Just arrived in Jakarta, loads of things to write about in this blog. But it will have to wait a bit, right now I’d like to write a little about my quest for a new laptop.

I’m looking to replace my old laptop. It was fine for my needs - composing documents, presentation, *nix server access. However, lately it has slowed down so much, it’s barely usable. At first I suspected spyware/virus, but found nothing. After much tweaking, it’s a bit better. However, it’s started to look worn-out (lesson: don’t buy laptop which case is painted). So I decided to look for a new one.

Here’s my requirements :

1. Just Works : Nowadays most laptop is alright in regard to this requirement. You can start working with it right away. However, some are still problematic and/or even buggy. I’d rather avoid those.
2. Looks good: Very important, since this will be the machine used to do presentation to clients
3. Powerful: I’d like to upgrade only after 3 years or more. Upgrading is a time-consuming process, so I’d prefer to avoid it if possible.
4. Won’t get scratched / worn out easily: I took care of my old laptop, yet it still got scratched somehow. Also the wrist pad looks very worn out. I think these happened easily because its case is painted. Otherwise, the case would be more resistant to wear and tear.
5. Size: it will have to be less than 15 inch. 15 inch is maximum really. 17 inch is really nice for work with loads of documents in the same time, but since I’m mobile, it’s quite a bother to haul and use in any places. Also these big laptops tend to feel more fragile.
6. Safe : I would very much prefer my laptop not to explode, cause fire which destroy my house, or damage my skin.
7. Have a decent battery life: This may not be achievable though, since my definition of decent is something like 5-6 hours of heavy use. Instead, I may just buy an extra battery for it.
8. The important features: bluetooth, wifi, etc.
9. Weight: Hauling a heavy laptop all over the place is not really my idea of working-out. However, if it fulfill all the requirements above, I may reconsider.

At the moment I got a very lovely Apple Aluminium 15″ PowerBook G4 on my hands. A friend of mine allowed me to try it first before decding whether to buy it or not. Only 1 inch thick, if looks could kill then this would be it.
Despite already out in the market for years, it doesn’t have many flaws. It’s quite speedy, and fulfill all the requirements above close to my satisfaction. I’m yet to find non-Apple laptop which do so.

The only problem at the moment is its power adaptor - it’s the second, and it already broke down again (!)
After looking around, it seems that the adaptor is of very poor quality; bad, bad Apple.
I’m going to purchase a new one from here, and will let you know how it goes.

So then I looked on MacBook Pro, even offered a very good deal by my friend.
However, I found out its many possible problems, and hesitated.
Don’t get me wrong, I do know it’s only a possibility. I know a lot of my friends who have MacBook Pro and happy with it (or, have problems, but still happy with it). However, I’d rather avoid problems if possible.

OK, it’s back to square two - I’ve found a possible candidate (PowerBook G4), but I wonder if there’s something better than it. Ideas ?

Tips: a few ideas for your laptop:

1. If you’re looking to buy a MacBook, here’s an excellent discussion loaded with tips and insights.

2. I asked my friend how to protect MacBook / PowerBook / laptop’s casing. I found the answer [ here ] and [ here ]. No more scratches!

3. And here’s how you can protect the LCD screen.

4. Dust kept on sticking to my laptop screen, and it’s really annoying. I wonder if this product may help.