12" Powerbook owners LOOK HERE

your post title is a bit misleading, perhaps next time "Questions for twelve in PowerBook owners" or "Help Needed from 12in PowerBook Owner"

the left palm is a problem if your a little wuss, other than that i dont find any problems. i love mine and i wouldnt trade it for anything.

iJon

12" PB

I agree with iJon. The left palm gets warm not hot. It's the best laptop I've owned. I have no complaints at all.

I too agree with iJon, the keyboard is also a joy to use and it is fantastically portable. iJon what is the time yours takes to go from chime to aqua login screen?

My opinions thus far can be found in this thread:
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21021

1:35 with 256mb ram.

iJon

I would like to buy 5 of them for a VJ project I have.

I would like to have the 12" because I can plug it to a 17" flat panel display.

Make sure you get the extra ram, max to 640 and i find it's a snappy little laptop, check for all the usual issues before you take it home and you'll have one fantastic little laptop.

partitioning

Sorry, I didn't want to start a whole new thread for this small subject...

12" Powerbooks cant boot into OS9 (except classic mode)... Would it still be a good thing to partition? or is this not necessary? I'm considering a 12" as well and was just curious.

Re: partitioning

Originally posted by Tommy!
Sorry, I didn't want to start a whole new thread for this small subject...

12" Powerbooks cant boot into OS9 (except classic mode)... Would it still be a good thing to partition? or is this not necessary? I'm considering a 12" as well and was just curious.

Click to expand...

i dont know why you would want to make a partition, unless you were doing video editing and wanted to make a srub drive.

iJon

two problems

I've had two major problem with my 12" PB thus far... the Trackpad button sits up from the trackpad itself and looks awful!!! but the funtionality of it is not great either because when I press the button on left edge... it gets stuck and pops back up with a very unhealthy noise.... this is the worst piece of design that I have ever seen on a trackpad in my life...

Second, I tried putting in a dvd today and it didn't suck it in... just kinda slid in... not normal...

anyway, the disc doesn't register and I can't eject... it's useless!! I'm geting a replacement... no repairs!!! replacement or refund... this is ridiculous...

I love the 12" PB to pieces... just hate to see it in sucha sorry state.

does anyone agree with me demanding a replacement?

if a replacement is necessary, then i guess Apple would replace it. i think, it is still under guarantee.

but if this problems you mention "ARE NORMAL" then Apple should look into this "problems".

i, too, am shopping around for a new notebook. an Apple notebook that is.

if i decide to get the 12"er, i would want to include a superdrive. i would like to edit videos on this thing. would the missing L3 cache be a problem?

would a 640 ram (max) be not enough for fcp (express)?

any thoughts people?

Law

well, I'm going to do everything withing my constitutional rights to get a new laptop because this is absolutely rediculous... It is faulty from the outset... I need this laptop to last me at least 20 months.... not 2 weeks!!! this is unacceptable and a bitter dissapointment as I waited many months before i switched... I though Mac's were suppose to be of immesely high qualtiy...
but compared to my old Sony Vaio... I'm not too sure... the Sony Vaio lasted my just over 2 years... and now my sister uses it and it still seems new!!!

this is so frustrating!

ichan,

Sounds like you got a lemon. Can happen with anything. I've had none of the stated problems. I have read others complain of the button, but the drive definately sounds like it's bad. That's not a typical thing for the PB, but like anything you can always get a bumb part.

sorry to bust your bubble but apple wont replace it. they will repair it but they wont give you a new one.

iJon

for FCP (Express); I just finished editing an hour long film on my iMac 800, which has neither L3 cache nor more than 512ram, and it was more than worthy. I am not the most demanding video editor in the world, but final cut express worked at a good speed for me, and I was usually doing other things at the same time (like iTunes, or proteus). The one thing I would recommend is an external drive for the video files or scratch drive, because when you get down to under a gig free on a 60 gig HD, there is going to be trouble. . .

consumer affair

iJon, how can you be sure that they won't replace the PB for me? I'm going to bring my solictor into this and then i'm going to go to the director of cosumer affairs... they'll do something.

I mean, I'm a student of business and I know that any terms that Apple impose shall not and will not reduce any of my legal entitlements... it's is in addition to my statutory rights....

Ijon, why do you say that they won't give me a new one??? you had some experience with this before?

Re: consumer affair

Originally posted by iChan
iJon, how can you be sure that they won't replace the PB for me? I'm going to bring my solictor into this and then i'm going to go to the director of cosumer affairs... they'll do something.

I mean, I'm a student of business and I know that any terms that Apple impose shall not and will not reduce any of my legal entitlements... it's is in addition to my statutory rights....

Ijon, why do you say that they won't give me a new one??? you had some experience with this before?

Click to expand...

Why are you so intent on getting a new one when you just noticed this one problem that could be anything from a bad gripper to a bad drive? Why not ask Apple first before you fly of the handle and ack like an ass?

They might give you a new one, but in all likelyhood, they will warranty the drive and replace it. But not the whole PowerBook. That would be dumb. Let them repair it. I mean, if that does not work, then ask for the replacement, but be prepared to do lots of convincing to Apple.

force eject

iChan - I'm sorry to hear you've had troubles with your 12" AlBook...I absolutely adore mine. As to media getting stuck have you tried the force eject?

http://docs.info.apple.com/article....alue=100&showSurvey=false&sessionID=anonymous|165596813

And while I agree that the left palm gets warm, anyone that complains is a wuss! I like how it helps keep me warm in the winter (j/K). Actually I've found with good ventilation it cools quite quickly - the aluminum chassis seems to dissapate heat much better than my Wallstreet and Lombard G3 PowerBooks.

I don't have any problems with my trackpad button - yes it does stick up higher than the trackpad, but I though that's its purpoase as a button - I rarely use the button though as I have tap and tap-drag lock enabled - I just use the trackpad for about everything and ignore the button - I couldn't do that on my old work VAIO...

Re: two problems

Originally posted by iChan
the Trackpad button sits up from the trackpad itself and looks awful!!!

Click to expand...

-iChan

The button sits up for a reason: It supports the center of the screen when closed to minimize the bowing of the screen if you grab the PB by the front. As you close it, look at it from the side at how the button actually supports the screen frame, not the screen itself.

See my thread at:

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21156

...For details.

As for it sticking - good question. I haven't experienced it.

Re: Law

Originally posted by iChan
well, I'm going to do everything withing my constitutional rights to get a new laptop because this is absolutely rediculous... It is faulty from the outset... I need this laptop to last me at least 20 months.... not 2 weeks!!! this is unacceptable and a bitter dissapointment as I waited many months before i switched... I though Mac's were suppose to be of immesely high qualtiy...
but compared to my old Sony Vaio... I'm not too sure... the Sony Vaio lasted my just over 2 years... and now my sister uses it and it still seems new!!!

this is so frustrating!

Click to expand...

Probably the one you got had a from-factor defect. It happens with all computer companies. There will be a really small percentage of shipping products that will be defective, probably yours was one. Don’t worry though, it is still under guarantee and you should get it fixed or replace in no time. Good luck

Re: Re: consumer affairs

Originally posted by primalman
Why are you so intent on getting a new one when you just noticed this one problem that could be anything from a bad gripper to a bad drive? Why not ask Apple first before you fly of the handle and ack like an ass?

They might give you a new one, but in all likelyhood, they will warranty the drive and replace it. But not the whole PowerBook. That would be dumb. Let them repair it. I mean, if that does not work, then ask for the replacement, but be prepared to do lots of convincing to Apple.

Click to expand...

What annoyed me the most was how ignorant the costomer care reperasentative was... there is is a way of getting it repaired obviously... but why shold i have to get something repaired that is so new? I mean, I personally don't like getting anything repaired because it comes back not quite pristine...

Under my statutory rights... I can get it repaired, refund, or replace... why do I have to go for repair??? aren't the other two just as easy to do? I'm stressing that I want to stay with apple, I want to same Laptop... but I can't afford to have the same trouble again and if they are only going to repair it... it could happen again in another two weeks...

the only way I can be sure is if I get a brand new one... not because it is newer... because I want to excercise my rights... not for the sake of it... but so that these corporations don't get a grip on controlling what is right... because not giving me a refund (in accordance with the law) is simply wrong.

ok iChan I know how you feel, I've had a few problems with my iBook and applecare has delat with them . they do seem to like to replace parts rather than the whole computer so I would jsut accept that. I also know form experine that beign a jerk to applecare gets you very little leway. I jsut got my iBook back from repairs and after spending qutie afew hours on the phone and thme try to convince me to pay liek $349 for lCd repair I said theres no way that I caused that damge. In the end they repalced the whole lcdan casing for me. Plsu they put in a new logic baord again and a new chip to try and resolve my issue. I'm happy, my HD and stuff is still intact. as for repalce, I don't think under their company polciy if they can repair they will try that before sending u out a whole new pBook. i also suggest that if oyu pla nto keep this machien for 2 years you get applecare especially if your having troubles so early on....

Customer Care

First of all be glad you have a new 12" PB, I would be honored to have such a great tool and oh a great piece of art

Well I have to say that I have very good conversations with the Customer Care at Apple. I own a 500 MHz G3 PB and when I have called them they were always willing to help in either hardware or software problems. I even got them to replace my HD because it made noise, they sent a box to ship it in an it was back in about a week. Also another time I dropped something on my keyboard and broke a key, told them and a few days later I had a new keyboard. I have had other things happen like a bad power cord, and they always had my products to me ASAP.

Oh and if your troubled about it coming back not like new. Actually mine came back all shiny and clean

Apple care is a very wise investment, it would be stupid not to get it. Because you will never know what will happen, operator error is usually the case!