eShop USA > PC Hardware > Apple PowerBook Laptop 17" M9462LL/A (1.50-GHz PowerPC G4, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)
Apple PowerBook Laptop 17" M9462LL/A (1.50-GHz PowerPC G4, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)
Features:- 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 processor running OS X version 10.3
- 512 MB DDR333 SDRAM, 80 GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive, SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
- 17-inch TFT widescreen display, up to 4.5 hours of battery life
- FireWire 400 port, FireWire 800 port, two USB 2.0 ports, PC Card slot (Type I/II)
- Built-in 10/100/1000 Base-T, 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme; built-in Bluetooth, 56K V.92 modem
Customer Reviews
Rating:  - Fantastic computer
I have never enjoyed a computer more. My experience has been nothing but positive. I am a graphic designer and I do a lot of photo editing, large layouts, video editing and the like (I've even discovered GarageBand which is a lot of fun) and the Powerbook has always been very fast and very reliable. I upgraded to 1GB of RAM and got the 128MB video card option which probably helped too. But the 1.5 G4 has been plenty of processor, the screen is big and beautiful, Airport Extreme is great. Configurations are a snap. I have almost completely replaced my desktop with it. My only concern (its not too much of a concern though) is that it starts to become too big for ultra portablity. If thats what you're looking for maybe go with the 15". I go the Apple Care Warranty for peace of mind but have not had to use. Great Computer.
Rating:  - Nice But PCs Have Caught Up
This is my first Mac. I've had it for six months. Prior to this, I had been a PC user all my life.
I bought the Apple based on the strength of reviews from legions of friends in the design field who were early Mac converts and my desire just to try something different. I use it primarily for editing photos and video. I do LIKE this machine alot -- it's beautiful and it's a genuinely solid performer. But the price/performance ratio -- despite ramping up to 1.5 MB of RAM from the paltry 512MB standard-- just isn't there. No way around it.
Photo editing bench tests for this machine versus similarly priced PC products prove its limitations. It's a fairly slow machine for the price. As for the Operating System, the Mac package is interesting (even fun at times) but remarkably less advanced and intuitive than I expected and has been touted.
Believe me, the "switch" is not as easy as Apple would have you believe. And surprisingly there's absolutely no support for those who take the leap. You need to decide if it's worth relearning everything you know about personal computing. Personally, I haven't found the payoff outweighs than the hassle. Yet.
I look back on what I could have got for the same money from HP or another PC maker, and I now feel a little stung and underwhelmed by this machine. Again, it's nice. But it's something of a sheep in wolf's clothing.
Think Different? Absolutely! But also think twice. And think hard.
Rating: - Brains, brawn and beauty!
Hello everyone. I've owned my 17" 1.5 PB for about three months now. I use it both on the road, and as my main desktop computer. It is by far the most capable and useful computer I have ever owned.
I have used both Macs and PCs everyday for the past 2 years (I am a creative director, and use both machines depending upon the nature of the work). I am not Mac centric: PCs have many nice features, are generally faster than Macs, and the software is now pretty much up to parity.
With that being said, I still prefer the Mac OS to Windows. Everything works extremely well, the user experience is far more polished and user-centric, and it NEVER crashes. Never. My last laptop was a G3 and it was a stinker. I convinced myself that laptops were inherently less stable than their full-sized cousins. Nope. Not true. This machine is solid as they come.
Speaking of solid: the keyboard is easily the best I have ever used on a laptop. The action is tight and crisp, and the placement is comfortable. And, the fiber optic backlighting (when ambient lighting is down) has been a pleasure. No going back. I can sit in bed with the lights off and play poker, surf the web, or write with no problems.
The ports (of which there are many) are well placed, and seated extremely well (my old G3 shed ports like a molting emu). Since I come and go a lot, and don't have a docking station, the port integrity is REALLY important. So far, happy happy.
The display is sharp and bright, with a good viewing angle. Its 17", and runs at a max resolution of 1400x900. I am a graphic designer, and have been working on 300DPI images in Photoshop, and while I would be happier with a bigger screen, this 17" is more than adequate. At home I hook my PB up to a Dell 17" flat panel, and the graphics card (which I raised to 128 megs of video) has no problem running both the native display and the Dell. Tons of working room, and great refresh.
Battery life is ok. The big screen is a power hog. BUT, the batteries recharge very quickly. And the little AC adaptor is a gorgeous design, with a very very long cord. You might think about getting an extra: one for home and one for the travel bag.
The superdrive is fast and responsive. I don't know how Apple fit it in there, but its there, and I use it regularly, either burning archival CDs, DVDs, and getting music to the iPod.
I am trying to think of negatives. The 17" PB is a bit heavier, but then again, it's a bit bigger than any 15". So, weight to me is not a detriment. What's a couple of pounds anyway? The size is bigger, but hey, I wanted a 17" screen, so I am not really expecting to sit in coach class and be able to open a Mile High Cinema Experience. Its a 17" screen. So, no gripes there. I'll just have to start working on getting into First Class. :)
All in all, a great computer. The fact that you can carry it around, only triples its usefulness. Combine it with a wireless network, and whoa, you can a killer portable entertainment center: email, web surfing, movie watching, music listening, anywhere you want. This PB has surprised me again and again with its usefulness and versatility. Completely, utterly five stars worth of laptop.
Rating:  - A First Class Computer
As other reviewers have stated, the hardware itself is great. The computer is visually stunning. And the OS is rock-solid and user-friendly.
Some people have complained about the size for traveling. It's about as small as a 17" computer could be -- but if you are sitting in coach and the person in front of you reclines their seat, it's hard to use. (Get the 12" if you think this might be a problem for you.)
Finally, a word on Apple service. I had some problems with this computer and needed to send it back to Apple several times -- which is a bad thing. On the other hand, I finally reached Roberto, a Powerbook specialist in AppleCare, who was understanding and expedited my repair -- which is a good thing. 4-stars -- would have been 5-stars except for the hardware problems.
Rating: - Best, fastest laptop on market- Mac smokes Windows Again!
This is the fastest, most powerful laptop I have ever seen. It simply blows away all of the Pentiums, and while the 14" G4 Mac is a tad faster, this 17" screen makes this computer a supercomputer in a thin aluminum case. I use both Windows XP and Mac OS X (Mac OS X is eons ahead of Windows XP), and to compare the 2 is not fair- the Mac wins in almost every category you can think of. I run Virtual PC on this computer, so in a pinch if I must slum a bit and use a Windows application, I can do so (although at slower speeds). The backlit keyboard is great, but the performance is what sells me on this awesome machine (my 6th laptop, and 10th computer in last 8 years). Best computer I have ever seen.
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