Macopinion

The Road Warrior Mailbag - Monday, February 25, 2008

Ode To Old Macs

From Peter

Hi Charles,

I’m on my fifth PowerBook. The first three were hand-me-downs that usually supplemented my desktops. All were good - especially the Duo which came with a dock that performed perfectly and could be used as a desktop replacement. Then came the Pismo: a true computing revelation. Everyone I knew wanted it. I ended its service after 5+ years only when the screen hinge gave way.

Truth be told, the Pismo’s last few years were not pretty. The road can wear down the laptop as much as it wears down the one who is carrying it. Hotels, coffee shops, meetings in restaurants and presentations from podiums paid a harsh toll on the Pismo body. Oh, and those presentations. Rendering video clips to inset in PowerPoint consumed the machine for hours. Which led to another issue. Even with maxed out RAM, smooth playback took work. Restart - close every possible ancillary program - present for three house - restart - hope you can make it through the day without the machine stuttering.

From the dearly departed Pismo I went to the 15” G4 1.5. The performance of this machine made the Pismo a distant memory. I’m not just talking about raw processing power; this thing is durable. I may not be able to  easily upgrade the hard drive or DVD, but I can live with the current specs. Two and half years into it’s life, it works as well as the day I purchased it.

Like you, I loved my Pismo.  But my mourning was brief once I sold off the Pismo’s parts and handled the midi Al. It’s been my best performer - especially with Leopard. I can appreciate your nostalgia old laptops, but like the fading memories of our elders, the “good old days” weren’t all that great in light of our new conveniences.

Peter

PS. Thank you for all your good work. You’re a pleasure to read.

Hi Peter;

Thank you for the commentary and the kind comments about my scribbling.

Of course for me, the Pismo is still a current reality rather than a distant memory, since I stil have two Pismos, albeit somewhat hotrodded ones, in daily service alongside my 1.33 GHz 17" PowerBook G4, which according to Primate Labs' benchmarking offers just about the same performance as your 1.5 GHz 15-incher.

The Big AlBook is definittely an excellent computer, and it has given me two years of trouble-free service in intensive use. It also outperforms the 550 MHz Pismos even running with the processor speed reduced (presumably to about 667 MHz) which I do most of the time in aid of keeping the cooling fans quiet.

However. I have to say that I enjoy using the Pismo smore, especially in actual laptop mode. It has a much more comfortable and friendly feel, and the keyboard and trackpad are markedly superior to the ones in the aluminum machine. Also, the Pismo's cooling fan never cuts in.

I don't gainsay that there are limits. I don't do much with video or presentation software at all, so that hasn't been an issue for me yet. The most processor intensive task I put my machines to routinely is dictation transcription, and the 550 MHz Pismo handles that very nicely.

I find that Photoshop Elements 4 is also a decent performer on the Pismo, a bit more sluggish than on the 1.33 GHz unit at full processor speed, but still quite acceptable by comparison.

I love them both, but my heart still belongs to the Pismo.

Charles

PowerBook 3400c And Others

From: Ryan

Hello:

Can't help but agree, the 3400c is a tank and a good machine. I never liked it as much as the 1400c or Wallstreet, but still a good solid machine. His comments are in line with my preferences. While I have a MacBook Pro, there is something so impersonal about them, and I dislike alumium and the sharp bezel.

I have tricked out a Wallstreet and am using it as much as I can. I love the screen and keyboard. Better than my MacBook Pro. I also have the 466 Clamshell that I really like, but the screen is too small. Anyway, it is refreshing using these older machines I prefer them.

Hi Ryan;

I pretty much agree.

I had (have) a PowerBook 5300 which I liked a lot - my first laptop, and the 3400c has a few things in common with the 5300, sucj as the keyboard and trackpad, and its general styling theme,

I do like the PowerBook 1400 and WallStreet better.

I also agree about the impersonality of the aluminum machines, and I don;t much like the tactile feel of aluminum either.

I love the late revision clamshell iBooks like yours, and would probably have one were it not for the small screen issue. It's the same display as in my WallStreet LE, and 800 x 600 resolution is simply not adequate anymore, especially for OS X.

However, the PowerBook Guy was advertising a Key Lime (my ultimate fave iBook color) 366 MHZ unit for $259.95 last week, and I was tempted.

Charles

CM