$600 laptop for college.

[Cameront9]

It's better to spend the money now and get a better computer with a good warranty (either a new or Refurbed Macbook) than to get an older, outdated machine. The Macbook may end up lasting her all through college; I can't imagine a G4 would last more than a year or so before she becomes unsatisfied with it. You think typing and papers for college, but having just graduated last year, a female college freshman is going to use her computer for photos, music, etc...I.E. you'll want something with storage space that can handle that, as well as a decent processor.

 

[Frankf300]

A white Core Duo Macbook popped up in the refurb store this morning for $899. Probably a little steep for you, but you may want to have a look, 2.0ghz model with superdrive.

Edit: As usual, it's gone already. Man, do those refurbs go quick.

 

[nsbio]

Two of my friends had iBook G4s freshman year (I'm a senior now) and they both DIED!

This is a quote of the day - sorry, could not pass up

 

[kwood]

Thats why you don't lick the tooth pasty looking stuff off of the processor... it only leads to a trip to the emergency room then the morgue.

 

[karichelle]

If you decide to go with a used iBook, definitely consider upgrading the RAM and possibly maxing it out -- that will help make up for any processor slowness that comes from it just being a little older than the "current" machines most software today is written for. I have an iBook G4 and a Macbook...the iBook is currently dead because the hard drive went kaput, but this is the airport security's fault and not the machine's. It's 3.5 years old and had been going strong until it was manhandled at security. It's a good little machine and I loved it...I bought it junior year of college to replace an iMac G3 and used it almost completely through grad school. I love the Macbook too, but I do think the iBook had two advantages -- the battery lasted longer (I could get 5-6 hours out of it easily...I get around 4 out of the MB with the same settings) and it was a little smaller horizontally. If size is a big deal then I would look for 12" iBooks and PowerBooks. The MB does have a little extra length there, even if it is a tad bit thinner. I don't really notice any weight difference between the two though.

 

[Roba]

I think that Apple at least will still keep on providing support for the G4 PPC for at least another two or three years yet. Some iBook's that were bought in May 06 just before the Macbook release are still only one year old and have two years of Applecare left. Apple were also still selling refurb iBook's as little as a few months ago with the option to get extended warranty cover for 3 years.
I am not to sure though if other programmers will give the same level of support though for the PPC chip.

For longevity though i don't think that one can dispute that a MacBook would not be a better choice.

Still though the graphics card that is in the current MacBook is not great and in a year or two it will struggle as well in that area in some respects as well.

If you are on a real budget and you cannot stretch to get a Macbook or don't really want to the latter revision iBook's are still plenty fast for things like word processing, iTunes and meets the needs of the average user. Try and get the last rev model if you can if you really want to buy one. I own an iBook and have topped it up with 1.5GB of ram i am pleased with its performance. Battery life is very good to like the above poster posted.

Don't overspend though if you want to get an iBook or a PB.

 

[Macky-Mac]

I think she would get good enough service out of a G4 ibook....but I think $600 is too much

edit: I just saw a G4 ibook 1.2/768MB/50GB HD sell for $456.66 on ebay....I think an ibook in that price range would be worth it for what you want

 

[ryannel2003]

I purchased a 1GHz iBook G4 12" Combo from http://www.powerbookguy.com for $547 shipped. Comes with 30GB HD, Combo Drive, and a Airport Extreme card. Came loaded with Panther 10.3.9, but I erased that and have the latest version of Tiger on it running great! Runs Safari, iChat, iTunes, iPhoto, and Mail great (and at the same time). I do plan on upgrading the RAM to 1.25GB later in the year and that will give it a nice boost, but until then i'm fine with the way it is now! Good luck!

 

[YoYoMa]

I suggest buying a used Core 2 Duo MacBook when the new Santa Rosa ones are released. They will all still be under warranty and shouldn't be going for too much more than $700. If they are, then go with a standard Core Duo.

Also, wait until Apple begins to offer a free iPod later this year. Buy the cheap MacBook and sell the iPod. You'll be looking at about $900 with that plan after taxes, but it's worth the extra money.

PPC days are over. If a couple hundred more will get you at least 4x the performance, there really isn't any choice in the matter.

 

[adk]

Your sister is looking for a laptop for college, I'm assuming that she wants it to last her at least four years. I'm not quite convinced that PPC apples will still be well supported in 2011.

just something to think about, as I'll be clinging to my powerbook as long as I can.

 

[machinist]

I'm facing similar situation. Problem is, she hesitates to have macbook because it's bigger (13'3") and it's heavier than 12" i/powerbook...

Will lighter macbook come in June 'cause there's powerbook 1.5ghz 12" selling for about 900usd. decision.. decision..

 

[BigPrince]

don't waste your money on anything ppc at this point. Do it right, you'll be much happier.

 

[sushi]

By chipping in an extra couple hundred bucks, the OP can get a clearly better machine that won't be force-obsoleted like the PPC machines. Anyone who pays $600 for a couple year old PowerBook is out of their minds when a refurb or last gen MacBook is just slightly more expensive.

I understand what you are saying.

However, some folks might prefer an older PowerBook. For example, I much prefer the MBP/PowerBook keyboard as I can type much faster in both English and Japanese than I can on the MB or iBook.

Others may prefer the smaller form or lighter weight of the PowerBook 12 inch verses the MB.

Also, I am not sure I understand your forced-obsoleted comment. If you mean that they may not be able to run the latest software, then fine. But not everyone needs the latest OS or application to get what they need done.

Just some food for thought.

 

[Schroedinger]

Let me preface my advice by saying I have convinced 5 people to switch to macs and I've got at least 3 more who will be getting a mac as their next computer.

I think your sister may want to consider a PC. It all depends on what she wants to do. I think you need to take into account the school she is going to attend. Are they mac friendly? If not, she'll have problems with little things like wireless printing in the library, or something similar. If they're mac friendly, I'd go mac. Does she have a small music and photo collection or does she have gigs and gigs? If she doesn't have really demanding needs, a pc should be fine. If she's a power user, I would go mac.

I've been using a Thinkpad running XP for law school for the last three years, and the thing has given me no problems b/c I didn't ask it to do too much. I take notes on it, surf the web, and have a small itunes collection for when i'm in the library (using headphones of course). If your sister has similar demands, she'll be able to do well in your price range with a pc. I have nothing but respect for thinkpads, I prefer them physically even to apple's laptop line b/c they really are built like tanks.

Of course, if she's a heavy user, hates windows, and is going to a mac friendly school, rock the mac.

One last thing: While I agree with everyone that a macbook will give you better performance, your sister's computer usage should determine whether that is really necessary. A G4 will serve your sister fine if all she wants to do is keep her photos and music on the computer and surf the web and write papers. If she plans on using photoshop, or making music, or anything more demanding, I'd say the extra money now will save a great deal of frustration later.

 

[iSaint]

Maybe she'll get some cash for high school graduation that she can put in to the purchase.

Remember to add the cost off AppleCare. $200 edu cost? Not sure myself.

Or, give her yours and get yourself an MBP!

 

[jng]

A G4 will serve your sister fine if all she wants to do is keep her photos and music on the computer and surf the web and write papers. If she plans on using photoshop, or making music, or anything more demanding, I'd say the extra money now will save a great deal of frustration later.

One thing I did a lot in college was take pictures, LOTS and LOTS and pictures and I was really amazed at how quickly iPhoto filled up and how much faster it runs on my MBP.

For that reason, I think there are non-professional reasons for selecting a Macbook over a G4 iBook or Powerbook even. The best reason of course is support. For a college student who isn't particularly tech savvy (most still aren't - esp. when it comes to problems) it's nice to know that one has apple care and phone support. And even without the apple care, it's nice to know that your machine is under warranty.

 

[silversyren]

I am considering upgrading from my pb to a mbp.. if I did that, should I give my pb to my sister or trade it for a macbook?

 

[janey]

I disagree with those saying it's bad to buy a used apple laptop.

My comment was in regards to $500+ used PowerBooks and iBooks. Unless the iBooks/PowerBooks are going to be in like the 2-300$ range, or unless the OP's sister absolutely cannot afford to pay extra for an Intel Mac, there is almost zero reason to go with PPC over Intel, given the performance benefits at the least.

Also, I am not sure I understand your forced-obsoleted comment. If you mean that they may not be able to run the latest software, then fine. But not everyone needs the latest OS or application to get what they need done.

Leopard will run on both PPC and Intel, and one could obviously also stick with 10.4 (10.3 is iffy..) but many apps won't be. Case in point: Joost. Still new, but pretty popular. The only thing separating users who can't use Joost and users that can is whether or not their Mac is PPC or Intel.

Eventually Apple won't be supporting these computers (sooner than Intel macs, that's for sure), nor will developers be supporting PPC-compatible apps once they reach a point where it's no longer feasible to maintain it. Like the Ubuntu project, which officially made the PPC port of Ubuntu non-official with Feisty. This isn't just for arches in general either, it's the OS as well. People drop support for lots of stuff, be it because of new features that would make their lives easier, or because it's just too much effort to try to blindly fix issues with older OSs and computers they don't have access to. Tiger is already over 2 years old. And how many devs out there have dropped 10.3.x support already for their apps? (btw Panther is only 3 and a half years old...) And just how many more are planning to do something like that soon? And just who is gonna run Leopard on a 1ghz G4 with a gig of ram? Sure, maybe if you feel like torturing yourself occasionally...speaking from personal experience

Excluding special circumstances where it would be more ideal to use one laptop over another for particular features, and excluding any PowerBooks and iBooks that are significantly dirt cheap, again, there is no reason to not go for a MacBook. At the least, it will run everything more nicely for a minimal amount of money.

 

[sushi]

Leopard will run on both PPC and Intel, and one could obviously also stick with 10.4 (10.3 is iffy..) but many apps won't be. Case in point: Joost. Still new, but pretty popular. The only thing separating users who can't use Joost and users that can is whether or not their Mac is PPC or Intel.
<snip>

You make some good arguments.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

Bottom line, it all depends on one's needs.

 

[Dustman]

Even though most powerpc chips are powerful enough for the majority of people, i don't see them being supported much longer. since LOTS of people have already chosen to adapt intel macs, it just doesnt make sence for apple and 3rd party developers to keep support for a chip thats losing popularity. But like i said, the ppc will be anything BUT slow. the only thing is whether or not you will want to be able to run the newest software.

 

[seany916]

Don't cheap out on a computer.

Get one directly from Apple either through Edu discount or refurbished discount. Pick up warranty a month before it expires if she still has it.

Being in a college dorm, she'll hopefully learn how to share music & files over servers wirelessly. At the very least 1GB of RAM (NOTHING LESS!), Superdrive (DVD burner), and a mini-portable hard drive. I really like G-technology's Mini. Old cheap computers area almost useless after less than a year. She'll get some decent software with the current Macbooks too.

Don't skimp on cars and fire extinguishers. Used computers are a terrible investment. Batteries are pretty much near dead/useless by the time you get them from the original/last owner. Macbooks come with wireless cards.

Spend money now on a decent computer with a factory warranty, included software, a new battery, and a DVD burner (for archiving purposes).

Recommendations:
Macbook 1GB RAM, Superdrive
G-technology G-drive Mini portable hard drive 160GB/$240
a spare battery for laptop
a spindle of blank DVDs
a spindle of blank CD-Rs

Will it cost you? Yes. Will it be worth it? Long term... yes.

if she's near an Apple Store, $99 for 1-on-1 training is a fantastic deal.

 

[Dustman]

Get one directly from Apple either through Edu discount or refurbished discount. Pick up warranty a month before it expires if she still has it.

Being in a college dorm, she'll hopefully learn how to share music & files over servers wirelessly. At the very least 1GB of RAM (NOTHING LESS!), Superdrive (DVD burner), and a mini-portable hard drive. I really like G-technology's Mini. Old cheap computers area almost useless after less than a year. She'll get some decent software with the current Macbooks too.

Don't skimp on cars and fire extinguishers. Used computers are a terrible investment. Batteries are pretty much near dead/useless by the time you get them from the original/last owner. Macbooks come with wireless cards.

Spend money now on a decent computer with a factory warranty, included software, a new battery, and a DVD burner (for archiving purposes).

Recommendations:
Macbook 1GB RAM, Superdrive
G-technology G-drive Mini portable hard drive 160GB/$240
a spare battery for laptop
a spindle of blank DVDs
a spindle of blank CD-Rs

Will it cost you? Yes. Will it be worth it? Long term... yes.

if she's near an Apple Store, $99 for 1-on-1 training is a fantastic deal.

umm.. i share music with my iMac g3 512 ram, and its definetly funtional. and as for a spare battery, most people arent away from a power source more than 5 hours a day, which is the battery life of the current macbook.. soo.. why are you telling someone whos trying to save money that they have to buy all these different things when they dont need them? id suggest the baseline with MAYBE if your budget allows, 1 GB ram, for a smoother experience.

 

[silversyren]

I really appreciate everyone's comments -- thank you for thanking the time to help us out.

Some comments are a bit perplexing, however.. I understand that with the current price of powerbooks/ibooks, it's not that much of a jump to newer technology.

However, I don't mind buying used at all. We're all pretty computer-savvy so the $99 on a lesson can go toward a better computer. She has an ipod so burning cds aren't that important. We might pickup a spare external drive for backup purposes.

we're doing mac instead of pc because it's cleaner -- I got so sick of having to clean my pc every month from viruses and spyware. and I've been on the internet for over a decade so I'm not stupidly downloading things and clicking suspicious links. Even with protection, it's just another hassle. Plus.. apple's got everything all tidy in their os. iphoto, itunes, mail, etc.

I would really like to get a recent iMac for myself, keep my powerbook, and get the sister a macbook. If only we had another couple thousand.

 

[ChrisA]

Hi,

My baby sister goes off to college next semester and she'll need a laptop. Is $600 reasonable for a good ibook or powerbook?

Those older G4 powered machines are dead slow by today's standards. If your budget is really $600 then Apple has nothing for you.

 

[theLimit]

I recently bought a last revision 15" PowerBook for $700 USD. The machine was right at a year old. I chose it over a refurbished MacBook because:
it has a 128MB Radeon 9700
higher screen resolution
some of the applications I run aren't yet Universal
and, believe it or not, I still use Classic

I also have a Core Duo Mac mini, and while the speed difference between the two is definitely noticeable, it isn't nearly as vast as some make it out to be.