[SassyPants]

What is the specific reason the battery life on powerbooks aren't that good?

Is it because Apple just can't make good batteries? Or is it because the G4 requires so much power??

And also, why does the Powerbook heat up so much? Is it the same power issue? Is there a fan working constantly on them?

Just curious, that's all.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by SassyPants

What is the specific reason the battery life on powerbooks aren't that good?

Is it because Apple just can't make good batteries? Or is it because the G4 requires so much power??

And also, why does the Powerbook heat up so much? Is it the same power issue? Is there a fan working constantly on them?

Just curious, that's all.

I can't really speak to the G4's power management because I don't know much about it, but Powerbooks feel hotter to the touch than other laptops mostly because the case is aluminum, and most other laptops have plastic cases. Aluminum conducts heat far better than plastic. That's one of the reasons Apple chose to use aluminum, because it allows the Powerbook to dissipate heat more efficiently. The fan will be on or off depending on what tasks the user is performing, but for "normal" usage (web surfing, email, iTunes, word processing, etc.) the fan usually remains off.

[sworthy]

It definitely has nothing to do with Apple not using good batteries. More likely it's due to the G4's architecture, which is based on fairly old tech. If I remember correctly, the powerbooks of a few years ago (which had similar battery life of pb's today) were heralded for their long battery life. It's all relative I guess. Hopefully a mobile variant of a G5 will allow longer battery life. Centrinos and Sonomas usually ramp down processing speed when you don't need it.

[Chuckit]

If it's inherent to the G4, then why is the iBook G4 so much better?

[adambooth]

What battery life do you usually get out of it? What's your screen brightness, how old is the battery, and how intensely does it get used? Airport or bluetooth on, etc? I bought a powerbook because it was small and light -- and the battery life is the best I've seen out of almost any notebook ever.

If you really are getting terrible battery life -- i'd let apple know about it to see about getting the battery replaced.

[betasp]

I have the same. The battery life is just as good as my wife's Centrino Dell at the same screen brightness. With reduced brightness I am getting over 3 hours with normal usage.