Apple Notebook Computers

With the PowerBook G4, Apple seems to have put a lot of effort into getting things just right. They have here come up with the successor to the Titanium PowerBook, again implementing a G4 processor, but the 1.5 GHz has been pumped up to 1.67 GHz, and the titanium has been replaced by aluminium-and that's why it's been nicked the AlBook. The AlBook comes in three flavours-the 12-inch, the 17-inch, and the one we had a look at-the 15-inch. All new PowerBooks come with a standard 512 MB of memory, fast graphics, integrated Airport 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0 wireless networking, and two new Apple technologies-the scrolling TrackPad and the Sudden Motion Sensor (SMS).

The SMS senses change in axis position and accelerated movement. In the event of a drop or fall, the SMS instantly parks the hard drive heads so they won't scratch the disks on impact, lessening the risk of damage and improving your chances of retrieving valuable data. When the SMS Senses the PowerBook is once again been levelled, it automatically unlocks hard drive heads.

The TrackPad can sense dualtouch and switch to the scroll feature instantly upon dualtouch, and it works with almost all application windows. The other interesting aspect about this Apple is the OS: Tiger, the latest Mac OS, looks very stable, and is laden with such features as the 'DashBoard', and most importantly, the 'Spotlight'-a real-time indexing engine finds anything on your hard disk as-you-type!

Graphics on the AlBook 15-inch is powered by the ATi Radeon 9700 64 MB (AGP) GPU. The LCD screen is 15.2 inches diagonally, and the picture is clear. The hard disk is 80 GB, and the processor is a 1.67 GHz PowerPC G4.

Also notable is the ambient light-sensor device that turns on the backlit keyboard an reduces the intensity of the LCD screen in dim light. it is also the only laptop out ther that has both FireWire 400 and 800. The other ports are Gigabit Ethernet, S-Video out and DVI. This one also flaunts a slot-loadable SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW).

Open or closed, the chassis is commendably rigid for such a thin structure. The AlBook has all its ports on the sides rather than on the back.There are also no easy-to-break doors hiding the ports!

There's one issue, though: battery life. We tested it by playing a DVD video, and the time recorded was a little less than two hours. Note that this is the worst-case scenario; under normal operation, you can add a 40 to 60 minutes to that. More than just a pleasant change Windows world, this is a unique experience: a world of innovation and perfection at a reasonable price- $2000

The MacBook Pro and the new iMac are the first Apple notebooks to feature Intel processors, with the rest of its lines expected to switch to Intel during the Apple Intel transition. The notebook weighs 5.6 pounds (2.54 kg) and looks very similar to the last aluminum 15" PowerBook; however, it is slightly thinner with a thickness of 2.59 cm, and features a slightly larger screen at 15.4 inches diagonally versus the previous Powerbook's 15.2 inch screen.

Features: 1.67 GHz or 1.83 GHz 32-bit Intel Core Duo processor

60 watt hour lithium ion polymer battery, charged by 85 watt power adapter with MagSafe port

* PCI Express: ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128 MB or 256 MB of GDDR3 SDRAM and dual-link DVI; ExpressCard/34 slot

* Hard disk drive: 80 GB or 100 GB Serial ATA/100; 5400 rpm (Option of 100, 7200 RPM drive, or 120 GB, 5400 RPM drive), with Sudden Motion Sensor

* Optical drive: SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW) dual layer read, single layer write

* Memory: 512 MB or 1 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (One SO-DIMM supplied, has two slots.)

* Display: 15.4-inch (diagonal), 1440 × 900 resolution, TFT LCD widescreen

* Ethernet: Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit)

* Wireless: Built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11g); built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

* Other I/O: Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 port, IR sensor

* Weight: 2.54 kg / 5.6 pounds

* Footprint: 35.7 × 24.3 cm / 14.1 × 9.6 inches

* Thickness: 2.59 cm / 1.0 inches

* Firmware: Extensible Firmware Interface