In researching PowerBooks to buy, I finally settled on a 1.67 GHz 15" G4. Along the way, I learned a few things about common failures and frequent problems in them.
1) Dead RAM Slot
Perhaps the most frequent issue to plague owners of the aluminum line of 15" PowerBooks is the failure of one of the RAM slots. Sometimes this problem manifests itself at startup with a single long beep indicating bad RAM is installed. Sometimes it gives three beeps indicating it can't locate any memory. Sometimes you Mac seems to work fine except that half the RAM is missing according to "About this Mac." And sometimes it surfaces as complete system freezes after the PowerBook has been running for a while. A lengthy discussion of this issue appeared on MacInTouch. In fact, the problem was so pervasive that Apple offered a free repair program: About the PowerBook G4 Memory Slot Repair Extension Program. Apple claimed this issue only affected a very limited number of 1.5 GHz and 1.67 GHz PowerBooks with 15" screens manufactured between January and April in 2005. However, this problem has surfaced in all iterations of the 15" aluminum PowerBooks, and there is an online petition to have all them covered under this repair program here: PowerBook Lower Memory Slot failure - The Petition
2) Case Flexing
These machines are all made of aluminum which is a relatively pliable metal. Repeated lifting by holding the corner next to the CD/DVD drive's slot can cause subtle deflection at that corner. Eventually this manifests itself as a PowerBook which has an unsightly gap at that corner when the lid is closed. Although the PowerBook will continue to function, this is visually unpleasant.
3) Dents!
Aluminum is slippery. If you don't have a good grasp of an edge, it is very easy for an aluminum PowerBook to slip out of your grip and crash down to the floor. This results in unsightly dings and dents over the lifetime of a PowerBook. In some cases, small dents at the rear corners of the PowerBook can cause enough case deformation to prevent the AC adapter from making adequate contact with the power socket. This can ultimately end up in a PowerBook that cannot be recharged.
4) Trackpad Stutter or Unresponsiveness
Although I haven't experienced this myself, some have reported that the new trackpads Apple used in the aluminum G4s are less sensitive than the previous trackpads used in the titanium G4s. In some cases, the trackpads are completely defective. They also appear to be highly susceptible to static discharge events so user beware: Don't wear wool socks on winter nights and use your trackpad at the same time.
5) Broken Trackpad Clicker
Sometimes, even though you haven't heard (of felt) the un-click when you pick your thumb up off the trackpad button, the button does electrically un-click. If you are moving a bunch of files or dragging for a large selection, this can be especially annoying. And, unfortunately, it requires an excessive amount of force to keep the button depressed. Which can lead to the next problem: In some cases, the clicker can be completely separated from it's supporting structure. This can make for a "squishy" click, or very noisy "snapping" sound during a click, or a completely non-functional button a la the 5300 of yore. While annoying, this can be worked around with an external mouse or through use of the "click" or "tap" functionality of the trackpad itself.
6) Battery Recall
Shades of the PowerBook 5300! Apple issued a recall on certain batteries in the PowerBook G4 15" line. These batteries were manufactured by Sony (just like the Li-Ion batteries for the 5300) and could present a serious safety hazard if not dealt with. Fortunately, the number of reported "accidents" has been very low. Check out the Battery Exchange Program for iBook G4 and PowerBook G4.
7) Closed Lid Won't Stay Closed
There are at least two failure signatures for this problem. In one scenario, the little hook that latches when the case closes won't clear the latching mechanism and so can never engage. In the other scenario, the little hook doesn't actuate at all and doesn't descend when the lid is closed. In both cases, sometimes a little gentle prodding or "convincing" by applying a little extra acceleration just at the last moment will allow the case to latch shut. In extreme cases, the lid simply will not stay shut at all.
That's all I can think of at the moment. If I come across something else, I'll be sure to add it to this list. In the meantime, if you know of any other problems that I overlooked, feel free to post them to this thread!
Peace,
Drew
_________________
Power to the PowerPC!
1) Dead RAM Slot
Perhaps the most frequent issue to plague owners of the aluminum line of 15" PowerBooks is the failure of one of the RAM slots. Sometimes this problem manifests itself at startup with a single long beep indicating bad RAM is installed. Sometimes it gives three beeps indicating it can't locate any memory. Sometimes you Mac seems to work fine except that half the RAM is missing according to "About this Mac." And sometimes it surfaces as complete system freezes after the PowerBook has been running for a while. A lengthy discussion of this issue appeared on MacInTouch. In fact, the problem was so pervasive that Apple offered a free repair program: About the PowerBook G4 Memory Slot Repair Extension Program. Apple claimed this issue only affected a very limited number of 1.5 GHz and 1.67 GHz PowerBooks with 15" screens manufactured between January and April in 2005. However, this problem has surfaced in all iterations of the 15" aluminum PowerBooks, and there is an online petition to have all them covered under this repair program here: PowerBook Lower Memory Slot failure - The Petition
2) Case Flexing
These machines are all made of aluminum which is a relatively pliable metal. Repeated lifting by holding the corner next to the CD/DVD drive's slot can cause subtle deflection at that corner. Eventually this manifests itself as a PowerBook which has an unsightly gap at that corner when the lid is closed. Although the PowerBook will continue to function, this is visually unpleasant.
3) Dents!
Aluminum is slippery. If you don't have a good grasp of an edge, it is very easy for an aluminum PowerBook to slip out of your grip and crash down to the floor. This results in unsightly dings and dents over the lifetime of a PowerBook. In some cases, small dents at the rear corners of the PowerBook can cause enough case deformation to prevent the AC adapter from making adequate contact with the power socket. This can ultimately end up in a PowerBook that cannot be recharged.
4) Trackpad Stutter or Unresponsiveness
Although I haven't experienced this myself, some have reported that the new trackpads Apple used in the aluminum G4s are less sensitive than the previous trackpads used in the titanium G4s. In some cases, the trackpads are completely defective. They also appear to be highly susceptible to static discharge events so user beware: Don't wear wool socks on winter nights and use your trackpad at the same time.
5) Broken Trackpad Clicker
Sometimes, even though you haven't heard (of felt) the un-click when you pick your thumb up off the trackpad button, the button does electrically un-click. If you are moving a bunch of files or dragging for a large selection, this can be especially annoying. And, unfortunately, it requires an excessive amount of force to keep the button depressed. Which can lead to the next problem: In some cases, the clicker can be completely separated from it's supporting structure. This can make for a "squishy" click, or very noisy "snapping" sound during a click, or a completely non-functional button a la the 5300 of yore. While annoying, this can be worked around with an external mouse or through use of the "click" or "tap" functionality of the trackpad itself.
6) Battery Recall
Shades of the PowerBook 5300! Apple issued a recall on certain batteries in the PowerBook G4 15" line. These batteries were manufactured by Sony (just like the Li-Ion batteries for the 5300) and could present a serious safety hazard if not dealt with. Fortunately, the number of reported "accidents" has been very low. Check out the Battery Exchange Program for iBook G4 and PowerBook G4.
7) Closed Lid Won't Stay Closed
There are at least two failure signatures for this problem. In one scenario, the little hook that latches when the case closes won't clear the latching mechanism and so can never engage. In the other scenario, the little hook doesn't actuate at all and doesn't descend when the lid is closed. In both cases, sometimes a little gentle prodding or "convincing" by applying a little extra acceleration just at the last moment will allow the case to latch shut. In extreme cases, the lid simply will not stay shut at all.
That's all I can think of at the moment. If I come across something else, I'll be sure to add it to this list. In the meantime, if you know of any other problems that I overlooked, feel free to post them to this thread!
Peace,
Drew
_________________
Power to the PowerPC!