Tikkabik

I've had a number of PowerBooks over the years. I've got to say that despite the improvments Apple has made over the years in their sleekness, weight and features, there are a few fit and finish issues that I continue to find just plain irritating. I admit that I'm hard on my laptops, but still...

I started out many years ago buying a used PowerBook 540c from a colleague with whom I worked, who had a sideline business reconditioning broken hardware and reselling it to friends and assocations. I took that system with me everywhere I went despite its massive bulk. The "Blackbirds" were far from perfect -- even in their heyday they were weighty, and they had hinge problems that could lead to serious problems with their displays if left uncorrected -- but it was a fine system that I got my money's worth from. I still have that machine, and it continues to function, though it barely holds a charge in its two batteries, and I haven't the desire to really keep it running.

Eventually I graduated to a "Lombard" PowerBook G3 -- the first of the "Bronze Keyboard" models. That system held up quite well through thick and thin, though it was a transitional model that didn't quite have everything to keep it up to date with Mac OS X as Apple quickly evolved the operating system -- the laptop lacked a FireWire interface, and didn't have a powerful enough video system to decode DVD-Videos. But like the 540c, it held up well during its time with me, though it's since given up the ghost (two power inverter boards later, it's gathering dust, and again, I just don't see the cost benefit in keeping it running -- though I have fantasies about cannibalizing it to make a digital picture frame).

Since then I've had three PowerBook G4s. The first one was, if I remember correctly, a 400MHz model. It wasn't fast enough for me to use as my "daily" machine -- for that I retained a desktop Power Mac. But I took the PowerBook everywhere with me when I traveled, and I abused it, though not intentionally. It just seemed like bad stuff happened to it. It culminated one day when I accidentally dropped my backback on the marble floor of a hotel lobby -- the poor machine's titanium frame was horribly bent, though the internal circuitry still worked fine.

From there, I graduated to an 800MHz model -- much faster and better equipped, but with a lousy fit and finish. This was the first system that was fast enough for my taste to use in place of a desktop machine, so it got a lot more use and a lot more daily wear and tear, than my previous laptops. The plastic moulding around the G4's edges just cracked and fell apart over time, revealing adhesive marks and the metal frame. Even though the cracking paint seemed like a computer version of psoriasis, the system worked -- though I had to replace the keyboard three times in all. The keyboards just kept wearing out.

First the ink would rub off the keys. Eventually the plastic of the keys would lose its texture and become a smooth, almost polished surface. Then eventually the tiny springs underneath would simply die, and I'd end up with a non-working keyboard. Three times I replaced it. Which is trivial to do on a 15-inch PowerBook -- unscrew a retaining screw, pull a couple of tabs down, and lift. A tiny ribbon cable connects the PowerBook to the keyboard, and if you have a reasonable amount of dexterity, you can swap it out in about three minutes.

So now I'm on PowerBook #3. I've had it since early this summer. It's a 1.5GHz 17-inch model, and it's largely without flaw, operationally. It's the fastest and biggest PowerBook Apple makes, and to say that I love it is an understatement: It's like driving a big, fast car down the highway. Like my other PowerBooks, it goes everywhere with me. Like my other PowerBooks, it's my daily driver. Like my other PowerBooks, it's plagued with a few fit and finish issues that drive me nuts.

The aluminum chassis was a good idea. This has held up better to daily use than my Titanium PowerBook models, though it seems to collect dirt and muck at a much more alarming rate than its older siblings. The damn letters are wearing off the keys again, though.

This is particularly unsightly on an aluminum PowerBook, because the keys are colored to match the aluminum case. What's more, the letters aren't decals or embossed, they're etched -- because the keyboard is lit internally, to make it possible to see the letters in low light conditions. Anyway, the A, S, E and N keys are all showing signs of wear -- the aluminum coloring looks like it's been worn away with a tiny brillo pad -- it's worse on the home row keys than it is in the others, but it's still there.

I realized after posting this that a picture is worth a thousand words. If you'd like to see it for yourself, check this out.

Fortunately, the problem is only cosmetic for now. I haven't had any problems with the keyboard's operation. But I'm concerned, because the aluminum models' keyboards aren't nearly as easy to replace as their Titanium counterparts, which just flipped up after pulling a couple of tabs. You have to disassemble a large part of the PowerBook's chassis to get to it, so this won't be a simple fix.

I haven't yet talked with my local dealer, but I'll have to see if this is something that can be repaired under warranty.