A Look at the 2001 Titanium PowerBook G4 and 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Max

[Darth Tulhu]

I upgraded from a 2015 15 inch MBP and the feel of weight and size is nearly identical. The only reason it comes out thicker is the new bulky feet which I don't mind. For 2016-2019 MBP users the 16 may feel big but for anyone who was holding out for a non terrible Apple laptop it's been great.

I also think that the loss of the soft tapers on the top and bottom lids removes the previous illusion of thinness.

It took me seeing them in person to warm up to the design, but once I did I realized the elegance was still there.

 

[_ale]

There are two features that the older PowerBook has that the newer MBP doesn't (and needs badly):

The PowerBook had a superior keyboard and no notch. Otherwise, the MBP is better.

Never had that Powerbook, but another thing I will miss from my mid-2010 Mbp when I will move on, is the battery charge indicators (with button) on the side. Have to say they probably are less useful now that battery life is super long.

 

[GMShadow]

There are two features that the older PowerBook has that the newer MBP doesn't (and needs badly):

The PowerBook had a superior keyboard and no notch. Otherwise, the MBP is better.

Those older keyboards tended to wear out more quickly, and because you removed them to get at the RAM they tended to bounce more easily as well.

 

[metapunk2077fail]

There are two features that the older PowerBook has that the newer MBP doesn't (and needs badly):

The PowerBook had a superior keyboard and no notch. Otherwise, the MBP is better.

PowerBook G4 keyboard wasn't stable and firm and the caps could easily break off. It was a thin flexible component that only had a tiny plastic screw at the top row to hold it in place.

The first version I had, 400Mhz, ran so hot it would scold your lap. After the 550Mhz update it ran much cooler.

Trackpad was also glued solid to the top case making it nearly impossible to replace without damaging the case and the connector.

The white paint wore off and the titanium developed little black pits after being exposed to sweat or anything acidic for some time.

The hinges were the most infamous weak point.

Overall I'd say the PowerBook G3 was a more durable design, but it was a chunky mother.

 

[marinersaptcomplex]

Do you know what the cost of the PowerBook was?

Initially started at $2,599(USD) in early 2001, but was dropped to $2,199 by mid-year.

Adjusted for inflation that's about $4,081.28/3,453.15 for the base model.

 

[Arctic Moose]

the battery charge indicators (with button) on the side

I still really miss that. I could unzip a bag just a little to check charge status. Now I need to get the computer all the way out and open it (and wait for it to boot if it is off) to determine charge status.

 

[metapunk2077fail]

I still really miss that. I could unzip a bag just a little to check charge status. Now I need to get the computer all the way out and open it (and wait for it to boot if it is off) to determine charge status.

The indicator wasn't accurate after a few years or after the battery had lots half its cycles. At that point it is very hard to depict battery percentage accurately across a row of a few LEDs.

A more accurate method would probably be displaying the battery life of all your iCloud connected devices on an iPhone display.

 

[venom600]

I still remember being at the Macworld in 2001 when the TiBook was announced. To this day I think it's the most important design Apple has built in the last quarter century. Before that most computers were as wide as the keyboard, no one had a wide screen, and no one outside of Sony was doing anything with metal chassis. Every 15"+ notebook Apple has released since followed that design... speakers on either side of the keyboard, wide screen, metal chassis.

Also, for those complaining about the size of the 16" Macbooks, it's important to remember that the TiBook was so small and light at the time compared to the 6-7-8, even 9lb competition that there was serious debate about whether or not it should be classed a subnotebook (think Macbook Air).

 

[EugW]

I still remember being at the Macworld in 2001 when the TiBook was announced. To this day I think it's the most important design Apple has built in the last quarter century. Before that most computers were as wide as the keyboard, no one had a wide screen, and no one outside of Sony was doing anything with metal chassis. Every 15"+ notebook Apple has released since followed that design... speakers on either side of the keyboard, wide screen, metal chassis.

Also, for those complaining about the size of the 16" Macbooks, it's important to remember that the TiBook was so small and light at the time compared to the 6-7-8, even 9lb competition that there was serious debate about whether or not it should be classed a subnotebook (think Macbook Air).

Heh. One year later, the TiBook p!ssed me off soooo much. ?

It was a nice machine but I was coming from a 12" iBook and loved the 12" form factor. However, the G3 600 in it was too slow so I had to upgrade. I swore up and down that Apple just had to release a 12" PowerBook, and told my Mac friends that too, but they just all said I was crazy and Apple wouldn't do that. Then the November 2002 event happened, and just like my friends said, Apple did NOT release that 12" PowerBook. Instead they updated the TiBook with a SuperDrive and released no other laptop. So, dejected and proven wrong, I bit the bullet and bought the 15" TiBook.

Two months later, Apple released the 12" PowerBook, and with USB 2 no less.

I was bitter for years.

If you can't carry 4.5lbs a few times a day you need to hit the gym

I can't tell you how many business and professional colleagues* I've told to buy ultrabooks for their use on their road, and provide specific models to look into. Then their family members contradict me (typically a teenage gamer son or something) and convince them to buy heavy machines so they do, and then hate them after their first few major trips. Then they come back to me a year or so later and ask again which ultrabooks they should buy.

*These people aren't making movies and aren't professional photographers or whatever. They're running PowerPoint and Excel and doing various business type stuff, so they don't need that much performance.

 

[Amethyst1]

no one had a wide screen,

The 1998 Toshiba Libretto 100CT did.

 

[metapunk2077fail]

Two months later, Apple released the 12" PowerBook, and with USB 2 no less.

First 12" Powerbook G4 ran so hot I couldn't use it. Had to sell it after a month. The 1.5Ghz was perfect and ran much cooler. Amazing how it went from 867Mhz to 1.5Ghz in about a year and then plopppp no more progress.

 

[metapunk2077fail]

The 1998 Toshiba Libretto 100CT did.

When I played with that in a store I asked them if I could run Doom on it. So they let me do that for an hour and then I said thanks and walked out.

 

[EugW]

First 12" Powerbook G4 ran so hot I couldn't use it. Had to sell it after a month. The 1.5Ghz was perfect and ran much cooler. Amazing how it went from 867Mhz to 1.5Ghz in about a year and then plopppp no more progress.

If you just mean too hot on your lap, then that wouldn't have bothered me much because I didn't use my laptops on my laptop.

Anyhow, I ended up buying a G4 iBook later and selling the TiBook for some crazy high amount on eBay, so in the end I wasn't too displeased with it.

 

[metapunk2077fail]

If you just mean too hot on your lap, then that wouldn't have bothered me much because I didn't use my laptops on my laptop.

Yeah on the lap. At the time the 17" was my desktop Mac and the 12" I used to take to sit in the coffee shop for a few hours.