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S$2788
Product Summary
7.3
out of 10View score
The bad: Lacks external volume and multimedia controls; middling gaming performance; just average battery life; free phone support lasts just 90 days.
The bottom line: Though pricier than the 12-inch iBook G4 and some comparable PC laptops, the 12-inch PowerBook G4's performance, solid set of features and software, and killer design will overjoy intermediate and advanced mobile users.
Read full review of the Apple PowerBook G4 »
Average User Rating
CNET Asia Review
No one can argue that the 12-inch Apple PowerBook G4 isn't attractive; go into an Apple store and just try to resist it. At
Though we think the 12-inch iBook G4 is the better choice for basic users, we think the 12-inch PowerBook offers a better combination of power, features, and battery life for the price than any other Apple laptop. As such, unless you engage in video editing on the fly or have some other essential reason to haul around a 15- or 17-inch display, we recommend the cheaper, more compact 12-inch model to the larger PowerBooks. (Use the money you'll save to buy an LCD monitor to use with your laptop at home or at work.)
Design
The 12-inch PowerBook G4's rock solid, aluminum alloy case is an upscale adaptation of Apple's less expensive, polycarbonate iBook G4. The 12-inch PowerBook G4 is smaller than the 12-inch iBook G4, measuring a modest 277 x 214 x 30mm at 2.1kg, it's on the lighter side of the thin-and-light spectrum. The PowerBook G4's three-prong AC adapter has handy fold-out wings that you can neatly wrap the cord around, as well as a two-prong adapter.
Like the iBook G4, the PowerBook G4 has a comfortable keyboard with rounded keys shaped to fit your fingers; our only beef is the grossly undersize arrow keypad. The spacious touch pad's two-finger scrolling feature, for scrolling horizontally and vertically, is magical (use it for a few days, and you'll wonder how you ever did without it). The display, which actually measures 12.1-inches (diagonal), features a standard 1,024 x 768 native resolution--not optimal for graphics work but adequate for general use; many 12-inch PowerBook G4 owners use an external display at home or work. We like the laptop's speakers, which hide underneath the central screen hinge yet somehow provide rich, multilayered sound. The 12-inch PowerBook G4 lacks the external multimedia controls found on many other laptops--that's the price you pay for a streamlined design. A note of caution to those who live in cold climates: the aluminum alloy wrist rest can feel downright chilly until your typing hands warm it up.
Features
All of the PowerBook G4's ports sit along its left edge; they're largely similar to what you'll find on the 12-inch iBook G4. For networking, the 12-inch PowerBook provides 56Kbps modem and 10/100 Ethernet ports. Also onboard are connections for headphones, audio line-in (which the iBook lacks), power, two USB 2.0 ports, a mini-DVI port that accommodates adapters for DVI, VGA, S-Video, and composite video connections. Our test unit also had a six-pin, 400Mbps FireWire port. The opposite edge hosts the slot-loading, single-layer DVD burner, which we prefer to a breakable optical drive tray.
 The iconic PowerBook design. |
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Our 12-inch PowerBook G4 test unit sells for
Performance And Battery Life
In CNET Labs' tests, the 12-inch PowerBook G4 excelled with productivity tasks. Using iTunes, it converted a music file into MP3 format in the same fast time as the beefier 15-inch version and surpassed the larger model by more than one minute in our Photoshop CS trials. Despite its small size, the 12-iinch PowerBook G4 has the chops for serious graphics work. Neither model did well, however, on our Unreal Tournament 2004 test, and the 12-inch PowerBook G4's 17.5 frames per second won't cut the mustard for serious gaming.
| iTunes MP3 conversion (Shorter bars indicate faster performance) |
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| Photoshop CS (Shorter bars indicate faster performance) |
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| Unreal Tournament 2004 (Longer bars indicate faster performance) |
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Likewise, the 12-inch PowerBook G4 delivered just average battery life. The system played our test DVD for 3.1 hours--about average for laptops in general, though a little short for the typical thin-and-light. Still, the 12-inch PowerBook G4 beat out its 15-inch and 17-inch counterparts, which lasted a respective 2.9 and 2.7 hours.
| DVD movie battery-drain test (Longer bars indicate longer battery life) |
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Service And Support
Apple notebooks have a one-year local warranty. At Apple's support Web site, Mac owners can download the latest drivers and manuals. In the event of simple malfunctions, the company offers an online knowledge database and support forum for troubleshooting. Should the Mac require further diagnosis or repair, the notebooks has to be brought to the Apple CareCenter. For the first 90 days, there will be complimentary telephone support to resolve any Mac related inquiries. If such a service is invaluable, the warranty can be upgraded to AppleCare Protection Plan for an additional
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