PowerBook Central: Ultraslim PowerBooks

Apple, we love ya, but tsk, tsk. Shame on you for ignoring us professionals. Where is my dreambook? Where is the laptop that would make everyone else on my flight green with envy? But, you say, what about the PowerBook G3 Series? Is that not a powerful desktop replacement for the discerning user? Yes, indeed, the PowerBook G3 is today's ultimate expression of a portable computer, with a big screen, full set of ports, expansion bays, and more. One wonders why anyone would purchase a desktop computer.

And therein lies the problem. The PowerBook G3 tries to be everything to everybody. I'm not trying to dump on the G3 - it's certainly a wonderful PowerBook, and I'll probably be first in line when Apple introduces a PowerBook with a 15" screen. However, Apple dropped the ball by not continuing development of a lightweight laptop when the 2400c was discontinued. Laptops are ultimately designed to be portable, but the G3 is borderline deskbound. For those who crisscross the country regularly, hauling a G3 from place to place can get rather cumbersome, and good luck trying to get any work done on that flight from L.A. to New York - you just can't use a G3 in coach. What good is having a DVD player if you can't watch the darn thing on the flight? Some folks, especially those who have a desktop Mac at work, want a lightweight portable without all the bells and whistles. Something slim and light, but still fully functional, on which they can do their work while traveling, but not something to completely replace their desktop. While this may not make up a large percentage of PowerBook buyers, the market still exists.

The PC pukes have had this licked for a year or so now. They run with powerful laptops which weigh 3-4 pounds, are about 3/4 of an inch thick, have 11-14" active-matrix screens, and exhibit a decent array of ports. Some even have CD-ROM drives. Now THAT'S what I want. Why can't Apple give us one of these? Of course, I want the big screen, so give me a 14" screen that goes right out to the edge of the casing (never mind that I still won't be able to watch DVD movies in coach).

At the time of this writing, no one has yet seen Apple's forthcoming consumer portable, so perhaps some of my gripes will be answered. I just hope that I won't have to choose between pseudo-60's colors to get one of these fancy laptops. With all due respect to the iMac, breaking open a lime-green laptop for your next presentation would likely evoke snickers rather than envy. Instead, I'll take a polished titanium casing - smooth and slick. Perhaps Apple could work with the makers of Grip-It-Strips to provide a fashionable way of holding onto the laptop with no fear of gravity pulling the machine off your lap and onto the floor.

So here's what I want. My ultraslim PowerBook is 3/4 of an inch thick and has a polished titanium casing, 14" TFT display, 300MHz+ G3 processor, 5.0+ GB hard drive, 128MB+ RAM, internal 56k modem, 1 PC card slot (for ethernet, video-in & out, and lots of other extras), 2 USB ports, and 1 firewire port. As a bonus, I'd like a slim expansion bay that could accept a CD-ROM drive or perhaps a slim DVD-ROM drive, and I want all this in a package weighing less than 4 pounds. With more and more USB peripherals out there, and firewire coming up to speed, the older ports will likely fall by the wayside before you can say "wave of the future."

This is a PowerBook that could slip into nearly any carrying case, along with all your files, without feeling like a brick and taking up an inordinate amount of space. There's definitely a market for an ultraslim PowerBook. The success of the Duo line and 2400c proves this. The PowerBook G3 is certainly a powerful and complete laptop, one that it's users will likely be happy with for a long time. Again, I'm not here to bash the G3 for its size, like other have done. I'm just as psyched about the G3 as the next person. However, I do believe that Apple is loosing some customers to the PC market by not providing an ultraslim model for the traveling professional.

Would you like to add to this discussion? What percentage of PowerBook buyers do you think would purchase an ultraslim model?

Stephen Hildreth has been the Editor-in-Chief of PowerBook Central since its inception in 1996. When not working on his Mac, he shares his love of the outdoors with his family and can be found biking, snow skiing, or educating students on the internal & external processes of our planet.