Tripping With "Big Al," Apple's New 17" PowerBook G4
Most reviews have commented on Big Al's size (as did we) but concluded that Big Al was too big for routine travel. Not us. We learned that we quickly accommodate to the size of our PowerBook while moving in succession from our first PowerBook, a 170, to a 3400c, a 2400c, a G3 2000 (Pismo) and two PowerBook G4's ("TiBook"). While our workhorse has been a 15" PowerBook G4 (500 and 800 MHz) for the past 2 years, we still have the 2400c (and a "borrowable" 12' iBook) that we use when the rare occasion necessitates it. We have been captured by screen size, pure and simple, perhaps because of our aging eyes.
Big Al is about 2" wider than our TiBook but less than 1/4" taller when the screen is open due to its new hinge design. The new hinge is like the iBook's, a huge improvement over the TiBook's.
Size really matters if we must work (we mean really work, not watch DVD movies) on a long air flight and we are in a coach seat that is not on the bulkhead or in the exit row. There is no way that we can work in coach seat with our TiBook if the seat in front is inclined at all. The 2400c guarantees that we can work in coach for nearly 2 hours on a battery so we have to carry an extra one for a cross-country flight. The iBook is nearly as small and we get just enough time on one battery for cross-country flights.
We also appreciate light weight. Big Al weighs in at 6.8 pounds, a full pound and a half more than our TiBook. The TiBook is itself nearly a pound more than our 2400c that weighs in at a mere 4.4 pounds. But we have carried our TiBooks with AC adapter all over three Macworlds without really noticing that extra pound or the larger case.
So what about Big Al? We were pleasently surprised that it fit into our travel bag, a terrific black woven nylon bag with a large compartment for papers, two smaller front compartments for lots of adapters, gadgets and iPod plus a water bottle holder between them. It even has a small white Apple logo. We picked it up at Apple's Company Store in Cupertino 2 years ago for our first TiBook. We will need a new slipcase and an around-town bag since Big Al does not fit into our TiBook's excellent Willow Design cases. Carrying Big Al around in a bag is no different than carrying our TiBook from the standpoint of size.
We can attest first hand to the fact that Big Al can be used easily from a bulkhead seat in coach class. The 17" PowerBook G4's width is slightly smaller than the alloted width of a seat on a United 757 and we had no difficulty using it for several hours. Of course, the bulkhead seats and exit row seats, particularly the one with no seat in front of it on some 757 and 737 configurations, are the only seats that it can be used from with any certainty. The remainder depend in part on one's girth but mostly on whether the seat in front is reclined or not.
Weightwise, we did not notice Big Al's extra pound and a half in a walk to the Moscone Center West from our hotel (Hilton), during WWDC registration, checking out the Center and walking back again. Admittedly, that was only 90 minutes or so but we think the weight difference with a 15" TiBook is likely to be negligible. But this is not likely to be so if compared directly with a 4.4 pound subnotebook like the 2400c.
Our initial impressions of toting Big Al around are that its 17" screen size and power easily overcome its size and weight issues in most circumstances. We have no qualms at this point about recommending the 17" PowerBook G4 to frequent travellers like ourselves.
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