Is ibook G3 clamshell worth buying ..?

GermanyChris said:

Where do you live?

There is no such thing as a cheap Apple laptop here in europe that I've found. Though there are some MDD's on ebay for 85Euro BIN that I'm have a hard time not BIN.

Click to expand...

There are plenty of good deals here in the states, and not just on eBay. Some people pick up their gear from local MUGS, schools, Craig's List and office supply warehouses. I took home an iMac over ten years ago from the university I was teaching at for $200 when it was only four years old. Their computer labs and library were predominantly Macs. Because I spent some time teaching students to use Macs, in addition to my regular teaching responsibilities, I was often able to get good deals.

Which leads me to my question: When Apple discontinued producing PowerPCs, what did they do with all the computers they had that went unsold? Anyone know what specific resellers did with their iBooks and iMacs? And does anyone know what Apple's policy is currently for unsold inventory?

justperry said:

Keep in mind there are plenty of them with a failed lower RAM slot, I know, I have one.

Click to expand...

The DDR2 models don't have this problem - I'm a proud owner of one!

----------

Zotaccian said:

Yes if you are looking for the cheapest possible option for an Apple laptop then PowerPC is the way to go. Those tasks which you mentioned can be done on a low end machine, maybe some videos might be too much for G3, I recently tried to watch BluRay rip of one movie on my G4 and it absolutely choked, it was not exact rip meaning that it was compressed down quite a bit but still, it was too much. My Intel PC laptop and 120 dollar Android -tablet had no problems playing the video (I believe even those dirt cheap tablets would be able to play it). For basic web surfing G4 1.67GHz or near similar MHz G4 is OK if you use something other than Safari, it was ridiculous that Google image search brought the machine down to its knees with the famous spinning beach ball....

Click to expand...

For moderate web browsing I would recommend a 1.25GHz single G4 with Camino(which I use) and for heavy web browsing I would recommend a Safari/Camino on 1.67GHz single G4(which I use).

Camino works very well and is slick with Google images on my 1.25GHz iMac G4 - last time I checked - about a few weeks ago.

justperry said:

Keep in mind there are plenty of them with a failed lower RAM slot, I know, I have one.

Click to expand...

Not here *knock on wood*

I'd go with a later model PowerBook G4 or earlier Intel MacBook.

skateny said:

Which leads me to my question: When Apple discontinued producing PowerPCs, what did they do with all the computers they had that went unsold? Anyone know what specific resellers did with their iBooks and iMacs? And does anyone know what Apple's policy is currently for unsold inventory?

Click to expand...

Apple had the Lisa destroyed in a landfill to get a tax write-off. Apple doesn't stock a lot of inventory to begin with now, so I don't think there were many that went unsold. Most of it just stayed as AppleCare replacements I would think.

Another aspect of Apple's supply chain is the concept of just-in-time production. They talk about it in the biography. Apple doesn't store very much inventory at any given time. Inventory is produced as it is needed.

Jessica Lares said:

None of the G3 machines are worth it anymore. Stay clear of them. People here will tell you to either stick to OS 9, or they'll say to put Linux on it, but both won't allow you to do what you want. You can listen to music, but video and web browsing is pretty much dead. Office would look horrible on a screen with that low of resolution and wouldn't run very well as it's the minimum specs you need.

The latest models of the iBook G4s are much better, can run Leopard, and can still do non-HD video and web browsing pretty well. They're going to cost you in the $200-$300 range, so honestly think about whether you want a 7 year old machine that can't run all the new stuff and can cost you more if it starts needing replacement parts, or a 2006 MacBook Pro that can run up to Lion for the same price.

There's a reason why you can get most of the G3s at $50 or less. Even if you upgrade them yourself and stick Tiger on it, it does nothing to really improve them.

Click to expand...

You are flat out wrong, my G3 is my home rig. I cruise the 'net just fine with Camino and Firefox. I use Thunderbird for email, have Adobe Photoshop 7, Adobe Illustrator 10, NeoOffice, Fireworks 8 and many other apps that are no longer supported but it does what I want. It is dual boot, OS 9.2.2 and OS 10.4.6. Have 3 internal drives, PCI cards for USB 2.0/1.1, Firewire 400, ATI Radeon 9200 vid card, 1 GB RAM and it runs 24/7/365.

It doesn't do video well, it is slow running iMovie 3.0.3, runs iTunes 6.0.4, Audacity 2.0.2, and many other legacy apps. I'm not a person who needs leading-edge technology. It works and the electric consumption is very little, 9 watts at 1.1GHz.

I still boot into OS 9 to use ClarisWorks 2.1 for my MPG spreadsheets, to play legacy games such as Unreal Tournament GOTY, Links Pro and Links 2000. It all depends on what you do with a computer. I'm not a Facebook member, nor a Twitter member, nor LinkedIn, complete waste of time IMO. I like that I can come home from work and it is running Folding@Home, waiting for me.

It works, period. If I want something faster I turn my sat around and use a 1.25GHz eMac. I'm old school, not a first-adopter, not one to spend money on new, leading-edge hardware. People today are inpatient and spoiled. I come from a background where key punch cards were the norm and line command was the way to use a computer before 1984.

That said, my work unit is a quad-core MacPro. The only difference, it runs the latest software.

Dane D. said:

It works, period. If I want something faster I turn my sat around and use a 1.25GHz eMac. I'm old school, not a first-adopter, not one to spend money on new, leading-edge hardware. People today are inpatient and spoiled. I come from a background when punch cars were the norm and line command was the way to use a computer.

That said, my work unit is a quad-core MacPro. The only difference, it runs the latest software.

Click to expand...

It works, sure, I have my 466 on OS 9 and use Classilla and some other stuff. I was running QuarkXPress and Photoshop when I was still booting into Tiger. However, we can't pretend like it's still as easy as it was 10 years ago when those machines were still relevant. We have to tell it like it is, that the internet is not designed for those displays anymore, that it's going to be difficult to cram the Office 2004 interface into that 800x600 screen, and that it flat out isn't good for flash content.

And the biggest thing is that it was a machine that came with Mac OS 8 or 9 to begin with. It plays DVDs GREAT, it plays Quicktime GREAT, and it probably is great with really old Flash versions, but it has come a long way of being a 1MB file you stream for a minute or so, into 50MB files that go through the network and playback through the machine. It's a lot of information the old hardware can't handle.

For someone looking for a machine to use on the side, it's OK. But not as a main computer. I mean, be honest here... Could you really still function on just a command line? Besides for word processing and programming? I couldn't.

If you're thinking like this then you have no option but to get a brand new machine since with the older machines:

asifnaz said:

The support is decreased over the time .

Click to expand...

Dane D. said:

You are flat out wrong, my G3 is my home rig. I cruise the 'net just fine with Camino and Firefox. I use Thunderbird for email, have Adobe Photoshop 7, Adobe Illustrator 10, NeoOffice, Fireworks 8 and many other apps that are no longer supported but it does what I want. It is dual boot, OS 9.2.2 and OS 10.4.6. Have 3 internal drives, PCI cards for USB 2.0/1.1, Firewire 400, ATI Radeon 9200 vid card, 1 GB RAM and it runs 24/7/365.

It doesn't do video well, it is slow running iMovie 3.0.3, runs iTunes 6.0.4, Audacity 2.0.2, and many other legacy apps. I'm not a person who needs leading-edge technology. It works and the electric consumption is very little, 9 watts at 1.1GHz.

I still boot into OS 9 to use ClarisWorks 2.1 for my MPG spreadsheets, to play legacy games such as Unreal Tournament GOTY, Links Pro and Links 2000. It all depends on what you do with a computer. I'm not a Facebook member, nor a Twitter member, nor LinkedIn, complete waste of time IMO. I like that I can come home from work and it is running Folding@Home, waiting for me.

It works, period. If I want something faster I turn my sat around and use a 1.25GHz eMac. I'm old school, not a first-adopter, not one to spend money on new, leading-edge hardware. People today are inpatient and spoiled. I come from a background where key punch cards were the norm and line command was the way to use a computer before 1984.

That said, my work unit is a quad-core MacPro. The only difference, it runs the latest software.

Click to expand...

It's fantastic to know that there are people with the time, patience and wherewithal to get G3 systems working at such a high level. You sound like you can do most of your upgrades and maintenance with little assistance (this makes you somewhat unique among G3 users), and I don't know that I've ever seen you post here before.

But someone new to Macs who purchases a G3 is likely going to be very disappointed if this is their entry level machine.

You've moved in small increments from the very beginning. I've had several Apple laptops and desktops, beginning with the 520c PowerBook, and I never had a problem with patience or with feeling left behind by new hardware. Those early machines performed much better than their Intel counterparts. It was so much easier to upgrade and maintain my Macs.

My apartment building burned down about three years ago. I lost almost everything, including my 1GHz PowerBook. Soon after, I bought a 1.33GHz iBook from eBay for $200. It was in pristine condition (I think it was from some business office that was either no longer in existence or was upgrading to something else.)

I was homeless for a short time, and my iBook served me very well. (I'm very partial to PowerBooks and iBooks.) Once I got back on my feet, I spent about $70 to upgrade my iBook. Replaced DC-in Board, replacement battery, 1GB of RAM and a new AC-adapter. I don't have an SSD or a SuperDrive, since there are limits to how much I'm willing to spend to keep my baby running.

I certainly don't need the latest-and-greatest hardware, and I'm very patient with my iBook. I simply don't like the Intel Macs. They just don't feel right. Plus, I started, I think, with System 7, so a large part of my computing experience is from a time when manipulating hardware and software was both much more simple than it is today, and certainly more fun.

I think getting your hands on a PowerPC Mac can be a great experience. Mine certainly has been. But it's not for everyone. I imagine that within the next year or so I'll upgrade to a late, second-hand MacBook in order to run Mountain Lion. But I am in no hurry to do this. I like my iBook, and I will continue to use it as my main machine as long as I can.

On a final note, during the recent hurricane, I spent a great deal of time away from home, in local restaurants, coffee shops and the local library. I often got comments and questions about my iBook. This happens frequently when I am away from home. More recently, I had hip replacement surgery followed by inpatient rehab. My iBook got a similar amount of attention. In both instances, most people were fascinated to learn that my iBook is seven years old, that the display was as sharp as it is, and that it handles streaming video so well.

I'm dedicated or loyal to the PowerPC. I just like using much more than anything else that's available.

asifnaz said:

The support is decreased over the time .

Click to expand...

This is still not true. IBM is still developing POWER based processors. These machines need operating systems and software to run on them. Linux is very commonly used on these machines. The Linux Kernel is actively updated and plenty of software has prebuilt binaries and build able source available. I honestly don't understand why you are saying this.

There is some software that has never existed for PowerPC Linux and never will. This does not mean the platform is unsupported.

For typical end users, Linux is not going to outperform OSX but it still definitely works especially on the later G4s and G5s. If you need it to run on an older G3, you will need a lighter distro that can run with limited resources. There are still many of these around or you can easily build your own from a cli install.

Jessica Lares said:

It works, sure, I have my 466 on OS 9 and use Classilla and some other stuff. I was running QuarkXPress and Photoshop when I was still booting into Tiger. However, we can't pretend like it's still as easy as it was 10 years ago when those machines were still relevant. We have to tell it like it is, that the internet is not designed for those displays anymore, that it's going to be difficult to cram the Office 2004 interface into that 800x600 screen, and that it flat out isn't good for flash content.

And the biggest thing is that it was a machine that came with Mac OS 8 or 9 to begin with. It plays DVDs GREAT, it plays Quicktime GREAT, and it probably is great with really old Flash versions, but it has come a long way of being a 1MB file you stream for a minute or so, into 50MB files that go through the network and playback through the machine. It's a lot of information the old hardware can't handle.

For someone looking for a machine to use on the side, it's OK. But not as a main computer. I mean, be honest here... Could you really still function on just a command line? Besides for word processing and programming? I couldn't.

Click to expand...

LOL, if you ever come to Germany I'll buy you a beer that is simply the best most blunt post I've from you I've read in the 18 or so months I've been here. This includes the the PRSI posts.