Review: Apple G4 Powerbook

Introduction

The Powerbook in the flesh I have been devoted to the Intel and AMD driven field of computers since 1993, right up until I sold my Toshiba P3 850Mhz laptop a month ago. Searching for a new laptop that greatly exceeded my previous machine was a highly daunting task, but nevertheless exciting. My attention was finally captured by Apple's 15" Superdrive monster in a tiny package. Even though the news, adverts and Apple PR is dominated by the 'newer' 12-inch and 17-inch models, the 15-inch should not be ignored, as it is 'almost' as powerful as Apples current flagship notebook computer. Model M8859 Processor 1GHz PowerPC G4 L3 Cache 1MB DDR SDRAM Memory 512MB PC133 SDRAM; supports up to 1GB Hard Drive Toshiba 60GB Ultra ATA Optical Drive Slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) Display 15.2" (diagonal) TFT, 1280 by 854 pixels, millions of colors Graphics Support ATi Mobility Radeon 9000 with 64MB of DDR SDRAM PC Card Slot PC Card/CardBus slot for Type I or Type II card Wireless Support Built-in 11-Mbps AirPort Card; optional BlueTooth (1.1) adaptor Ethernet Built-in 10/100/1000Base-T (Gigabit) Modem Built-in 56K V.92 Ports FireWire 400, two USB (1.1), DVI Output (DVI to VGA adaptor included), S-video output, audio line in, headphone out Size and Weight 34.1 by 24.1 by 2.6cm; 2.4Kg with battery and optical drive installed Included S-video to composite adapter, DVI to VGA adapter, modem cable, power adapter, AC wall plug, power cord