Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2005.02.11
General Apple and Mac desktops are now covered in The Mac News Review.
This
week's Mac News Review: PC
enthusiasts willing to consider a Mac, Mac mini tips, Dell clueless
to home market, and more. Also Mac mini as a low-cost server,
C-Station's Relaxation Station, new Kanguru Quicksilver hard
drives, computing's silent revolution, and more.
Mac Laptops Have Fewest Repairs, Best Tech
Support
The Mac Observer's Brad
Gibson reports:
"Apple's iBook and PowerBook portables have the fewest reports
of repairs and the best technical support of any laptop PC on the
market today, according to the March issue of Consumer Reports
magazine.
"Using data similar to that released last December in its
desktop ratings report, the Consumers Union (CU) said Apple had the
fewest repairs of laptops at 16%. Toshiba and Sony were second and
third at 17%. Gateway had the worst laptop repair ranking among
more than 57,000 CU members at 23%.
"A similar survey of 69,000 desktop users gave Apple the best
repair history at just 13%."
Laptop Replacement vs. Repair
Forbes'
Arik Hesseldahl says:
"When those strange and unfamiliar electronic tones emitted from
my PowerBook, I knew it was going to be an expensive day.
"I've lugged this PowerBook G4
from Apple Computer for the better part of four years. I've
replaced its hard drive once and its battery once. Only once has it
given me any significant trouble, and that was when, during a trip
to San Francisco, the hard drive decided go on an intermittent
strike, working only some of the time....
"A long visit with a friendly technician at the Apple Store
. . . was frustrating - through no fault of his - but
mostly because after I carefully described the problem, the machine
exhibited none of the symptoms....
"Since time was short and I had no confidence in this machine, I
opted instead to plunk down the cash for a new PowerBook. I opted
for the 15-inch model with the
1.67-gigahertz processor, an 80-gigabyte hard drive and a
SuperDrive that can burn both CDs and DVDs....
I fell in love with this new machine right away . . .
but the episode has me thinking about the entire economic
experience of laptop ownership, repair and so on. I don't know what
the typical lifespan is for a laptop computer, but I'm betting it's
not long....
"Today's laptop designers are being lauded for their design
expertise and for their ability to cram all sorts of features into
ever-thinner and lighter bodies. But why aren't hard drives as easy
to replace in a laptop as the battery in a mobile phone? Why should
I have to pay a professional to do the work to replace it, and in
some cases lose the use of the machine for a few days in order to
get it done?"
I agree emphatically, and I've been droning on about this issue
for years. I love my iBook, but nothing has gone wrong with it in
25 months of use, and I know that if, say, the hard drive croaked,
it would require major, complex, and delicate surgery to replace
it. Ditto for pretty much any other internal component save for
RAM. It shouldn't be this way.
G5 power and razor thin form factors, phooey. What would really
get me excited is a truly user friendly, simple to service, repair,
and upgrade laptop with modular, plug-in components, and things
like the hard drive and RAM slots accessible through easy to remove
panels or slide-in modules.
A Fast But Hot Notebook
Forbes'
Arik Hesseldahl reports:
"Last week I wrote about how and why I came to be the owner of a
new Apple PowerBook G4. Today I'll discuss how much I like it, and
whether it seems worth what I paid.
"What I liked right away was the speed.... This machine
screams....
"It was also nice to graduate to updated versions of things like
the USB ports and WiFi....
"That kind of performance comes with a price, paid in heat.
After a using a PowerBook - indeed any modern notebook - for a
while, you can't help but notice that everything seems to feel
hot....
"I like to give the PowerBook breaks now and then to dissipate
this heat, so I make sure I shut it down if I'm not going to use it
for an hour or more. You don't want to sense that heat with every
keystroke. This is a good indication why Apple has yet to put an
IBM G5 chip in a notebook, as has long been rumored. If this G4
runs as hot as it does, I can only imagine the cooling challenges
associated with a G5 in a similarly sized enclosure."
PowerBook G5 a Ways Off, Possibly 2006
Mac
Observer comments:
"While Apple managed to squeeze the G5 into the two-inch thick
iMac, halving that width is proving to be a daunting task. Last
month, Apple VP Tim Cook called a PowerBook G5 'the mother of all
thermal challenges.'
"Michael Gartenberg, an analyst for Jupiter Research, said he
would be surprised to see a PowerBook G5 in 2005...."
Mac Observer forum participant Small White Car comments:
"Good for Apple. Waiting until they can make a G5 PowerBook
that's GOOD as opposed to just sticking a G5 in a laptop and saying
'done!'....
"...the computer world has ALWAYS been divided into 'Portable'
or 'Powerful' computers. You have to decide what you want. It's
always been that way, and it always will be."
I agree.
IBM to Use Strained Silicon to Produce G5 for
PowerBook
engadget.com's Joshua Fruhlinger
reports:
"A new chip-making process using something called strained
silicon promises to produce a less-power-hungry G5 chip that will
make a PowerBook G5 a reality. The new process allows the CPU's
transistors to be sped up, improving clock time without requiring
more power. So, will this happen any time soon? Most likely not,
but here's to hoping."
Columnist Wants a Lighter PowerBook
O'Reilly Network's David Sklar
asks:
"Where's my 3.5 lb Mac notebook?
"When Apple announced new PowerBooks recently I thought, 'Ah,
finally, they'll release a 12" screen model without an optical
drive so that it will be much lighter!' But I was wrong (and
disappointed.)
"One of the primary reasons I bought my ThinkPad X31 two years
ago was its weight (or lack thereof): 3.6 lbs with battery. The
lightest PowerBook (or iBook or TiBook or WiFiBook or whatever
Apple is calling their notebook computers then or now) was 4.9 lbs.
The lightest one of the new crop from Apple is 4.6 lbs.
"So how about it, Apple? I'm willing to pay a financial premium,
but not a mass premium. Where's my 3.5 lb (or less!) Mac
notebook?"
TechRestore Announces Stainless Steel Hinge
Repair Program for Titanium PowerBook G4
PR: TechRestore,
Inc. has begun offering a worldwide PowerBook G4 LCD hinge
replacement service using stainless steel hardware. The replacement
stainless steel hinge assembly is over 50% stronger than the
standard hinge and offers the ultimate in protection against future
failures. "The TechRestore team has performed thousands of G4
Titanium hinge repairs since the systems introduction in 2001,"
said Shannon Jean, Founder and President of TechRestore. "With our
new Stainless Steel hardware, we've increased the strength of the
hinge area dramatically."
The TechRestore hinge replacement service is a complete,
door-to-door overnight service for customers in the continental
U.S. Customers outside the U.S. use our Self-Restore program to
send in their PowerBooks for the hinge service. Once a repair is
scheduled, a RestoreBox is sent via overnight courier to the
customers home, office or school where their system is picked up
and brought back overnight to TechRestore. Within 48-hours of
receipt, the hinge replacement is completed and the system is sent
back to the customer's location via overnight courier.
The Stainless Steel Hinge Repair Program is just $349 which
includes all overnight shipping charges, repair parts and
installation. The standard hinge replacement service is available
for $299. The hinge repairs are performed in an antistatic and
dust-free environment by a TechRestore Certified Technician.
"We're thrilled to have our new Stainless Steel hinges to offer
our customers," said Jean. "They offer a new level of protection
for G4 Titanium owners and eliminate the worry over hinge
problems."
MouseZoom Mouse Accelerator 2.0
PR: MouseZoom
is a Mac OS X Cocoa pref pane that speeds up your mouse cursor
movement in Mac OS X.
Reportedly, it speeds up the sluggish tracking of the new
scrollable trackpads in the latest PowerBooks
As of version 2.0, the speed is set "live" without having to log
out before it takes effect. To do this, MouseZoom uses the same
method as Apple's mouse panel.
CD Cyclone 4x DVD Revo External FireWire DVD
Burner
PR: The
CD Cyclone 4x DVD Revo External DVD Burner offers fast
write speeds, the speed of a FireWire interface, a powerful
software bundle, and full compatibility with DVD-R/RW media. It
allows you to put your video projects on DVD, back up important
documents, and watch DVD movies on your computer. It is fully
compatible with a wide variety of media, giving you an excellent
solution for your home or office, and features a stylish and
practical handle for easy transportation.
This Revo is bundled with Toast 5.0
disc-burning software for the Macintosh (requires OS 9 or
later), an all-in-one solution for writing CDs. This perfect
burning companion to iTunes burns fast, burns clean, burns on more
drives, and now burns in the background too.
Key Features
- Fast Burning: The drive writes a full DVD-R disc in about 15
minutes and a full DVD-RW disc in about 30 minutes.
- Multiple Formats Supported: The drive supports a full range of
DVD and CD formats, giving you flexible storage options and a
wide-open choice of media.
- Extensive Software Bundle: The drive is bundled with Toast 5.0
disc-burning software for the Macintosh, an all-in-one solution for
writing CDs. This perfect burning companion to iTunes burns fast,
burns clean, burns on more drives, and now burns in the background
too.
- High-Speed FireWire Connection: The FireWire connection
provides fast data transfer and cross-platform compatibility.
- Hot-Swappable Convenience: The drive can be connected and
disconnected from a computer without the need to reboot.
- Easy Portability: The drive weighs only 4 pounds and features a
built-in handle for easy transportation.
Price: $288.95
Bargain 'Books
There are two different versions of WallStreet running at 233
MHz, the cacheless MainStreet version and the later
Series II with a level 2
cache. It's not always possible to determine from the vendor's
listing which is being offered, so we've included links within this
paragraph to the two models. The same goes for the PowerBook G4/667 (VGA) and G4/667 (DVI), the titanium vs. aluminum
15" PowerBook G4 at 1 GHz, and 1.25 GHz to 1.5 GHz 15"
PowerBooks.
- 12" iBook G3/800,
128/30/Combo, TechRestore 6 Month Warranty, 30 Day Refund,
$649.99
- 12" PowerBook G4/867,
128/40/SuperDrive, Bluetooth, TechRestore 6 Month Warranty, 30 Day
Refund, $999.99
New and unopened Apple products:
- 12" PowerBook G4/867,
512/40/Combo, $949
- 15" PowerBook G4/500,
256/20/DVD, $679
- 15" PowerBook G4/550,
256/20/DVD, $759
- 15" PowerBook G4/667, 512/30/Combo, $825
- 15" PowerBook G4/800,
512/40/Combo, $969
For more deals on current or recently discontinued models, see
our Best PowerBook G4
Deals, Best iBook G4
Deals, and Best
iBook G3 Deals.
