Titanium PowerBook Report Part 6

Part VI: Final Observations

Heat
Heat seems to be an issue of concern to many PowerBook buyers. I purposely used my TiBook for a week without the benefits of my Podium Coolpad to see if heat was a problem. I occasionally found my Wallstreet uncomfortably warm for lap use, but the TiBook seems better. It does get warm in the middle, toward the back, but since that's the area that falls between your legs during lap use, it didn't bother me. It got the hottest when I used it while it was recharging the battery -- that's about the only time the fan came on. The fan is loud. At first I thought the DVD drive was spinning up to high speed, then realized I didn't have a CD in the drive!

Speaking of the Podium Coolpad, I highly recommend you get one. (Make sure you get the Podium model, as the regular Coolpad is not the right size for the TiBook.) The Podium Coolpad is a simple plastic "Lazy Susan" device, but by lifting the back of the Ti up on two extended legs, it provides airflow underneath the laptop. I especially recommend it if you tend to use your laptop on your lap or on a soft surface, like a bed, in which clothing or bedding can block air vents. It will also help support your Ti so it won't flex when you move it around.

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The Podium Coolpad is simple and inexpensive, but helps keep your laptop cool.

Trackpad
There have almost been concerns about the new trackpad. It's larger and too sensitive, according to some reports. Frankly, I've had no problems at all with the trackpad. The larger size is fine and the tracking movement is excellent. I like it better than my Wallstreet's trackpad.

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The Ti's trackpad is very large. I like it. The button's a little flat, though.

The problem that I've experienced is with the trackpad button: it's flat, without enough differentiation with the case and trackpad, causing me to get my thumb out of alignment with the button, meaning I sometimes "click" the trackpad or the Titanium case. (I tried turning on trackpad clicking, but that's always caused more problems for me than it solves.) The biggest problem with the button is that it's not flush with the edge of the case like my WallStreet: I find myself tapping the edge of the case and wondering why the software's not responding to my clicks.

Airport
I don't have a wireless network, so I can't vouch for the Ti's Airport capability. There are reports that the Titanium's have reduced Airport range -- that won't bother me, as I have a very small home. I am interested in Aiport, mostly because it's cool and I hate wires (my cats see dangling wires as lures to play), but also because wireless is the future. I will admit, however, that I'm wondering if I shouldn't have gotten my BTO with an Airport card in it: it sounds like installing the card in a Ti is very complicated.

USB Connectivity
I have a Palm III PDA I don't use enough: twice it's lost all its info because I left it for several weeks and the batteries ran down (probably the miser in me thinking I can get an extra week out of nearly dead batteries). Ironically, that's part of the reason I don't use it much: I find it a little unreliable for storing critical information. I really should use it for all my contacts, but I'm not all that impressed with Palm Desktop, and "Hotsyncing" (synchronizing the data between a computer and the PDA) is a pain.

Still, one of my new year's resolutions was to be better organized, so I really wanted to use my Palm more. Part of my thinking was to use it in conjunction with the Ti and keep all my info up-to-date.

Of course the Titanium doesn't have a serial port, so how could I Hotsync? Palm makes a USB-to-Serial adaptor, but it costs $50. I went with the $40 Keyspan USB Adapter instead, and I'm very impressed with it. It came with a CD containing the drivers for the device, and impressively, I didn't even have to reboot after they were installed!

Launching Hotsync Manager gave me the option to choose "Keyspan USB" as the connection method, and then when I pressed the Hotsync button on my Palm cable, the computer immediately began to sync the two devices. It was impressively quick and transparent, and when it was finished, the contents of my Palm were on my Titanium. Very nice.

I also succumbed to buying a 100MB USB Zip drive at a CompUSA, since my backordered unit never arrived, even after a month (I don't particularly recommend ecost, folks). The unit is not bus-powered, unfortunately, but I didn't want to spend a lot on old technology (the 100MB Zip is fading). Since all my other Zip drives are 100MB, it was perfect for my use, and I found it to work flawlessly. I can plug it in at will and immediately mount a disk, copy files, eject the disk, and unplug the drive. Thankfully the power adapter is a reasonable size, not a huge awkward brick. Even better, the USB Zip doesn't have the annoying affect of halting Mac processing during use, the way IDE/SCSI Zips do on a PowerMac G4.

Carrying Case
Before my TiBook even arrived I'd been thinking about a carrying case. I had two principal thoughts: First, I decided I'd break my trend of buying $29.95 bags for my PowerBooks and get a professional case this time. I wanted this for multiple reasons (including the fact that I've never own a decent bag), but mostly for the elegant Ti's protection.

Second, I remembered the wonderful Wetsuit I had for my PowerBook 190cs. The Wetsuit was not really a case, per se, but a skintight enclosure which wrapped around the PowerBook. It was made of the same material wetsuits use and it was designed so that you never took it off: you could work with the Wetsuit on. It didn't provide any drop protection, but it did protect the laptop's finish, kept dust off of it, and gave you a handle and something to grip.

What I wanted was something similar to the Wetsuit, or a simple pouch I could slide the Ti into and carry only it, with no accessories. It wouldn't be appropriate for a trip, but it would be ideal for carrying the Ti around like an overlarge PDA.

I found such a pouch during a discussion on the Titanium mailing list: a reference to Waterfield Design's PowerBook G4 Sleevecase, a terrific bag for only $39. I ordered mine and had it long before my Ti arrived.

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I love my G4 Sleevecase from sfbags.com.

It's a simple sleeve, with no pockets, no handle, and not even a zipper. A Velcro flap holds the opening shut, and the Ti fits it perfectly. The inside is lined with foam padding, protecting the Ti, perhaps not from a real drop, but at least from the occasional bump. It's certainly better than carrying a raw, scratch-prone Ti around.

I still haven't found a larger case yet, though I'm leaning toward a Zero Haliburton. There's no rush, though. I can make do with my old case for a while.

Battery Life
While I have not done extensive tests, my impression is that the PowerBook G4 battery is at least as good as previous laptops, and probably better. I never truly expected to get Apple's rated five hour battery life -- those figures are always based on highest-conservation usage -- but I was pleasantly surprised. My battery life ranged from three to six hours. The three-hour figure was based on heavy-duty use, doing lots of processor- and disk-intensive stuff, watching DVDs, etc., while the six hours was when the computer was on but mostly idle (with the display switched off), or doing light word processing.

I figure with some power conservation, I could easily get four or five hours of regular use, three to four doing more intensive work. That's very good, though of course, one always wants more. A ten-hour battery would not be too much.

Miscellaneous
Unlike some, I experienced no problems with static electricity (and with my cats and carpeting, I figured I might), nor problems with certain keys on the keyboard (though the down arrow key makes a sort of "double-tap" sound, making me think it's not quite as solid as other keys).

Many have complained that the Ti keyboard leaves marks on their screen, but I haven't had a problem. Apple claims this is due to dirt and oil on hands getting onto the keys and transferring to the screen, so maybe the fact that I've been meticulous about washing my hands before using my Titanium has something to do with that lack of a problem. Or it could be that my screen doesn't close perfectly: the right side is slightly ajar.

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The right side of my screen doesn't completely close. There's a tiny rubber foot on the base that's supposed to touch the top screen. On the left side, that rubber foot touches and has left a small mark on the display frame.

Conclusions
While my Titanium has a few glitches, I'm not at all unhappy with my purchase. The glitches -- even the power-off deal -- are all symptoms of the incredibly tight manufacturing tolerances of this machine. The fact that the problems either went away or became less frequent with use shows that the issues are ultimately minor. I don't think any of the common problems are the result of poor design, only manifestations of production difficulties. As Apple produces more Titaniums, these issues will fade. (Already more and more people are reporting flawless units.)

I may send my unit back to Apple for repair, if I decide I can bear to be without it for a week or so. I'll want to do it soon, because the longer I wait, the more dependent upon my Titanium I become. I figure Apple's servicing is better than any hack fix I put together, and it might be useful for them to examine my laptop. Sometimes Apple will repair other known problems at the same time, even if you aren't experiencing symptoms.

Should you purchase a Titanium now? That depends on your personality. There are always risks being an early adopter, but in this case I think they are relatively minor. If glitches bother you, wait a month or two until Apple's got things worked out, or wait for summer Macworld, where Apple will probably introduce an improved Titanium (perhaps even faster models), though those may have their own bugs.

However, the jury's still out on the PowerBook G4's longterm reliability. If things are so tight now that a slight flex knocks the battery loose, what will happen after several years of use? In some ways the microscopic fit can be good -- it forces Apple to use top-notch materials, manufacturing, and engineering -- but I wonder if the machine will loosen up over the years and introduce new problems. For instance, I like the new keyboard, but it's so thin, I'm nervous that it's fragile. In fact, I'm considering buying a joystick or external USB keyboard just to use for games. I don't play games that often (unless you count card games), but repeatedly (and violently) pressing the space bar to shoot aliens could take its tole on this keyboard.

One thing I've never done with Apple equipment but I'm going to do with this laptop is invest in AppleCare. (According to Apple, I can add AppleCare at any time during the first year's warranty.) I'd been thinking about it before I bought the PowerBook just because it's such an expensive machine, but now that I've seen the laptop and realize how difficult it's going to be to get inside there, I think it's money well spent. I didn't get AppleCare with my Wallstreet G3, and now that it's almost three years old, I wish I had. Laptops, simply because they are mobile, tend to get abused more than stationery desktop computers. If nothing else AppleCare would have made selling the old laptop easier -- maybe in two or three years I'll be ready to trade in Titanium for the latest three pound Tritanium* wonder.

*Star Trek fans should understand this reference.

That concludes this Titanium report. I hope you enjoyed it and found it valuable. Feel free to send me comments.

Titanium Report - Part 1
Marc receives his Titanium PowerBook and reports his initial impressions.

Titanium Report - Part 2
Analysis of the exterior of the Titanium PowerBook continues with an exploration of the screen and keyboard.

Titanium Report - Part 3
Marc powers up the TiBook and discovers the first problems.

Titanium Report - Part 4
Marc installs RAM, partitions the hard drive, and begins personalizing his Titanium wonder.

Titanium Report - Part 5
Performance results: Marc benchmarks the Titanium PowerBook against a 500-mhz desktop G4 in a variety of tests.

Titanium Report - Part 6
Should you buy a Titanium PowerBook now or wait for version 1.1? In this final segment, Marc comments on a variety of issues and concludes with his analysis of the Ti's worthiness.

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