12'' powerbook g4 pricing question

[john roolz a lo]

Does $410 sound like a good deal for:
867mhz
640 ram
superdrive
80 gig hd

but

the latch is broken


Is there any way I can get a g4 powerbook outside of ebay?
I'm using craigslist and no one within a 1000 miles has a faster verson currently for sale.

 

[mkrishnan]

Are you in the United States?

It seems slightly high with a broken latch, but only slightly high. For an eBay price it's probably within the realm of reason. A broken latch on the Aluminum powerbooks or the iBooks is a really pain, because the casing is spring loaded and it will wake up when it springs ajar (unless I'm misunderstanding).

If you're willing to search for a while, I'd look here and on other reputable forums. Also broaden to an iBook 12" if possible, as there are many of those floating around. With respect to that particular PB, it's the very, very first 12" PB, so you should note some of the differences between it and all the other PB 12"-ers -- VGA instead of DVI, an older video card (GeForce 420 vs. 5200, which comes in all other PB 12"-ers and with 64MB VRAM starting with the third revision of the PBG4/12")?

That is... you're talking about this Powerbook, right?

http://apple-history.com/?page=gallery&model=pg4_12&performa=off&sort=date&order=ASC

It's still a great computer, but I'd think that any iBook 12" starting with rev. B and any PBG4 starting with rev. B would probably be better, and they're readily available on forums. However, I would not expect to pick up any of them for <$400 without extensive waiting and looking and / or something wrong with them (as you have here). You might get a fully-functional rev. A iBook G4 / 12" for $350-$400 on a forum.

 

[john roolz a lo]

Thank you very much!
Yes, I am in the US.
Specifically Kansas City, MO.
He originally posted the price @ 475 but even I could tell that was ridiculous.

Which forums do you speak of?
I know new 12/13 inch pro units are coming out but my budget is 700-750.

 

[mkrishnan]

Which forums do you speak of?
I know new 12/13 inch pro units are coming out but my budget is 700-750.

There's a marketplace here -- you can typically use Paypal to make payments, and people can provide you with their eBay IDs or their IDs on another feedback system (like Heatware) so that you know they're safe. I've bought and sold here a number of times, including an iMac, and I've been very happy. We don't let anyone totally new post for sale threads, also for your safety.

https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/14/

If you are really willing to spend $700-750, I almost certainly think that what you want is a MacBook (not pro). A used one should be available for that price, probably from the first (Core Duo, not C2D) generation. Unless you specifically need the lighter / smaller PB (it's about 2/3 lb lighter), the longer battery life (if the battery is in good condition), or the PPC processor, the MB is the way to go.

The model I'm recommending is this one:

http://apple-history.com/?page=gallery&model=mb&performa=off&sort=date&order=ASC

If you really don't want to spend that much money, and you're after something more like that $450-475 or so, I would recommend a 12" iBook with a 1.0-1.2 GHz processor, which you should be able to find if you're patient, at that price.

In fact, Haoshiro, who's a good guy, just posted that he's selling one. (EDIT: although his is somewhat nicer spec-wise than that and probably would command slightly more money)

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/330924/