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Apple PowerBook G4 15''

Itās a mixed blessing, really. Iāll miss that cool grey titanium shell, a design move that turned the laptop world on its ear two years ago. But it was inevitable that the 15" model would join itās 12" and 17" siblings in the robust new aluminum enclosure, a design that offers far more than a different shade of metal.

As enticing as the titanium model was, it had its problems. The painted coating was prone to unsightly chipping at the corners, the dual hinge arrangement was occasionally troublesome, and the thin shell would deflect when held by one corner. The aluminum case, derived from the single-hinge polycarbonate design of the second generation iBook, is stronger, more durable, and even sleeker than its predecessor. The metal is anodized rather than painted, so the surface treatment is actually part of the metal itself. Plastic edging rims the inner surfaces, adding further protection to these trouble spots. And the massive single hinge is extremely stout, with the bonus of sitting lower once opened ÷ frequent fliers, rejoice! The new 15" comes in two speeds, 1GHz ($1999) and 1.25GHz ($2599) ÷ the latter being the model I purchased from an Apple Store. Both come equipped with 512K SRAM on-chip L2 cache, a 167MHz system bus, and two 333MHz DDR SDRAM slots with a capacity up to 2GB. Drive options include 60GB, 80GB, and a custom order high-speed 80GB 5400-RPM mechanism. The 1.25GHz model comes standard with the slot-loading DVD-writing SuperDrive, while the slower model has the DVD-reading Combo drive; the SuperDrive is a custom order option on the 1GHz. The faster model has AirPort Extreme built-in, while on the 1GHz itās optional.

When Apple introduced the 17ä PowerBook last year, the biggest crowd pleaser was the stunning fiber-optic backlit keyboard and ambient light sensor to auto-adjust illumination when necessary. The new 15" model offers this delightful feature standard on the faster model and as a custom order option on the slower. If you are considering the 1GHz model, I urge you to pony up the additional C-note for the backlit keyboard. It is a useful thing that youāll never regret.

Stay connected
Bluetooth wireless is now built in, enabling easy communication with dozens of mobile phones, Palm PDAs, and other Bluetooth-equipped accessories such as Appleās wireless keyboard and mouse. My testing of AirPort Extreme using an AirPort Extreme Hub ($249) and a cable modem was impressive, with strong signal and more throughput than my cable modem could provide. (Itās nice to know that any speed bottleneck is the cable companyās issue and not the result of any deficiency in my equipment.) Standard wired com ports include 1000BASE-T (gigabit) Ethernet and a V.92 modem for when all else fails.

Other new and improved features are a faster video subsystem, improved audio support, and two new high-speed data ports. The ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 processor with AGP 4X support and 64MB of dedicated DDR RAM. This setup supports external monitors at up to 2048x1536 pixels with millions of colors. The 15.2 widescreen display is the same resolution (1280x854 pixels) as the last Titanium model, offering the same ultra-bright crispness and superb off-axis viewability.

Audio people like me appreciate the improved support in the new 15", with the audio input jack from the Titanium, improved stereo speakers, and a third midrange speaker to fill out the sound. For the fullest possible sound without plugging in external speakers, consider adding Octiv Volume Logic 1.0 ($19.95 from www.octiv.com). This iTunes plug-in uses a high-grade software compressor-limiter to bring up the lows that would otherwise be inaudible. The new 15" has new two high-speed USB 2.0 ports and a new ultra-fast FireWire 800 port to complement the standard FireWire 400 port.

In the pen computing department, Panther offers no apparent improvments to InkWell, the legendary Newton print recognizer that was incorporated into OS X 10.2 ćJaguarä. Apple claims InkWell is now part of the operating system in order to assist graphics tablet-using designers to enter text without using a keyboard, but the pen computing community feels it is there as insurance in case Microsoftās Tablet PCs take off. Time will tell if Apple will decide to offer a touchscreen portable, but if they do the worldās finest recognition system will be just a penstroke away.

Spotted Apples
While I am completely satisfied with my new PowerBook, it took a few days for AppleCare to get all the bugs out. My new 15", like thousands of others bought by early adopters, shipped with flawed LCD panels displaying nasty white splotches at regular intervals across the screen. A quick call to Apple and my machine was whisked overnight to Texas, where it received a flawless new LCD panel and shell. Through no fault of Appleās, I also had them replace the lower shell section due to a travel mishap (see sidebar). After the longest week I can remember, Airborne delivered my PowerBook, better than new.

Must-have accessories
No PowerBook is an island. The complete experience requires a few carefully chosen accessories. The many virtues of Dr Bottās superb TiCase II 15" are detailed in the sidebar, but what are you going to fill those cubbies with?

Most importantly, be sure you get your free upgrade to Mac OS X.3 ćPantherä if your machine does not come with it already installed. Panther is a total delight, with useful new features like Exposˇ window management, iChat AV, and overall faster, smoother performance. Youāll want an Apple iSight video camera ($149), as well. If you donāt have external speakers, I suggest pairing the attractive, great sounding Apple Pro Speakers ($59) with the iFire interface/amplifier from Griffin ($39.95, www.griffintecchnology.com).

Need the perfect backup drive? Check out the beautifully designed Mercury 80GB FireWire drive from Other World Computing, ($299, www.macsales.com) a sleek, acrylic-encased 2.5" drive that is ultra-quiet and conveniently powered from your FireWire port. The Mercury is clearly the coolest-looking external drive ever made and has excellent performance to boot.

For stabilityās sake, I prefer to keep my Macs 100% Microsoft-free, so Iāve looked at all the Microsoft Office-compatible alternatives on the market and have three to recommend. For writing I rely on Nisus Writer Express, ($59.95, www.nisus.com) a delightfully attractive, satisfyingly fast thought conductor that can read and write Microsoft Word files. For spreadsheet duty I use AppleWorks ($79) as it reads and writes Excel documents flawlessly while offering all the features Iāll ever need. And for presentations you canāt do better than Apple Keynote ($99), easily the most powerful presentation software for any computing platform.

öDavid MacNeill (dave@digicamera.com)

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