I love it. I received 2 opened-in-the-box-but-not-used PowerBooks from UPS on Tuesday. It took a day for me to get around to opening one of the boxes, but when I did, I was pleasantly suprised. (It's a long story as to how I got ahold of the laptops, but suffice it to say, I have a very legal, very reliable source.) I am planning on buying the 17" PowerBook (after finally seeing it in person at the Apple store in MayFair Mall in Milwaukee, WI last Saturday), but I want to wait until its next iteration comes out. Actually, I don't want to wait, but I really want to see if they make any refinements. I am selling my 15" PB to my brother. It will be great for him, and for me. He needs a "surfing machine" and I wanted to try the 12". I pumped a lot of money into the 15"er, but I am a tech junkie that likes trying new things. We both get what we want... So, on to the review (I'll make it simple):
- it is small and light
- great screen
- the aluminum case is better than the titanium case on the 15" because it is more solid. The iBook copy, but with aluminum, is a great idea because the case is much more solid. A structural engineer can appreciate the difference between a boxed shell case and a clam shell case...
- it gets hot. My TiBook (15") got hot. What the heck do you expect out of a machine that is skinned with metal with a ridiculous conductivity rating??? People are dumb for being surprised.
- it doesn't get too hot.
- it might be annoying.
- I don't care that it gets hot. (Get it?)
- there is a good improvement in speed - processor speed. I can tell with the stuff I work on (Safari, Camino, Kung-Log, Open Office, Preview, Acrobat Rreader, Mail, iPhoto). You might not notice with other Apps. I don't know.
- the hard drive is slower (I had the 5400 RPM in my TiBook) - not too bad, though.
- the hard drive is a lot quieter.
- I can't hear the cooling fan (that is good). I don't know, though, whether this is allowing the machine to run hotter, thus slower.
- AirPort Extreme is a waste of money, but then again, I didn't buy an Apple to save money (I buy Apple, so I don't have to use Windows). Maybe I will care when more of my WiFi devices are 802.11g.
- the speakers are awesome!!!
I'll add to the list when I have thougth of some more things...
