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used ibooks?

M

Muzukun

macrumors regular
Original poster
Hiya,

I'm still a PC user however as of late I can see the telltale signs that soon my PC will turn on me like it's never done before. Keeping this in mind and the fact I'm in college and the idea of a crashing PC on my hands right now would cause me to go on a killing spree I want to get a mac. The problem is I want to wait for the dual core G4 to come out (if it does) so I figured I might as well just hunt down a cheap used ibook.

So I'm wondering what would be a good speed for a used ibook that can at least handle OSX? And how much do you think I should pay for it tops? <=) Any places you can suggest to look (besides craigslist ^-^;😉 would be greatly appreciated too!

Muz
 
If you are thinking about an iBook, the PowerBook G3 range (Pismo) are an excellent choice for new Apple users to get a feel for the OS. The other good thing about the Pismo's are the way that it is upgradeable. Many resellers have new CPUs for the Pismos that make it fast enough even by current Mac stats. eBay would be the best place to look, and you will be able to pick up a bargain, and with about $500 spent on it, the computer will last for longer than a G3 iBook (even with a replaced MotherBoard 🙄 )
 
know of any ways to find one that would include a reciept? My school will fit the bill if I buy a computer and show them the reciept for it.

How long would a used ibook (white version) last?
 
Muzukun said:
know of any ways to find one that would include a reciept? My school will fit the bill if I buy a computer and show them the reciept for it.
Click to expand...

If you must buy from an actual retailer in order to get a receipt your school would accept, you could try PowerMax. You should know, however, that they are overpriced, and you will pay more than if you bought the same computer on eBay or in the MacRumors Marketplace. If your school will pay for your computer, why not get the best thing they will still pay for? What is their price limit?

edit: Small Dog Electronics is another big used mac reseller.
 
their price limit is around 2,500 right now, it's a stafford loan they don't give you but should you really need to buy a computer, they'll cover the cost. Thing is since a bunch of students oncampus requested the money, then went off to party instead of buying a computer, they don't flat out give you the money now, you have to buy the computer yourself. And being in college I've kind of ruined my credit rating in the meantime. Along with that I rather get something reliable to last me awhile till the next real upgrade to the apple notebook line comes out. Which all sums up the reason why I don't go off and get some 17in powerbook or something.
 
Used iBooks seem to hold their value pretty good considering the new ones are a few hundred more. The price ranges between $600 to $800. I had a G3 model at 600 Mhz and did really well for a iSight video chat session and Panther ran fine on it. It's weird to upgrade an operating system that runs faster with each new version and without doing a clean install.

I hope new iBooks break the $1,000 barrier again. This helps lower the price of older units so more people can experience what a Mac can do.
 
I use my 800 MHz iBook as my primary computer, and it runs OS X flawlessly. I also prefer it to the G4, because it doesn't get as hot.

Daniel
 
I was on some used mac site saying the apple store has those for $749 course looking there reveals nothing... guess they don't have them anymore huh?
 
Muzukun said:
that reminds me, how does a 800Mhz G3 perform overall with OSX?
Click to expand...

All I have is a 800MHz G3 and it runs OS X supurb, I run all the maintance scripts about once a month, and other than that, dont do dick besides use it. Really a nice little machine that I padi $999 for over a year ago. Still worth more than any sub $1000 PC laptop today if you ask me.
 
cool =) guess I'll go for one of those then, anyone know any good places to hunt down a refurb/used/(magically new somehow) ibook G3/800 with the 14 in display? best I've seen is 789 or something on macresq.
 
Muzukun said:
cool =) guess I'll go for one of those then, anyone know any good places to hunt down a refurb/used/(magically new somehow) ibook G3/800 with the 14 in display? best I've seen is 789 or something on macresq.
Click to expand...

I purchased my G4/800 a little over a month ago on ebay for $820 + 20 something shipping. If you look at ebay, try to find one that interests you that is ending on a saturday evening. Things tend to go noticeably cheaper on Saturday nights. Smaller buying pool I suspect. Another member on here got his G3/600mhz off ebay the same night I did for something like $575.

Edit: I guess the intent is to help you price things I should have listed specs. duh. G4/800mhz/640mb ram/60gb hd/12"/combo drive. I don't remember the specs on Mike's.
 
Go to Apple's store, and then click on the Hot Deals (or something like that) along the right side. Those are the previous models that are either new, or refurbed (it tells you) and you can also pick up AppleCare on them. You might spend a bit more than for an old Pismo, but they will be and overall faster computer due to bus speeds, etc. And they are in new condition.
 
Right now they have a 1GHZ G4 12" for $849 and a 1 Ghz G4 14" for $949. Remember that the iBooks hold their value well so you should be able to expect to get some of that premium price back. On Powermax you can get a 366Mhz G3 Clamsell for just above $500. In my opinion to get a better bang for you buck with the Hot Deals from Apple.

Another option to see if the MacMall, MacConnection, or another apple reseller has any clearance iBooks. You may find a deal at one of that is even better.

FYI: I've run Mac OS X on my 500 MHZ G3 iMac with 256 MB RAM since new and have had no complaints.

edit: spelling mistakes
 
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