Titanium PowerBook G4

Titanium PowerBook G4

Once you see Apple’s new Titanium PowerBook G4, it’s hard not to want one. It’s certainly an eye catcher, with simple lines and a metallic color that reminds one of a DeLorean automobile. Unlike the ill-fated car, however, Apple definitely has a hit on its hands.

Two key factors with any laptop computer are weight and screen size. On both these counts, the G4 PowerBook is a winner. When closed, the PowerBook is 1-inch thick, without any bulges or curves, resembling a slate like Sony’s popular VAIO line. It measures 12.6-by-8.5 inches and weighs 5.3 pounds, almost 1 pound lighter than its predecessors. This form factor should sit favorably with attorneys who need a light portable for work on the go.

The 1152-by-768 pixel screen is 15.2 inches wide and bright with excellent contrast. It’s viewable past the normal 45-degree limitation of most laptops. The use of titanium for the case creates an impression of indestructibility. While it’s strong, titanium is scratchable and bendable, so you must take care when transporting it.

Apple has addressed early issues with the battery losing contact when the PowerBook is picked up incorrectly. Given normal use and a careful hand, however, these issues are not significant.

Battery life is touted at 5 hours. I put the PowerBook through a grueling, nonstandard hard drive and CPU access test, and got about 2.3 hours. Under normal use with energy saver features on, more than 3.5 hours is expected. Apple also has moved the battery to a compartment under the PowerBook where it can be released using a redesigned study latch — an improvement over the earlier flimsy lever.

To shed weight, Apple eliminated the two expansion bays. Although one bay housed the battery, the other provided options for removable hard, Zip or CD-RW drives. The bayless configuration means external peripherals must be attached to the Type II PC Card port or one of the two USB ports, one FireWire, modem or 10/100BaseT Ethernet ports. While this decision eliminates the convenience of previous models, most attorneys shouldn’t mind. Remember: You can attach a PowerBook to any other FireWire Macintosh and boot the PowerBook to the FireWire target mode. This causes the laptop’s hard drive to appear on the other computer’s desktop and facilitates file transfer.

The PowerBook retains external video out (spanning), S-video out and an infrared window. The video graphics adapter (VGA) works with most portable projector systems. No external microphone port is included. For ViaVoice users, IBM suggests a USB microphone and provides a portable document format (PDF) file on using it.

The PowerBook accepts industry standard SO-DIMM (dual inline memory module) RAM modules, as long as they don’t exceed 1.5 inches in height. Up to 1GB RAM can be added to the two slots, although 512MB single inline memory modules (SIMMs) are prohibitively expensive. Installation consists of removing the keyboard. Installing an AirPort card is more difficult because the bottom case section must be removed, thus risking both stripping the removal screws and bending the thin titanium skin. Have a professional do this, or buy a PowerBook with the wireless AirPort card installed.

For G4-enhanced applications, the PowerBook is faster than its predecessors. For example, Virtual PC 4.0, which is G4-optimized, is snappier. With a PowerBook and Virtual PC, an attorney can run PC and Mac applications concurrently. Other mainstream legal-related Mac applications run at or slightly above the speed of G3 PowerBooks. If you do any image-editing, you will immediately notice the speed increases in Adobe Photoshop.

The G4 chip is simply more powerful than the G3 line, and this fact, combined with the bright, enormous screen, creates a definite feeling of a powerful computer. The downside to the G4 chip is it runs hotter than the G3. This contributes to a warm case during extended use. You should slightly elevate the PowerBook’s back for long sessions to give it proper ventilation. Or buy one of the third-party cooling pads if you intend to replace your desktop with the PowerBook.

The use of USB and FireWire ports on the PowerBook facilitates easy access to mainstream peripherals, including printers, scanners, digital video (DV) camcorders, camera, hard drives and removable media. The PowerBook is also a mobile video-editing station almost out of the box.

An attorney easily can capture an hourlong deposition directly to his or her PowerBook using a simple DV camera, cable and inexpensive portable FireWire drive. With the included iMovie 2 software, the deposition can be edited remotely.

It’s not the cheapest laptop out there, but the PowerBook is a powerful desktop computer replacement.

Apple Computer Inc.
www.apple.com
(800) 692-7753

Price: $2,599 for 400 MHz model, $3,499 for 500 MHz version.

Reviewed by David A. Saraceno, a practicing attorney who currently operates MotionLaw,
a forensic animation consulting firm in Spokane, Wash.

Jun/Jul '01 Issue

PROS
Impressive titanium case, and magnificent 15.2-inch screen, 21st century ports. Powerful with G4-optimized applications.

CONS
Not much faster than the G3/500 predecessor for mainstream applications; not sure about durability; no microphone jack.

VERDICT
Apple’s G4-based portable was long over due, and this initial release is a magnificent effort. If your firm is in the market for style, portability, power — and a pretty good value — this is your ticket.