PowerBook G4 Aluminum 15" Repair

The PowerBook G4 Aluminum 15" was released in January 2003, alongside its 12" and 17" versions. The PowerBook G4 Aluminum is a member of the PowerBook G4 Aluminum series, which was released in succession after the PowerBook G4 Titanium Series.

The original PowerBook G4 was the PowerBook G4 Mercury, a member of the PowerBook G4 Titanium series. It was announced by Steve Jobs at MacWorld Expo in 2001. Since 2001, Apple released three other Titanium Series laptops, including the PowerBook G4 Onyx, PowerBook G4 Ivory, and PowerBook G4 Antimony. In 2003, Apple switched gears and began manufacturing the PowerBook G4 laptops out of aluminum, thus starting the PowerBook G4 Aluminum Series.

The PowerBook G4 Aluminum had a few common repair needs. First of all, users reported the lower memory slot failing in some of the PowerBook G4 Aluminum 15-inch models. PowerBook G4 Aluminum laptops also commonly fell asleep when they had plenty of battery, resulting in what was dubbed Narcoleptic Aluminum PowerBook Syndrome (no, I’m not making this up!). This issue can often be fixed by replacing the left or right ambient light sensors. If this doesn’t work, Narcoleptic Aluminum PowerBook Syndrome can potentially be cured by replacing the heat sensor and/or the trackpad heat sensor and top case.

PowerBook G4 Aluminum 15” laptops are thick laptops (by today’s standards) that include a trackpad, keyboard, and display. They have the words “PowerBook G4” visible on the front center of the device, just below the screen.

• PowerBook G4 (Wikipedia)
• Apple PowerBook G4 Specs
• Ode to the PowerBook G4