 MHz Lombard, $199; 400 MHz Pismo, $289; 500 MHz, $350.
Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.23. Used 867 MHz SuperDrive, $348; 1 GHz Combo, $379; SD, $519; 1.33 GHz, $529; 1.5 GHz Combo, $549; SuperDrive, $609.
Best Mac Pro Deals, 11.23. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,300; 3.0 4-core. $1,919; refurb 2.66 4-core Nehalem, $2,149; 2.93, $2,549; 2.93 8-core, $4,999; new 2.26 8-core, $2,290.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 11.23. Used 802.11g AirPort Extreme, $49; 500 GB Time Capsule, $150; new, $190; 1 TB dual-band, $280; 2 TB, $469; 802.11n AirPort Extreme, $170.
Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
Best Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac Box Set Deals, 11.18. "Snow Leopard", single user, $25; 5 users, $45; Mac Box Set, single user, $139; 5 users, $180; Server, $414. Shipping included.
Best Xserve Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $649; 2.3 dual G5, $795; 3.0 4-core Xeon, $1,899; refurb 2.26 4-core, $2,499; new, $2,888; refurb 8-core, $2,999; new, $3,449; more.
More deals in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Apple Archive articles copyright ©2000-07 by Adam Robert Guha. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.