Dan Knight's TiBook Impressions (Plus Some Feedback From Me)

Charles, you and I have long predicted that the computing world will move increasingly to laptops. For that prediction to come true, especially for Mac users, Apple needs to fill niches that have heretofore been the domain of desktop computers.

The iBook really is an iMac to go, and the TiBook (aka PowerBook G4) really is a Power Mac G4 to in most respects. The screen displays a bit more than a typical 17" monitor and a bit less than my old 19" display. I've quickly become accustomed to it. Colors seem a bit washed out, but that could be because I haven't tweaked the screen's profile or found the best viewing angle.

The keyboard is a good as any PowerBook has ever had, although I wish the keys weren't so dark (hard to read in dim lighting). I'm getting used to the small arrow keys.

The trackpad is the best yet from Apple, although I prefer the button design of the iBook, where the button curves over the front edge of the computer. No room for that here.

The DVD drive mechanism is excruciatingly slow at loading, mounting, and ejecting disks. This is probably to save power, but it's frustrating how long it takes for the icon to show up on the desktop.

Performance is all I would have expected from a G4/400. Thanks to a big cache, a fast 100 MHz motherboard (well, fast compared to my 50 MHz SuperMac), and a good video set, this feels as fast as the Power Mac G4/400 I used at my last job.

I'm still trying to find a utility to measure temperature, but this baby runs hot -- and mine is the slower 400 MHz version. In fact, the fan just kicked in again. I will want to look for or build some sort of stand to improve circulation and help vent heat. Particularly odd is the heat buildup around the right speaker. Other than that, the top doesn't get too warm.

Speaking of speakers, stereo separation was quite nice when I ran the old QuickTime trailer for the X-Men movie.

In all, this is a worthy successor to my SuperMac S900, a computer designed nearly six years ago and pushed about as far as practical. That machine is going into the closet to run backup for our home network, replace my Quadra as the family file server, and possibly distribute our Internet connection to the entire home network.

Apple has met my needs. I consider the 400 MHz TiBook an exceptional value. I have a feeling this TiBook will be several years old before I'll consider parting with it.

Dan Knight
publisher, Low End Mac
http://Lowendmac.com/

Dan's experience with TiBook so far has been everything I expected and hoped it would be.

The heat issue was virtually inevitable, notwithstanding the "coldrodded" G4 Nitro chip intended to address it to some degree. The fan has never come on in my WallStreet in 25 months. I still think that offering an entry level TiBook with a fast, cool-running G3 chip for us folks who don't really need G4 horsepower but would like to have the other Ti features would have made sense.

I dunno whether Guage PRO will support measuring the TiBook's internal temperature, but it was still up on What's left of Newer Technology's website the last time I looked.

I suggest that Dan do some experimenting with the ColorSync profiles in the Mac OS 9.1 Monitors Control Panel to see if he can find one that makes the colors look less "washed out." I use the "Generic RGB Profile" on my WallStreet, but it tends to be a matter of personal taste. There are many other choices.

XLR8YourMac had free, downloadable Free LCD ColorSync Profiles for the PowerBook G3 Series machines last year. Don't know if they're still available or if they would work with TiBook
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/

I too like trackpad buttons that curve over the 'Book's nearside edge, and the one on the PB 5300/3400 is the high water mark for feel in my estimation, although the button itself was prone to breakage, and the trackpad itself on thise models wasn't the greatest.

Also check out Dan's Low End Mac column TiBook: Day 1 in which he addresses, among other things:
• Moving in
• The missing numeric keyboard (I'm with him in this, which is one reason why I use an external KB with my PowerBook most of the time).
• Various shareware items and utilities added
• Only one Ethernet port (time for a router)
• TiBook works nicely with 19" Optiquest monitor
• This baby is hot, literally
• It's fast (he has benchmarks -- 30.5 times as fast as a Quadra 605)

Charles W. Moore

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