Clamshell iBook, 366mhz...is this really worth considering?

I'd say stay away.

These machines are much too old, and are definitely not worth anything more than $100.

I used to have a PowerBook G4, and it wasn't the best at running YouTube (or flash) videos. I don't even want to being to imagine how an old G3 would handle it.

I would suggest getting a netbook if anything.

Other forums members might tell you a different story though.

The 800x600 screen is going to be a limitation, too.

I would only buy it if you REALLY like the design. I doubt you'd be able to get too much practical use out of it, although for mainly text sites like forums, email, chat, etc it's fine.

Might I suggest an older ThinkPad if you want to do that? The T2x series are sturdy, cheap, and most importantly, have 1024x768 (or higher) screens.

The funny thing is that the iphone is more powerful than the clamshell.

Not worth the buy...

I had one a few years ago it had a hard time running flash and youtube.

Sold it right after that.

The iPhone is more powerful, but that's like comparing.... red apples to cherry tomatoes.

Did that one work?

In any case, you can still get lot done on a very slow computer. I wrote my blog for a while on a PowerBook 1400cs.

I would get one purely for sentimental value.

but support for powerpc products are being phased out. I would not get anything with a powerpc processor (now iLife features are being restricted). Unfortunately, even the initial core duo (not core 2 duo) are holding their value.

I proudly predicted when the intel switch was announced that the resale value of intel macs would drop significantly because they were going to be "apples and apples" instead of "apples to oranges" HARDWARE-WISE.

to my dismay (in terms of wanting to buy a very inexpensive mac mini) and to my glee (in terms of reselling my old macbooks, macbook pros, and intel imacs), I was very wrong.

they can still play dvds and be used for non-multimedia web-surfing. I have an 866mhz Pentium 3 that is still used for that purpose.

Let me speak from experience, and step around mere opinion...

I took out my 1999 Orange iBook 300mHz clamshell from the closet yesterday and powered it up. It was modified in 2003 to have a 30gb drive and around 500+ MB, it has an Airport card from 1999. What I want to do is get it ready as a gift for someone that will use it as portable internet/writing/graphics computer.

10 years since I purchased, the battery is dead, but it runs on power cord. On Ebay I found a new and BETTER battery for $60 delivered. Worth it.

I've put on 10.3.9 and loaded it with PS7, Acrobat, Illustrator, Painter, VLC, and Office from 2001. They all work. It is a little slow, especially in graphics. 10.3.9 works well enough but you get a second or two lag here and there as you start programs.

The screen is small. Tiny. 800x600 is now cramped when in the day it was quite sufficient for internet. Overall, this is an excellent, cheap internet toy. For $150 it is worth it, but with original drive size I am not certain. It will never be a Porsche among Fords, but it is a Ford among Porsches--it gets you there without flair.

The design is still excellent. Those who argued over the "toilet seat" and "man purse" look are merely choked up on their own bile. It's a stunning design and exceptionally rugged and durable. Not sure if this thing will still be worth running in 10 more years, but it will work for the next 4 or 5.

The faster ones are naturally better. If you find one with a DVD it is best! The only thing I lament on mine is a lack of a DVD player, but I can download torrents and play them. Music is fine. Office 2001 for OSX is good! 10.3.9 is fairly modern still, but lacks many of the bells and whistles since 2005.