" I have a new 1.25ghz 15" powerbook, the optical drive is a Matsushita UJ-816, revision DXJ3
Justin C.
(he later wrote with some comments on quality and how he got one so quickly)
I walked over to the Apple Store in Tyson's Corner, VA and bought one. I saw at least two other people buying them while I was there, or maybe they were new 17's, they had both but none of the new 12's. Still had old models on display except for one 15" Al and one second gen 17" set up behind the genius bar. They come in a black box with a small warning that the backlight for the keyboard contains mercury and should be disposed of properly....
Build quality is excellent, it feels solid and the keyboard is both rock solid and the keys seem huge, as do the speaker grilles. The display hinge is smooth and stays in place nicely. The keyboard backlight and auto-dimming display work very well. Battery life seems pretty good. The optical drive generates strong positive ejects and ingests. The machine is whisper quiet, the only noise it makes is sort of electrical noise from the speakers during some screen refreshes, just like every G4 powerbook I've ever owned. What is a bit weird is that the machine looks really large, but doesn't seem to actually measure all that much bigger than the Ti. I'll have to put them side by side (still have a 500mhz Ti at home). "

I searched the web and found nothing on the UJ-816 model (if anyone has a link send it on). There was a 2x DVD-R/DVD-RAM UJ-815 model, which I thought Apple would be using for the new models (with DVD-RAM support disabled in firmware I'd assume.) The specs on the 2x UJ-815 is identical to the new PB G4 specs with the exception of DVD-RAM and the slower (per apple specs) CDRW max write speed I mentioned earlier today.

I'm also curious how the new 512KB L2 cache (onchip) compares to the previous 1GHz model w/256KB L2 + 1MB L3 cache and if the new model runs cooler than the previous Powerbook G4s. (The 9600 Mobility graphics chip is also another plus for the new models, at least for 3d/gaming performance potential.)

If any readers can comment on performance, temperatures, etc. (from experience with a previous PB G4), let me know. Thanks.

" Hi Mike, I just finished testing and qualifying our first batch of 1GB chips for the G5 1.8 & Dual 2.0GHz systems. 8GB of memory is just amazing!
I put the matched 2GB sets on the XLR8YourMac site specials page for your readers. The extended description has a great picture of the new modules installed in a G5/1.8, note that these are the first chips we've sold with an anodized aluminum heatsink already installed on both sides of the chip. They don't run hot at all, even after running the very extensive Apple Hardware System DVD test disc the machines ship with. I like them!
Sincerely, Jamie Dresser
Product Manager & New Product Development
Other World Computing, Inc. "

Seagate OEM SATA Barracuda 7200.7 160GB drives are in many G5 systems, based on Apple System Profiler reports of the hard drive model number. (The 160GB model doesn't have the 100GB platter density however.)

" Newer Technology, Inc. (NewerTech() and Other World Computing (OWC) today introduced a new line of high-capacity batteries designed for Apple Computer's PowerBook G4 and G3 models.

The NuPower line of Lithium Ion batteries from NewerTech offer up to 30 percent more capacity than stock batteries standard with the PowerBooks and at prices as low as $139.99.

"The NuPower batteries set a new standard for battery life for G4 and G3 users everywhere, said Larry O'Connor, president of OWC. "Everyone knows that battery life is a very critical aspect of successful on-the-go computing. Whether you'd like to replace an older battery that just isn't performing like it used to or are in the market for a spare, our NuPower Li-Ions deliver the longest run times of any stock replacement batteries available today."

The NuPower Li-Ion G4 Titanium Battery works with all 15-inch PowerBook models (400MHz to 1GHz) and delivers 14.8 volts and 4400mAH, providing 65 watt-hours and making it the longest lasting PowerBook G4 battery available today by as much as 30 percent compared to the original Apple Ti Battery. Retail price: $139.99.

NuPower Li-Ion G3 Batteries for G3 Lombard (1999/Bronze Keyboard) and G3 FireWire (2000/Pismo) series PowerBooks are 10.8 volts and 5400mAH, providing 12.5 percent more capacity versus stock Lombard and FireWire batteries. Retail price: $149.99.

The NuPower Li-Ion G3 Battery for G3 WallStreet (1998/Black Keyboard) series PowerBooks delivers 14.4 volts and 4500mAH, providing 25 percent more capacity than the stock Apple WallStreet Battery. Retail price: $139.99.

NewerTech NuPower batteries are available through OWC at www.macsales.com and at other fine resellers in the US and around the globe. Visit www.newertech.com/batteries for additional information. "

" EyeTV 1.3 now provides seemless integration with RoxioÃs Toast 6 Titanium, making it extremely easy to convert EyeTV recorded videos into DVDs.
Version 1.3 also adds support for the new program guide TVTV by FAST TV Server AG, that makes finding and automatically recording programs significantly more comfortable...
Requirements : Mac OS X 10.2 or later. "

As soon as I can I'll add this update to the previous page of EyeTV reader reports.

The Powerbook G4 12inch model gets a new graphics chip (Nvidia Geforce FX Go 5200 w/32MB VRAM), USB 2.0 and a speed bump to 1GHz (w/512KB L2 cache). No firewire800 as on the 15in/17in models per the specs. Prices for the base combo drive model are $1599, the superdrive model is $1799.

The Powerbook G4 17in gets a speed boost to 1.33GHz (512KB L2 cache) and a graphics chip change to the ATI Radeon mobility 9600 (64MB vram). It also has FW800/FW400 ports, USB 2.0 and bluetooth. Price for the standard 80GB HD/512MB RAM model is $2999. It's listed as available today.

One other spec change I missed originally is the fact all the PB G4 superdrives now note a 2x DVD-R write speed, as well as 16x CDR speed and 4x CDRW speed. Odd they note a 4x CDRW max speed, since the UJ815 series slotted superdrives are normally rated for 8x max CDRW speeds, as my 'retail' drive is. (According to a later news item above the new PB G4 superdrive is a Matshita UJ-816 model.)

"Important: " Requires a Bluetooth enabled Macintosh (either built-in or using the qualified D-Link DBT-120 USB Bluetooth Adapter (older D-Link DWB-120M adapters are not supported)"

They should add the above note to the Bluetooth wireless keyboard and mouse page requirements section to avoid any confusion.

"Hi Mike, Thought I'd let you and your readers know about a bargain I ran across. My PM8600 originally came with Strata Video shop which of course was for the analog video the 8600 had. I recently added firewire to the old box, which between you and OWC has been heavily upgraded (drives, memory, video card, and 450mhz G4) and went back to see what they had in the way of digital video. While I am having good success running 9.2.2 thanks to OS9forever and OWC I have not made the jump to OSX (will need a new printer and other stuff) so Imovie and other digital video is running away from me.
Anyway Strata has updated Video Shop to DVpro ($495) and offers a scaled down package like Imovie called DVplus ($149) . When I inquired about an upgrade from my old original Video Shop the rep sent me to http://www.digicess.com/. The have the DVplus (v5.0) for a penny and DVpro (v5.0) for $19.99! Digicess has suspiciously the same street address and the shopping cart engine appears to be the same as Strata.
These run on OS 8.6 to 9.X and pro has a lot of power. Can do streaming video, uses Sorensen codec 3, and can go straight to Macromedia Flash for web video. Strata seems to be concentrating their efforts on their 3D animation product. Now I go straight from my DV Camcorder into DVpro. The 8600 still has excellent print to video (vcr) controls so I can go digital in, edit, and analog out since lots of people still use VHS tapes.
Bottom line is that for us OS9 types, here is a full power DV product for $20.
Regards, Bill C."

• Giga Designs G4 1GHz (at 1.3GHz) in (sawtooth) G4/AGP (rated 10)
• Giga Designs G4 1GHz (at 1.2GHz) in (digital audio) G4/AGP (rated 10)
• Powerlogix G4 1.4GHz in (gigabit) G4/AGP (rated 10)
  (noted a problem with the upgrade and an OEM ATTO UL3D SCSI card?)
• Powerlogix G3/900 in Beige G3 (rated 4)
• Sonnet G4/800 in (sawtooth) G4/AGP (rated 10)
• Sonnet G4 1GHz in Beige G3 (rated 9)
  (My full reviews of G4 and G3 upgrades w/apps/game tests, install info, etc. are linked here.)
• Apple Beige G3/300 OC report

(Warning - Overclocking may not be reliable and could lead to hardware failure or corrupted data.) You can find the full reports by searching the database selecting the indicated Mac model and upgrade card brand/type. If you've upgraded the CPU on your Mac, please post an entry in the database. Search the database for entries from most every upgradable Mac model *before* you buy. (Searchable by mac model/upgrade brand). For detailed reviews with performance tests and install tips, see the CPU Upgrades page.)

DVD-ROM Drives:
• IDE Liteon 165h (16x/48x) in B&W G3 (OS X)
  
  Combo DVD+CDR Drives:
• IDE LG GCC-4480B (48x24x48x + 16x DVD) in Beige G3 (OS X)
  (using modified burn support plugin from FAQ)
  (Illustrated CD drive install guide here covers G4 towers up to the Digital Audio Model, Beige G3 MT, and B&W G3 Macs)
  
  DVD+R/RW + DVD-R/RW Drives:
• Firewire (IDE drive in FW case) NEC ND-1300A used w/iMac slot loading (OS X) (no itunes burn support - noting using Toast5)
• IDE Sony DRU-510A in G4/AGP (OS X)
  (noted a problem with Tim's modified burn support plugin)
  
  DVD-R Drives:
• IDE Pioneer DVR-105 in Beige G3 (OS X)
  (not bootable from CD he said)
  
  Hard Drives:
• IBM Travelsar 40GNX 40GB in Powerbook G3 wallstreet1 (OS X)
  (PB G3 wallstreet illustrated HD install guide here)

You can find full owner reports (latest shown first) by searching the database by drive/brand/interface/mac models (the latest reports are shown first in searches). For guides to installing CD/CDRW/DVD drives or Hard drives in many mac models, see the IDE Articles page. The Firewire articles page also has guides on case kits, installing drives, etc.
If you've added a IDE, SCSI, Firewire or USB hard drive, CDRW, tape drive, etc. make sure you add a report to the database. (If you post an updated entry - make sure you use the same name, etc. as you did before so I can find your past entry. Thanks.)
(Incomplete entries are deleted. Do not post questions in the database, it's for drive reports not questions on what drive to buy - for that try searching the database for reports from owners of your mac model on the drive type/brand/interface, etc. you're interested in.)

• 1 year ago today
• 2 years ago today
• 3 years ago today