PowerBook 101

I'm a huge PowerBook fan, so much so that I've given up on using desktops. I do all my work on the PB. In all, I'm on my PowerBook about 8-10 hours a day. I've been using PB's for so long, I've come up with some tips for those in the market for a PB.

1) Size: Size is very important. If you are like me and usually stay at home then consider a PB 17 inch. But if you travel a ton, my advice is to go with either a 12 or 15 inch.

2) RAM: Don't buy RAM from Apple, the charge way too much. Go to dealram.com and get the cheapest ram you can find. If you're a power user, get 1 Gig of RAM. If you're a lite user, you can get away with 512 MB.

3) AppleCare: Before the year is up, GET APPLECARE. It will more than pay for itself. In every PowerBook I've had something has gone wrong. The last PowerBook I had, the original PowerBook 17 inch, had numerous problems with it including a dead battery, corrosion on the palm rests, a faulty DVD drive, the latch to close the PowerBook was broken, both fans grinded, and the paint on the letter A was missing. It cost Apple over $1300 to fix it :)

4) Caring: PowerBooks are fragile. Take good care of them or else you will lose your investment when it comes time to sell it. Whenever you travel, use a sleeve to protect it and carry it in a sturdy and durable laptop backpack or case. Do not leave the PowerBook at any time on the floor. If you put it on the floor, put it under the bed or sofa. I had a friend who woke up one moring and step right onto his PB breaking the screen.

5) Other Tips: Don't ever slam shut the PowerBook, you will break the latch. The end tip of the power cord is horribly designed and will break if you bend the cord a lot. The battery on the PowerBook will eventually lose steam and won't last very long. Try to convice Apple to replace it.