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powerbook!

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Long as gaming isn't your number one application, I don't think you can really beat the 15 inch g4 powerbook.

They're like the bubonic plague among the techies I work with. Somebody had one, couple people looked at it, couple weeks later one of them got one, very contagious! 🙂

I've got one on my list, but waiting for my next contract switch, so I can get the customer to buy it instead of me.
 
Originally posted by: eastvillager
Long as gaming isn't your number one application, I don't think you can really beat the 15 inch g4 powerbook.

They're like the bubonic plague among the techies I work with. Somebody had one, couple people looked at it, couple weeks later one of them got one, very contagious! 🙂

I've got one on my list, but waiting for my next contract switch, so I can get the customer to buy it instead of me.
Click to expand...

lol... 9 out of 12 techs in my office chose to use the 15" powermacs over the IBM T4x's or X31's.

15' powermac is a great choice and if you arent doing graphics work, 12" is very nice too. I tried using a 17", 15" and a 12". I connect it to a 19" LCD when I get home but I settled on a 15" since I do some design work but carrying the 12" is much easier. The 17" was way too much of a beast for me. It doesnt fit in any laptop bags and its just too bulky even when you are using it. I was in an airplane and my 17" powerbook was wider then my afforded seating space 😛 I was using my tray and part of my neighbors tray, who didnt mind since I was playing a movie. I normally rock a messenger type bag which cant really handle 17" powerbook but its not bad with a 15". If I didnt use photoshop and Illustrator I would just use a 12".

For upgrades, you can buy RAM aftermarket. Its just plain old DDR2700 SO-DIMM.
Get the new 5400 RPM hard drives!!!! This makes a huge difference and is critical for heavy apps like audio/video.
I strongly suggest getting an airport too. Its surprising how many places you can get a wireless signal depending on where you live. I am in manhattan most of the time so I get tons of wireless signals. Most parks around here have free wireless towers and so do libraries and starbucks, etc. Many schools/universities have wireless too you can jump on.

btw any powerbook users should consider 2 little utilies which I swear by.
SideTrack lets you easily scroll with your trackpad, and Desktop manager is a really handy application switcher. Desktop manager takes some getting used to like Espose but its a great speedy tool once you get used to it. Especially if you are like me with 8 apps open at any given moment.
 
Wow, thanks for all the tips. I'm still waiting on delievery.. its shipped and i'm expecting it tomorrow =)

Thanks for all the advice
 
kind of off topic

is this powerbook consider the best notebook for college?

I really like the idea of being able to type up my notes why the professor is talking but i hate it when the guy next to me whips out this huge 17"notebook and his typing is so loud it drives me nutz and i have to move.

Is this notebook quiet?

Where can i find a FAQ of this thing?

thx
~RaNDoM
 
powerbook has a VERY quiet keyboard. Quietest keyboard I have ever used, even for a laptop. They use very thin key based on a rubber mount. You cant hear someone typing 5' away even in a quiet library. Also the keys are illumated and have brightness controls. Instead of painted letters on each key, its a clear plastic knock out which is backlit making typing in dark spaces very easy. The superdrive is very quiet and so is the HD. Nothing on a powerbook is noisy at all. The built in mic is also very nice for dictation and ichat. You can also just plug in an isight and record classes if you need at a very nice resolution. The isight also is powered by firewire and no bigger then pepper shaker and comes in a durable hard plastic case. The contruction is very durable too. Rounded corners and all aluminum contruction. No plastic is exposed and the LCD mount is very durable unlike some notebooks. Some other nice features that college kids would like is ichat, itunes, ipods, and something probably not brought up that often is easy networking. With easy to use AFP, SMB and FTP setups, its very easy to connect to school networks and share data with other people on windows, Mac, or Linux. Mac latops also make nice multimedia PCs. I often use mine as a DVD player and just connect it to my TV via a $5 headphone to RCA adapter and S-video. With airtunes, you can easily make any network a wireless one.

Not that PC laptops dont have features like this (some things are mac only), its just all in one easy package with a mac and very easy to hook up and use. Even for someoen who is tech saavy, its just nice to have things work without alot of effort. Hence why my IT staff mainly uses powerbooks. Its not that they have more hardware or software available, they dont, they just provide what most people need on a day to day basis in a very friendly manner.

Best thing about it for school is probably the price. With educational discounts its very competitive with other laptops.
 
🙂 Of all the laptop keyboards I've typed on, I must say that the Powerbook's keyboard > iBook, IBM, Dell, Sony, Acer, Gateway, eMachines, Compaq, HP. I like how it's got a rather firm touch to it, but it isn't so firm that you have to pound at it (that's how I found the HP notebooks' laptops, no offense). I think I could type on that laptop forever.

If I had the money, I would've gone with the 15" since it doesn't get warm like the 12", and plus it has some nice power in it. (But the 12" doesn't get scaldingly hot like other laptops... or I haven't found it to be, yet. I can put the Pbook on my lap and compile stuff for about 30 mins or so and the bottom of the Pbook gets pretty warm, but not warm enough to cause first degree burns... I think) However, I'm very content with my Pbook as it is. I don't know what it is, but something about it just makes it very loveable. Maybe it's just because I work with Windows machines all the time (dorm IT).
 
I was going to mention the ADC student discount, but you beat me to it. Looks like you've done your homework.

I have the exact same model as you are getting. I LOVE it. In all honesty, it is so much better built than any laptop I've ever seen.

Also, after being a Windows guy for about 11 or 12 years, OS X is such a breath of fresh air. Have fun!
 
Quoting DarkAmeba:
"check out the student developer subscription. It's 100 dollars, and with the subscription you can buy a powerbook almost 400 bucks cheaper. Thats a 300 dollar savings, plus you get new versions of the OS free for a year."

Do you have a link to information regarding the free OSes. I couldn't find anything on the ADC student apple pages.

Thanks.

-TJ
 
I actually just bought a 15" powerbook with my ADC discount (did all my research over at www.macnn.com. Regarding the OS editions, that is true. I got a copy of panther with my ADC kit that just arrived the other day and I've been reassured that I will get a copy of tiger as long as it comes out within a year. My powerbook should be delivered on wednesday morning per fexed's tracking number... I can't wait. The specs are in my sig!
 
Originally posted by: TJ69
Quoting DarkAmeba:
"check out the student developer subscription. It's 100 dollars, and with the subscription you can buy a powerbook almost 400 bucks cheaper. Thats a 300 dollar savings, plus you get new versions of the OS free for a year."

Do you have a link to information regarding the free OSes. I couldn't find anything on the ADC student apple pages.

Thanks.

-TJ
Click to expand...



I tried to reply to your PM, but you have to have private messenges turned on from me to do that 😉

What Wazup says is correct 🙂
 
Yup it is. You get the discount applied to 1 purchase.. you can buy as much as you like in that 1 purchase iPods included.
 
I got a 15" powerbook with 128MB VRAM, 512GB ramn, 5400RPM, Backlit Keyboard, and the DVD burner. I love it. It's the best laptop I've ever handled.

rainypickles: os x is the best os i've ever used. Everything has a shortcut, you just need to read the documentation to find it out. Command-w to close, command tab to alt tab, command m to maximize, and just click on the minimized window to maximize it.
 
I just recieved my new 15" today! The specs are in the sig, and like I said I used the ADC purchase program also. You definitely get each new OS version as they come out. I'm fairly certain there is something about this on apple's site; however, I've been assured by the guys on the macnn.com forums that I will indeed recieve a copy of tiger when it comes out (though I wont get any beta seeds).
 
Originally posted by: fungus
I got a 15" powerbook with 128MB VRAM, 512GB ramn, 5400RPM, Backlit Keyboard, and the DVD burner. I love it. It's the best laptop I've ever handled.

rainypickles: os x is the best os i've ever used. Everything has a shortcut, you just need to read the documentation to find it out. Command-w to close, command tab to alt tab, command m to maximize, and just click on the minimized window to maximize it.
Click to expand...

Something that is really important IMO is the position of the command button, as opposed to using control on windows. Trying to quickly hit hotkeys with my pinky on the control button SUCKS. It seriously hampers work performance when you are doing alot of graphics work which requires alot of command key strokes. Using your thumb for command+keys is so much easier and gives you better access to keys. Its just simple ergonics that I would have thought even microsuck would have realized by now... instead they keep that useless, annoying windows key (which boots me out of full screen games). Every time I install an OS for myself the first thing I do is go into the registry and disable the damn windows key.

Originally posted by: Wuzup101
I just recieved my new 15" today! The specs are in the sig, and like I said I used the ADC purchase program also. You definitely get each new OS version as they come out. I'm fairly certain there is something about this on apple's site; however, I've been assured by the guys on the macnn.com forums that I will indeed recieve a copy of tiger when it comes out (though I wont get any beta seeds).
Click to expand...

Grats 🙂
Dont worry you dont want the Beta Tiger. I have it and it doesnt work well on the powerbooks yet. No problems on a tower but I had alot of problems on a powerbook so I deinstalled it back to panther. Could be my fault though since that version was meant for a tower and many of Apple's bootable OS CD's are machine specific. I will wait for final release. Apple's final releases are well built.


One other thing:
With the developer membership you also get access to other software REALLY cheap. I got Final Cut for $120 or so. Its normally about $1000. My friend also just got logic pro 6 for $99.
 
Originally posted by: Wuzup101
I just recieved my new 15" today! The specs are in the sig, and like I said I used the ADC purchase program also. You definitely get each new OS version as they come out. I'm fairly certain there is something about this on apple's site; however, I've been assured by the guys on the macnn.com forums that I will indeed recieve a copy of tiger when it comes out (though I wont get any beta seeds).
Click to expand...

GRats! Enjoy it!
 
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