Despite its faults, the PowerBook
190 is a good little machine. I've only had mine since April of
this year, but I've fallen in love with it.
The keyboard is starting to show its age, and the battery needs to
be reconditioned, but it's still a great machine. As a travel machine,
it's wonderful, due to a small footprint and being fairly lightweight
(6 lb.). It's pretty heavy compared to current iBooks and PowerBooks,
but it's lighter than most new Windows notebooks.
I did have to replace the logic board on mine. That's a common
occurrence on older notebooks, and the power connector woes that
plagued the PowerBook 190 and 5300 (the PowerPC version of this 'Book)
are still popping up.
Also, the 9.5" 640 x 480
screen is pretty small, especially compared with the 17" CRT on my PC
desktop, but the little grayscale display is comfortable to read.
I really can't say much about this little machine except for how
good it's been. The keyboard, as much as it's showing its age, is still
better than any of my PCs have, both desktop and notebook. Also,
despite some serious abuse, it's held up pretty well.
I'm having trouble describing this little machine, for it almost
defies description. Sure, the specifications are there, but numbers
can't describe the emotional experience of being a Mac owner. So
instead of pointing out little things I like about this little laptop,
I'm going to share some true stories about my carrying the little 'Book
out into the big, bad Windoze world.
What Is It?
I was out on a church trip to the local waterfalls, and I was
sitting on a hill overlooking the falls, watching the Junior High bunch
playing in the water and writing, when I noticed a crowd starting to
gather around me - to be more precise, around the little 'Book. Someone
even asked what version of Windows it ran.
The moral here is that even the little 190 is a beacon shining out
over the stormy seas of Windows, calling out to the masses and offering
them a way of escape to a warm, cozy home.
Scoffer Changes Tune
I had the 190 with me at the BPA National Leadership Conference in
Anaheim earlier this year, along with Ben and Rod, my fellow
conspirators in Macinations.
Rod, who was at that time an avid Windoze user, was poking fun at
the little 190. I mean, it's a 10-year-old laptop - of course it's not
going to be impressive. Fortunately, he was also poking fun at Ben's
new PowerBook G4, until he saw the multimedia capabilities of
OS X.
But this article is about the 190. Well, I told Rod that if he
thought Macs were so miserable, why doesn't he try it out. Within 10
minutes, I had him wanting to replace his dull Dell with a Mac.
Moral: The 190 is still much better than a new Windows machine.
Enough said.
I know that my stories are just the typical, biased Mac fanatic
spiel that everyone has, but it's still not a bad machine.
My Impressions
The 190 is a solid, inexpensive way to start out with a Mac. The
fact that it's a 68K machine limits its capabilities somewhat, but it's
still a solid contender, along with the Duo and 5xx series PowerBooks.
And the ability to upgrade to a 5300 logic board is always nice, not
that I ever would....
Unfortunately, my days of carrying the little 190 are over.
She's getting old, and I'm requiring more and more power for my daily
use, in addition to needing a battery replacement that is more
expensive than it would be to buy a nice used 1400.
She will always hold a dear spot on my bookshelf, but the nostalgic
days of running System 7.5.3 and doing more than just typing are waning
fast.
Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.
