Writing for ZDNet News, Stephan Somogyi recently explained to readers why the titanium’s a winner. The titanium in question, of course, is Apple’s titanium-clad PowerBook G4. Somogyi likes the new PowerBook, but also notices a few problems that he hopes Apple will fix with the next revision.
“The reality of this machine is far superior to the specs,” writes Somogyi, who said that his initial impression before actually using one was that the G4 would be too large and too cumbersome for his tastes. (Somogyi, by the way, is a PowerBook 2400 user, so he’s used to small ‘books.)
“It’s not as light as a subnotebook, but there’s also an awful lot of stuff in this machine,” he said.
Somogyi gives a thumbs-up to the keyboard and the auto-sensing 10/100baseT Ethernet port that works with or without hubs (making crossover cables between the PowerBook and another Mac unnecessary), and says “the balance of weight-per-feature seems to work.”
Somogyi does have some criticisms — he’s unhappy with the trackpad design. Because the pad and the button are joined, he finds it too easy to make accidental contact with the pad, causing the cursor to jump. He also notes that the PowerBook G4’s AirPort range seems diminished, and complains about fan noise, heat and the DVD-ROM drive’s volume level.
“The PowerBook G4 is a worthy successor and replacement for the PowerBook G3 line, despite its flaws,” he wrote. “But with so much of the press gushing over how wonderful these machines are — and they are pretty darn cool — it’s also important not to ignore or deny the fact that it has bugs, which in some cases are glaring to long-time PowerBook users.”
For more of Somogyi’s analysis of the PowerBook G4, please read the article.