| Apple PowerBook G3 2000 Reviewed by: Michael Flaminio Review Date: 06.12.00 Updated: 6.19.00 Manufacturer: Apple Computer MSRP: $2500 / $3500 |
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Announced earlier this year, Apple's PowerBook G3 2000 is the company's latest professional portable computer. The newest PowerBook G3 is a refinement of the previous model, adding more power and features to keep the laptop a head of its class.
Under the Hood
Lately, the G4 PowerPC processor has been getting all of the limelight. This, however, is not to say that the G3 processor has run out of gas. The G3 processor, especially when coupled with 1 MB cache, still packs a punch in Apple's 400 and
500 MHz PowerBooks. Added to the
CPU boost, the 2000 PowerBooks ships also with a 100 MHz system bus, just like the
current desktop Macs. The latest PowerBooks also ship with ATI's new Rage 128 Mobility
graphics hardware, which also brings its graphics technology up to par with Apple's
desktops. These two new specs greatly boost the laptop's performance over previous
PowerBooks.Yet another new feature includes the adoption of FireWire. The high-speed serial interface replaces the SCSI port on these machines. While many will miss on board SCSI, Apple has long since left SCSI behind in favor of the easier and more adaptable FireWire technology. With its powered FireWire ports, the PowerBook G3 can connect to FireWire storage devices, such as hard disks and CD-R/W drives. Even more interesting, PowerBook owners can now connect DV camcorders to their laptops for full powered video editing on the go.
Yet another new feature adds support for Apple's wireless Ethernet technology, AirPort. In the new PowerBooks, Apple has installed antennas and hookups for wireless Ethernet. With a $99 AirPort card, PowerBook users can file share or access the Internet at the desk, on the couch or in the backyard.
AirPort
Using standard wireless Ethernet protocols, AirPort allows PowerBooks to connect to any compatible network, whether it is a wireless hub or another computer. To connect to the Internet, wireless users can take advantage of Apple's affordable AirPort hub. The hub will allow you to connect up to 10 simultaneous machines and share up to 11 Mb/sec of data. Apple's AirPort-equipped computers can also act as a software hub for wireless networking. In this case, an iMac, for example, could act as the wireless hub. Finally, PowerBook users can network peer to peer for file sharing, without a hub.
In my tests with AirPort, I found it to work very well. There has been some bad press about AirPort since its release, but it appears Apple has hammered out most issues. I had my AirPort networking up and running in seconds. To connect to the Internet, users have two options. First is Ethernet for high-speed connectivity, and second is a phone jack for dial up.
Configurations can differ depending on where you will install the AirPort hub.
Mostly, however, cable modems, DSL or LAN installations are very similar. Depending
on admistration, you may run into some pitfalls while configuring an AirPort hub
for Ethernet networking. In most cases, you will be using DHCP, which enables the
hub to automatically pull a dynamic IP address. Providing you have an IP address
available to you, this should go without any problems. Some cable, DSL and LAN providers
may require you to give them the MAC address, or the hard-coded physical ID, of the
device. Conveniently, the AirPort's MAC address is located on the bottom of the device.
Most if not all Eithernet type services limit the number of IP 
address, or number of devices,
that are available. My problem was that I had too many devices connected to the cable
modem. Even though some devices hadn't been connected for weeks, the cable modem
still counted them as active devices. A simple modem and network power cycle/reset
cleared everything up.
The other option for high-speed Internet access is a static IP address. Unlike DHCP,
you manually enter in the network settings into the AirPort hub configuration. Finally,
the last option is dialup, which is pretty straightforward. Whenever you want to
connect to the Internet, you tell the AirPort utility to dial in. Once connected,
all devices can surf the Internet simultaneously. The cool part about using dial
up is that you can initiate the ISP dialup wirelessly. In other words, you can tell
the hub to pick up and dial while you're laying by the pool.
In all cases, the AirPort configuration is very similar to Apple's TCP/IP and Remote
Access settings. I also found that when having problem configuring the hub using
AirPort, a crossover Ethernet cable can make things much easier. You can also configure
the hub from any Mac, whether it AirPort equipped or not, that resides on the network
using the administration tool.
Finally moving on to performance, things worked very well. If desired, I really don't
see any reason why AirPort could not replace wired Ethernet. Even on different floors,
I received impressive speeds. As a test, I downloaded a QuickTime movie trailer and
easily received sustained transfer speeds of 70 Kb/sec. The dialup access worked
just as well, but at slower speeds. I would be very interested to see what happens
when ten machines are transferring data at once. 
From what I could see, however, for home and
small business use, AirPort definitely worked as advertised.
Graphics
So now Apple's PowerBooks have some graphics acceleration to boast about. This means
you can render 3D objects faster and get more work done while away from the desk.
But what I wanted to know is can I play Quake on this thing? To my surprise, the
PowerBook G3 plays Quake 3 very well.
While time is money for most high-end applications, every fraction of a frame
per second counts in Quake 3. For this reason, I felt it was necessary to perform
some serious Quake testing. After some sleepless nights, I found that the PowerBook
G3 scored very similarly to a compriable 400 MHz Power Mac G3. Using a standard configuration,
I experienced an average of 35.7 fps using Quake Arena's Demo 1. This compares to
39.1 using the same configuration on a 400 MHz PowerMac G3. Even more interesting
is the difference between a 400 MHz PowerBook G3/2000 and a 400 MHz PowerBook G3/1999.
Last year's PowerBook, which only has Rage Pro graphics acceleration, scored 12.2
fps in the same tests. Not satisfied with "standard settings," I tried
pushing the PowerBook further. When I tested a highly optimized configuration for
Quake 3, I found a benchmark of 61.2.fps. This is a pretty good range, especially
for a laptop.
While 35 fps is not blazingly fast by today's standards, it is in line with other
Apple computers. There's no doubt that you'll be able to play Quake Arena with the
best on this PowerBook. In fact, it works very well over AirPort.
Odds and Ends
The biggest issue I found by far deals with quality of the LCD. The machine I tested
shipped with one stuck pixel. What this means is that a particular pixel is stuck
on, which will become apparent when it is supposed to be off. In my case, I have
a single red dot on my screen whenever it goes black. It is most apparent when watching
DVD movies. 
This
has been a big issue with many PowerBook owners, especially in the past year or so.
According to Apple, who calls these defective pixels "anomalies" this
is normal. In fact, as many as 11 pixels may be "normal." According to
Apple, due to production quality, it would be far more costly to ship perfect LCDs
with every computer. Among people I know who bought PowerBooks in the past year,
about half have had pixel problem. My advice when buying would be to ask about 30-day
money back guaranties.
A couple other issues of note are the CD drive and power adapter. Personally I would
have liked to have a slot-loading CD/DVD-ROM drive on the computer, rather than the
traditional tray drive. Not only would it have been a cooler toy, but it is also
easier to use and less likely to become damaged. For the power adapter, I kind of
like the yo-yo power adapter, but not everyone does. The power adapter is a little
large, but it is thinner than the usual brick adapters. I find it to fit well in
a carrying case pocket rather than in the computer compartment.
I also wanted to give a vote of confidence in regards to the PowerBook's design.
The machine is pretty sleek, and while translucent pastics are cool, they're not
a prerequisite for a great design.Finally I wanted to note that I think the battery
life in the machines is great. For the first time I don't carry around a spare battery.
Conclusions
The Apple PowerBook G3 2000 is an exceptional computer. The 400 MHz machine, available
at $2500, is an outstanding value. My only issue with this machine is that 64 MB
of RAM is a little low, and the 6GB drive is unpractical for any DV project over
15 minutes. Each issue can be rectified through upgrades or the higher end system.
The 500 MHz PowerBook adds speed, hard drive space and memory, while retaining all
other aspects of the entry model.
With the exception of the apparently chronic pixel problem on these machines, the
new PowerBooks redefine portable computing.
Pros: Truly a desktop on the go -- and then some. Stylish, feature-packed
and powerful computing in a 6.1 pound package.
Cons: Stuck pixel problems, no slot-loading CD drive.
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