Macopinion

The Road Warrior Mailbag - July 23, 2007

Pismo question

From Laurie Russo

Hey Charles,

Don't know if you remember me, I was the one last year who bought the Pismo off eBay and it literally went up in smoke.

I've been on the Apple Support Forums and have had no luck, that's when I realized I should have come to you! Long story short, the trackpad has suddenly stopped responding. Everything's fine with a mouse attached, but obviously that's not ideal. Is this fixable for an affordable price? I called Tekserve and they said no, but as much as I trust them, that doesn't seem likely to me. And I am NO GOOD at dealing with a computer's insides. I will destroy it if I even try.

Any advice you can give would be great. Besides the fact that it runs at 130 degrees after it's been on for more than 10 minutes (I installed Temperature Monitor, which I read about in your column), I love this thing... and I can't afford yet another computer.

Best,
Laurie

Hi Laurie;

Yes, I remember our exchange last year.

Your trackpad problem could be something as simple as a loose ribbon cable, more likely a bad trackpad circuit, or even a motherboard problem. Other than the first possibility, paying a service tech to diagnose and repair this fault would quickly exceed what the computer is worth, so the Tekserv folks were being responsible.

And if you're not handy with computer internals, a trackpad repair is not the place to start learning.

What I would suggest is to try and find another Pismo cheap. Wegener Media has a bunch of them, and you might be able to persuade them to sell you just the computer core at a discount and then you could swap in the battery, optical drive, power adapter, and perhaps even the RAM and hard drive from your present Pismo.

Another option would be to pick up a 500 Mhz or 600 MHz G3 iBook, models which are selling in the $200 range.

130 degrees is definitely warm for a Pismo, but not off the charts. Actually, that's what my 17" G4 PowerBook is running right now.

Charles

Re: Pismo question

From Laurie Russo

Yikes. That's what I was afraid you'd say. I've had this machine for a scant year and spent $600

Some dude on Craigslist is selling a 500/640/60GB/DVD for $200... I'm going to do my best to be the first one there with the cash, because I'm totally in love with the Pismo.

Thanks, as always, for your expert advice!

Laurie

Hi Laurie;

Sounds like a good deal if it's in decent working condition, and of course you have your present Pismo for a parts mule.

Charles

A question about Ti paint

From Anthony Connors

Dear Charles;

I figured if ANYONE would know about this, you would!

My question is this; Is there ANY 'touch-up' paint kits that you would recommend for the finish on the Titanium PowerBookG4? Is Apple planning on offering a 'touch-up' service similar to the power adapter program(the 'Wallstreet' Series)?

I'm sorry, I should explain. The silery finish has worn easily around where I press the mouse button.

Thanks again!

Anthony Connors

P.S. The iKlear wipes worked great, thank you!!

Hi Anthony;

Delighted to hear that the iKlear worked out well for you.

As for TiBook touchup paint, here is a possible solution:

http://www.welovemacs.com/0155044349.html

http://www.tipaint.com/

I haven't used this product, but it looks promising.

This article may also be of interest:
http://www.macmod.com/content/view/568/192/

Charles

Why The Notebook Still Rules, iPhone Notwithstanding

From David Walker

The rise of the ultraportable notebook in the Windows PC world appears to be proof that handhelds cannot replace full fledged computers. However, the majority of people have no need to carry a computer around with them all the time. In the everyday life of the average consumer a device like the iPhone makes much more sense. I certainly don't need a notebook with me while I shop, but the ability to look up more information on a product, check the price at a competing store, get a map to find recommended help, etc. would be terrific. If that was all available in a pocket sized device with long battery life I'd carry it with me all the time. That's the promise of the iPhone and why it will soon surpass the Mac as the best selling OS X product.

Unlike you I see no need for a notebook computer in my life. I have a desktop computer at home and one at work. Rarely do I need to move data from one to the other, but 160GB mobile HDs and VPN access more than suffice. I'm intrigued that you listed ergonomics as the primarly reason for using a notebook over a handheld because I see that as a major reason to use a desktop over a notebook.

Also unlike you I've not been pleased with the performance of notebooks over the years. They've always felt slow and the battery life has never lived up to the claims. I'm also addicted to large screens, something that only recent PowerBooks and MacBooks have supported.

Hi David;

I didn't intend to imply that the iPhone is not useful, but was responding to the notion that the personal computer era is over and that the future is in handheld devices.

Handhelds certainly have a bright future, but they will not replace the PC - especially laptops, which continue to gain marketshare. I'm skeptical that the iPhone will outsell the Mac anytime in the foreseeable future, but wish Apple well in continuing what has been an auspicious product launch.

As for notebooks vs. desktops, it's another of those neverending dialectics, and one's preference is of course partly a matter of taste. As I noted in the article, I have never been able to discern any reason why I would want to use a desktop machine for my particular computing needs since I bought my first PowerBook back in '96, but I know some folks like 'em.

My reference to ergonomics in the article was relative to the iPhone, which a laptop beats hands-down for typing. When I'm using my laptops at a desktop workstation I connect an external keyboard and pointing device(es), and mount the computer on a notebook stand, which takes care of the desktop ergonomics, and I can switch to laptop mode by disconnecting a few cables.

I have a 17" PowerBook, but I'm not really a big-screen junkie, and am quite happy for the most part working with the 1024 x 768 displays in my Pismos and iBook. Battery life? I have three extended life batteries for the Pismo, which cumulatively provide me with at least 12 hours of uninterrupted computing.

I find it hard to imagine anyone bit an uber power-user being dissatisfied with the speed of a Santa Rosa MacBook Pro

Thanks for your comment.

Charles

Re: Why The Notebook Still Rules, iPhone Notwithstanding

From David Walker

The MacBook Pro is quite the machine. I've had the opportunity to use a Core 2 Duo model at work and find it very quick. Having said that a desktop PC with equivalent horsepower is roughly half the price, something Apple could do if they wanted to.

I also like desktops for the ease of upgrading components, particularly the HD. In the last 10 years I've had three HDs die on me in unrecoverable ways. Fortunately none of them were my primary drive at the time. To keep my data safe I replace my HD every year and use the old drive as a backup. That's easy and affordable in the desktop world.

I find one large display is great for home, but inadequate for work where I need to have iChat, Mail and often 3 documents created with 3 different apps visible at once. When things get really hectic I even see value in Windows' approach of embedding a menu bar in each window. Having to move the mouse and my attention off one screen and onto another just to access the menu can be frustrating.

Hi David;

I think Apple is correct in steering clear of the low-profit cheapo PC end of the market. Macs are cheaper than they ever were, and I condsidered them a good value (I'm still using a seven year old Pismo as my number two computer in daily service) at the older, higher prices.

You have a point about easy upgrading, but the MacBook (not the Pro) is very easy to swap hard drives in, and I can change the HD in a Pismo in about ten minutes with only a couple of screwdrivers. In15 years of computing with Macs, I've had two HD failures, both brand-new drives with less than 100 hours on them - one a 2.5" drive in an external FireWire housing, and the other a 3.5" desktop drive. I'm on my computers at least 10 hours a day.

Monitor size is partly a matter of taste and work habits. I use windowshading and the Hide command extensively.

Charles

CM