Buyer's
Remorse?...|
faq
page, April 10, 1999
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Buyer's
Remorse?...Is it going to be hard to resell if I'm not happy with it?
No, these machines have held their value well (after the severe price cuts) and with the release of G3 upgrade cards by Newer Technology and Vimage, they will be as fast as the original low-end G3, and perhaps faster, considering the low-end has no backside cache. The Newer 2400 has a 512kb cache. (Ash)
Why did Apple discontinue the PowerBook 2400?
While they discontinued it in North America, in Japan they introduced a new model, the PowerBook 2400/240. The reason for discontinuation is primarily poor advertising. They never marketed these models aggressively as they did the 3400 and 1400. You had to know the 2400 existed by other means, otherwise you'd rarely hear about them. (Sounds just like the Newton MP 2000, which I also think is a great portable computer). (Ash)
What do your really think of it?
People will pick faults with any computer. The most common for the 2400: small keyboard, gets warm, has no CD, sharp resolution but small screen. The reason I'm listing these is because you should know what you're getting into. The lack of the CD drive is probably the biggest issue.If you're like a good number of us 2400 owners, the pure physical size, weight, and speed of this PowerBook far outweigh any of these. (Ash)
Processor
Upgrades...Will there be a G3 upgrade card for the 2400?
Newer Technology is shipping two versions of the NUpowr 2400 G3 card, both are 'silicon' based technology.While you're saving your pennies, read more about it in our in-depth evaluation of an early production version of the Newer G3.
The Vimage Corporation is shipping both a G3/240 and G3/320. The G3/320 is a 'Copper' based processor card which runs cooler than the current models.
No mater which card you get, considering upgrading your harddrive at the same time. You really only want to do this once. ;-) (rpm)
Will the cost of the Newer card drop shortly after it's released?
Prices on both the Newer and Vimage cards have dropped since their respective introductions and should continue as the release of the next 'small' PowerBook nears, i.e., P1. (rpm)
Will it ever be upgraded again?
The fact that the processor is on a daughtercard - yes, possibly, though very unlikely. There isn't really that big enough of a market.Honestly, the 2400 is no slouch and is already pretty *fast* for the kind of work most of us need it for...though you can never have too much speed. ;-)
Again if you want portability, this is the *only* Macintosh that can do it right. However, if you want an all in one computer, than you should consider looking into one of the new G3s. (Ash)
Can I upgrade to the Japanese 240MHz Mighty Cat version?
Physically yes, but assuming that the acquisition of a new 240MHz Apple card would be cost prohibitive, the only feasible way would be to know someone in Japan that has a Mighty Cat, has purchased a G3 upgrade card and then work the details to ship it from Japan. We've had no reports of anyone doing this. (2.1.99/rpm)
Expandability...What about a CD-ROM drive for the 2400?
When all the analysis and email was done I ended up using a traditional external CD-ROM SCSI drive....mostly due to price. Sony and Panasonic both make portable CD ROM drives, but given their high prices, low speeds(2x-8x), relative bulk and weight with a power supply, they don't seem to lend themselves to everyday use with the 2400. Most folks seem to just use a traditional desktop unit for loading software, etc. (RPM )But if you really want a portable, here are some possibilities on our Hardware page..
ImageMaster
There's a great freeware package called ImageMaster (on our software page) which allows you to make images of any size media, including CD-ROMs, and put them on your harddrive. Your Mac can't tell the difference between the actual mounted CD-ROM or the mounted image. What this let's you do, is make images of the CD-ROM on the harddrive, and mount them as you need (or all the time if you want). Then you can wander with your PowerBook 2400 without needing the CD-ROM drive. You get faster access, less physical weight, and longer battery life than the real thing :) However, you do eat 100 to 600 MB of disk space, depending on the size of the CD. (Ash)
Is there room for an additional hard drive?
While you can't add an additional drive, you can add a higher capacity drive. The largest available drive is the 6GB drive from IBM. (2.1.99/rpm)We have more details on our hardware page.
Mac Components Engineered has a listing of compatible drives for the PB 2400. According to the site, the drive in the 2400 can be no taller than 12.7 mm.
Is the maximum RAM really 48MB?
Short answer: NOWith only one extra memory slot, we strongly recommend installing the largest 'affordable' module currently available, 64MB, for a total of 80MB of RAM. A 96MB module is available in limited quantities and priced accordingly. Contact MCE for more info. (2.1.99/rpm)
Please see our hardware page for more guidance before attempting to install additional RAM.
The 2400 does not have an internal hardware modem, nor the capability to install one. There are a number of PCMCIA II cards that provide modem and networking capabilities. You can find more details and user experiences on our hardware page.
What is CardBus, and is the 2400 compatible?
Short answer again: No"CardBus is the next generation, high-performance 32-bit/bus master interface from PCMCIA. It provides the opportunity for migration of most high performance functions now available only on desktop and larger systems to CardBus cards for use in the mobile environment. New functions developed for CardBus may also be used in 32-bit desktop systems, if they are equipped with CardBus sockets." Okay, that clears up things greatly! Now I understand it! (not).
CardBus is a big deal these days to Mac users, mostly because of the DVD card and the RoadRocket (video-card) which were recently made available for the new PowerBook G3s. These 32 bit PCMCIA cards require both hardware and software to operate correctly, meaning that even if the 2400 hardware accepts CardBus, the OS must also do so.
The Developer Note for the 2400/180 states: "The PC Card slots are compatible with the CardBus interface defined in the 1995 PC Card Standard. Mac OS support for the CardBus protocols is being developed. A future release of the Mac OS will provide the software support for CardBus operation on this computer."
Several people are saying however, that the CardBus was never fully functional on PowerBook 180s, because the manufacturer, IBM, never got it to work.
Now the difference between a 3400 and 2400 is supposedly minor (according the Developer Note for the 2400, which is really just a delta to the 3400 Developer Note), so if the 3400 supports CardBus, then the 2400 should. Does it?
"The PowerBook 3400 computer utilizes an industry-standard Texas Instruments PCI1130 PCI to CardBus controller to act as the bridge between the system PCI bus and each of the PC Card slots. Although the TI device is a CardBus-capable
controller, the PowerBook 3400 does not support CardBus cards due to the requirement of a specialized PC Card socket, which is not part of the system." (Quick answer: NO)
Take all of this, and throw in the fact that apparently CardBus does work on the new Japanese version of the 2400 (i.e., the 2400/240). The emails bouncing back and forth suggest the problem was fixed before these new models went out.
And finally, to add weight to these statements, here's a response from Farallon (Netopia):
"US versions of the 2400 do not support CardBus. You cannot use one of the new cards on it. In Japan they are releasing a model called the 2400/240 that does support CardBus. You most likely are going to need a G3 to be able to use the new CardBus card. If you have other questions let us know." (Ash, July 98)
From the iREZ Research Corp. "CapSureª PC Card press release:"What makes it possible is a technology called ZoomedVideo, which allows the add-in card to take analog video signals from a VCR or CamCorder and direct it into the screen's videobuffer. This bypasses the PC's system bus, delivering data at rates up to 27 Megabytes (MB) per second. This process does not tax the processor leaving it available for other tasks.
"In Real Terms, this means a full 30-frames-per-second preview at any resolution", said iREZ president Michael Harris. "For the mobile computer user, it brings the same type of video performance to their laptop as they can achieve on their desktop PC. The Capture card gives laptop users USABLE video for editing in programs such as Director or Premiere." "
How well is ZoomedVideo supported?
Though the 2400 and 3400 have ZoomedVideo, neither will give you good video capture frame rates. The only card I know of is the one by iREZ corporation (on our hardware page). The ZoomedVideo is great for previewing at 320 x 240, but capture is really processor and disk dependent. You will at most be able to capture 22 fps with these cards, until the G3 upgrade comes along for the 2400.As for Photoshop, Internet connections, word processing, either the 3400 or 2400 are excellent. I have a desktop Mac also (8500), but the 2400 has got plenty of punch, and I'm happier using it. (Ash, July 98)
Usability...Is the 2400 keyboard easy to type with?
Depends. I'm a touch typist and I have no problems. I do make more mistakes, but not enough to deter me from using the keyboard. The general opinion on this subject, is that you should physically try out a PB 2400 before buying one. Personally, it's not really that much of an issue for me. The keys are crisp and have a nice depth to them. And I can still hit a good 60 words per minute. Still, make sure you try it before you get stuck with it! (Ash)
Does you wish the screen size was larger?
No - I find the 800 x 600 resolution on the 3400 to be too small for the large display. I like more dots per inch - the 2400's is something like 96 dpi (similar to a Newton MP 2100). It's very crisp and clear. It makes for sharp graphics, text etc. It is a very nice display! (Ash)
Is the screen acceptable (compared to the 1400s, 3400s, and new G3s.)
Depends. The 2400 has a very sharp resolution of about 96 dpi, compared to normal displays of 72 dpi. So things look smaller. But the fact you can view 800x600 on a display this small is to me evolution. (Ash)
How is the quality of the single speaker?
Not great... I use a pair of Sony earphones in the headphone jack instead and that is amazing [the PB 2400 has 16 bit I/O full-duplex sound]. I use it to play MPEG 2 & 3 audio files I've created using MacPeaker and MacAMP to play them back (find these on the software page). Right now, I have 120 full-length audio songs recorded in 16-bit stereo on my PowerBook 2400. I can listen to approximately 6 hours worth of music while I work on the computer. The quality of playback is as good as a CD player, and in some cases better! (Ash)
Is the "heat problem" actually a problem in your opinion?
Not to me. Hey I play games lying in bed with the 2400 up on my stomach. It's not an issue as far I'm concerned. It gets as warm as any other PowerBook model I've owned, including the 3400s and 500 series, not blistering hot to burn you or anything. (Ash)
Why get the 2400 over the 3400?
Size is one of the critical reasons I chose the 2400. It's so petite, you won't believe it until you see one for real. And that's the major reason I chose it. However, there are tradeoffs - you don't get a CD-ROM drive, or an internal PCI slot, or built-in Ethernet/modem like the 3400. But the 3400 has no upgrade path of any kind either...Overall, the 2400 is an excellent general-purpose computer (and it was nominated as such for this years Eddy awards). (Ash)
I'm also a Newton 2100 owner... It's the smallness (and elegance) of both that interest me most. Would it be redundant to own both?
The screen resolution of the MP 2100/2000 is *also* 96 dpi, same as the 2400. I keep both - the 2400 for mostly Internet/publishing/development work, and the 2000 for names, dates, etc. I wouldn't give either of them up - I plan to keep both for as long as I can. (Ash)
Odds
& Ends...How do I tell when my PowerBook was made?
"The key to date of manufacture for an Apple product typically lies in the third, fourth and fifth digits of the serial number. My 2400 has SN I573902DAJN. Seven is the year (1997) and 39 is the week (39th week of 1997). I purchased mine just last month, so these things were obviously not flying out the doors as fast as Apple could make them."(Robert Snow)