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12" ibook for now? then 15" powerbook later?(new mac user)

B

baboo2

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 27, 2005
90
0
Toronto
Hi, I spent over 10 hours reading everything about ibook and powerbooks. This is my first time buying an Apple computer, and would like to buy one to prevent myself from playing games and apple products look :cool: .
Anyways my plan is to buy an 12inch ibook ( 800-1.33ghz) maybe slightly used model on ebay, to see if i like it, then wait one year when i go to universty and go for intel powerbook if i still enjoy apple interface and style, then go with a 15inch (intel inside) powerbook.
So my question to all pros and apple fans, is this a smart choice to make? buying a slightly used 12inch ibook ( if so is 800mhz+ enough for typing,web, msn and music ) . Or should i just buy a new ibook? Wait till a intel powerbook next year? etc.......Thanks in advance

PS: Is the keyboard size and layout the same for 12inch and 15inch apple laptops, since the 12inch says fullsize
 
I would just wait until the new Powerbooks come out before buying. The new iBooks are great, but you might as well wait and save the money and just get a better Powerbook when they come out. And with the extra money you would've used on buying an iBook, you can use to pimp out your Powerbook. You'll thank yourself in the end, believe me.
 
My parents are buying me a free laptop once i get to universty but that is in 1 year, and my forumla = slightly used or new ibook ( 1000cdn) sell it a year later (500cdn) = only lose 400-600 cdn of my own money...
I cant buy a powerbook now because decent ones cost about 1500, and I dont want to spend that much of my own money , and you stated

"The new iBooks are great, but you might as well wait and save the money and just get a better Powerbook when they come out." . I agree that is why i want to buy a cheap ibook, wait one year (have to wait a year for nxt replacement because its FREE for me) when awesome Powerbooks are out and get a nice 15inch then...
 
I bought an iBook in Oct 04 and I will be using it till intel Powerbook comes out which I will buy for College in mid 06. So, I'm kinda already putting ur plan to work.

I think maybe a G3 iBook for you becuase it would save money now instead of $900ish now and $2000ish later, you can get a G3 for about $500-$600. It should work fine for internet, word, music, etc....

You should probably buy something now if you want to be sure you like Apple (though there's a very small chance of you not liking them). However, the smart thing to do is to wait for the Powerbook, it would save the most money in the long run.

But, again if you're dieing to try Apple, try and find a really cheap iBook as long you get at least 800Mhz G3(and some RAM)........

It's really quite a quagmire you're in. I would say wait and get the intel Powerbook.
 
Exactly, i KNOW the smartest thing to do is just wait for the New Intel Powerbook and get the sweet 15 or even 17inch mointer then.... BUT I will feel terribly if i do not like apple thus i want to buy a ibook to try...

Jedi128 or anyone, do you know the difference between G3 and G4 ibook difference other than ram and speed, ie: is the body build,looks and battery life etc the same? I figure if i buy the ibook now , i will get at least half the money back when i resell it so it wont be a big lost
 
Not having personally owned a G3, my friend recently bought a used iBook G3, it wasn't that bad considering he only had 128MB of RAM, but you can find a cheap used iBook G4 on eBay or something. The big difference depending on the model, is processor speed, and the way the thing is built. I'd go for a G4 though and upgrade it, depending on the budget.
 
So G3 and G4 ibooks look exactly the same and one cant tell them apart unless they look at the specs? And is the keyboard size for a 12inch the regular full size, because i own a old dell ultra thin laptop(2.5lb) and the keyboard is cramped and i hate it
 
No, you can tell the difference, its more cheaply made, the keyboards suck too. Even the older G4 iBooks have ****** keyboards, the newest iBooks have very good keyboards.

I'll make this easier on you, what is your budget?
 
My budget is 500usd- 900usd because i figure when i resell it back a year later ill get half the money back . But length , size wise, are the Ibook G3 and G4 series nicely laid out, not crampped?
 
baboo2 said:
My budget is 500usd- 900usd because i figure when i resell it back a year later ill get half the money back . But length , size wise, are the Ibook G3 and G4 series nicely laid out, not crampped?
Click to expand...

Well, the 12" is pretty small, but not cramped IMO, I think its perfect for a laptop. 14" seemed a little too big for me.

Alright so your max is like $900, so i'd definitely check out ebay, you can find great deals on iBook G4s on there. heres a few examples:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ibook-G4-1-2ghz-12-screen_W0QQitemZ5235202790QQcategoryZ4602QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/UsedApple-iBook...5234548929QQcategoryZ4602QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

There's plenty of more on there too, just search "iBook G4". Good luck and let us know if you have anymore questions.
 
sorry the link about how much should i bid max is...
<http://cgi.ebay.ca/Apple-iBook-G4-1-07GHz-12-768mb-30gb-comboDVDCDRW-os-x_W0QQitemZ5232208470QQcategoryZ4602QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem>
 
Thanks a lot, i see you have the newest ibook, is there any physical difference other than the keyboard between the Older G4 and New G4, they look the same to me
 
baboo2 said:
Thanks a lot, i see you have the newest ibook, is there any physical difference other than the keyboard between the Older G4 and New G4, they look the same to me
Click to expand...

Yeah there is a difference, my friend has an older iBook G4 and his keyboard is kinda of rattily when typing, kind of annoying, but not that bad. The one I have has a good keyboard, firm keys, minimal noise when typing. Its not something to make a big fuss over though, plus, mine was around $1000, and that seems to be over your budget. Plus, you'll be getting a new PowerBook anyway, so it won't matter.
 
Is there anyone else with a different view? or just like to give me some thoughts? much appericated
 
A mac mini will not do me so much good since it is around the same price as a slightly used ibook and my computer at home is awesome already (2.6ghz 1gbram ...) though its PC, more so, its my dell thin laptop (its on 400mhz 128mb ram >.<) ....thats why hehe Thanks though for that thought
 
I would just buy a new ibook now, then wait till the intel powerbooks come out, sell your ibook and get the intel powerbook. Personally, I think that if you got an old used ibook now you probably would be dissapointed in the speed and everything and it'll make your apple expreince not so good and then you wouldnt want to buy a powerbook later on!
Anyways, just go with the new ibook...you know you wanna ;)
 
I have a question...if you're getting a free laptop in a year, why bother buying one now and selling it for a $400 loss? That makes no sense to me. Based on that logic, you're renting the laptop for $400 and using it for a year, when you have a perfectly useful computer at home (2, in fact).

Seems to me that you're pissing away your money for no good reason. Apple's great and will still be there in a year; either save your money for something important or spend it on Powerbook accessories next year.
 
baboo2 said:
my plan is to buy an 12inch ibook ( 800-1.33ghz) maybe slightly used model on ebay, to see if i like it, then wait one year when i go to universty and go for intel powerbook if i still enjoy apple interface and style, then go with a 15inch (intel inside) powerbook. So my question to all pros and apple fans, is this a smart choice to make?
Click to expand...

YES!!

buy one that has a G4 inside and is cheap enough for you, and cheap enough to justify buying a pre-owned one instead of a new that has warranty. this is smart thing to do, because you will spend your first year to get knowing your new system, and cannot fully utilize the resources you are given. point being that it is not smart to pay for any unnicessary system resources, and while you can never have too much features/power you just cannot expect being able to take advantage of all that when you just learn using osx while unlearning the pain of using windows. many of my friends have chosen just the same route and been very happy with their decision.

(a G3 laptop is also very nice, but a little slowish on multimedia tasks. if that's not too big a deal, you can find G3 ibooks for very little money on ebay.)
 
To Blue T : My laptop is 400mhz 128mb ram 4gb...its sluggish thus i could use a ibook for now. Also i want to try an apple OS incase i hate it, because i have programs like Guitar Pro that i want to run and i have to see if emulators and Apple software fits me well. I figured 400 loss is better than 2200 lost nxt year if i hate apple if i go directly to powerbook next year.

And do Jfreak : but the 2 links i gave the G3 900mhz and G4 1.0ghz, both have 512mb ram +, so they shouldnt make a huge difference on multimedia and other stuff right? (sorry sounds like a very newbie question because i am one :) )
 
G3 doesn't have altivec (SIMD) and that's why it's not so good for multimedia tasks. the difference is something from noticeable to huge, depending on app. AND, some apps/features don't run without altivec.
 
When you say multimedia does that mean like editing etc or watching movies... Because the most i will do at least this year is watch a movie in terms of multimedia ... btw in your view Jfreak what is the maxium you would bid on that G3 and G4 respectively thanks!
 
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