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What is your plan on utilizing your retired PowerBook G4?

digitalmac

digitalmac

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Original poster
Sep 5, 2008
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I have a PowerBook and is just replaced by my newly bought MacBook Pro. I am planning on how to use it. One of the idea is to turn it into a touch screen so that I can remote control my Mac mini in the living room.
What is your thoughts?
 
I used a PPC release of Ubuntu on my old TiBook before selling it.

Great machine, and didn't really want to get rid of it, but couldn't justify keeping it just as a toy when it was worth a couple hundred bucks on eBay (amazing, really, given that it was the 667/VGA model...not exactly amazingly fast by today's standards, and on OSX, web browsing wasn't even very pleasant on any page with Flash).

Still think it was a much prettier/cleaner design than my Macbook Pro (first model). Heck, if it weren't for the hinge issues (which I luckily never had to deal with), I'd outright say it's my favorite New World Mac laptop, period. The materials were nicer than anything since, the super-thin bezel on the screen was nice, I still prefer that keyboard to my Macbook Pro's (nevermind the chicklets on the new ones...ugh. Give me concave keys EVERY day of the week.

If they rereleased the TiBook form-factor again, but with modern guts, I'd find a way to buy one in an instant.
 
My 1.33ghz 12" PB has a broken screen and a dying hard drive. It's sitting on the shelf for now, but I'm going to revive it at some point to use as a desktop. After all, a G4 is still pretty much fine for daily computing.
 
extrachrispy said:
I opted to trade my G4 in on my MBP through PowerMax. That neatly solved my "what am I going to do with it?" question.
Click to expand...

Did they give a pretty good allowance for the trade in? I have considered doing this with my 17" PB, but I have wondered how much they would give me on it. Realistically, though, I'll probably just keep using it until it completely dies. I really like that 17" screen, and I can't afford a 17" MBP right now.
 
I still use my TiBook and 12" Powerbook daily. I can't see myself retiring either until they break. Still plenty useful for daily use. The 12" is a 1.5GHz model, which is more than sufficient for most all of my needs.
 
If my PowerBook G4 17in wasn't stolen about a year ago I would still be using it for DJ back up of all my songs for gigs....1.5 ghz and 320 gig HD was perfect for the job...:(
 
I just sold my old PowerBook G4 1GHz on eBay to a good home. It was the best thing to do as I just didn't have the space or need for it - upgraded to a new MacBook Pro. Had the G4 since 2003 and it was well loved and taken care of during it's time in my hands. So give it a good home.
 
The screen on my 1.33ghz PB just broke as well. Best Mac of all time IMO! I would make it into a desktop, but the internal hard drive is dying as well. I will buy a new drive at some point and fix it up with a nice stand.
 
I got my powerbooks but they need work.One needs a screen,the other a back light.So It's a pain reinstalling when u can't see cause u have to have an external.
 
Until I get my i5 iMac, it's still my main computer, but it will be my "outta room" computer for awhile until I replace it with a 13" MBP later on this year.

*Edit: I mean next year, like Christmas 2010.
 
I just received my G4 iBook with 1.2GHz and 512mb ram, just ordered a PC2700 sodimm to extend it to 1.2GB RAM, tiger is really running good on that lappy, for 160 bucks it worths it.I can watch youtube videos, surfing with the apple airport extreme is blazing fast, i can connect to some wireless points i couldn't even see with my other windows lappy.

PC2700 1GB Kingston KVR333X64SC25 sodimm 200pin CL2.5 is fully compatible :)
 
I have no intention of retiring my 12" 1.33 Ghz, I'll run it till it dies. It even had use as my main machine in the weeks between my old iMac dying and my i5 arriving.
 
Retired?? My 15" 1.5ghz PB G4 is my main computer still (going on 6 years). I am spec'n out a 27" i5 and would like to pick one up in the next month or so. I'm not in a huge hurry but would like to have a new computer. :) The PB will be retired when it dies, until then, I will still use it. I works just as good as it did when I first got it.
 
Spare machine for niece and nephew to use when they visit, watch movies on bedroom TV through it, bed surfing.
 
Retired? My PB is still going strong!

I'll be replacing my iMac G5 before I upgrade my PB.

(yep, I'm still rockin' the PPC goods)
 
rdowns said:
Spare machine for niece and nephew to use when they visit, watch movies on bedroom TV through it, bed surfing.
Click to expand...

I used my 12 inch PowerBook daily until February of 2009 when I got a MacBook, after that I used it as a portable DVD player/iTunes jukebox. I recently gave it to my brother to use and he loves it, works great for iTunes movies and Facebook, sometimes even a quick iMovie edit.
 
My Powerbook won't be retired anytime soon,even with a dead backlight,I have multiple monitors around the house so I just move it around.here it is in my room.I moved the PowerBook to where the monitor is and moved the monitor in the powerbooks place yesterday and hooked up a keyboard and mouse and now am using it more.
 

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Mine isnt retired. Not likely to be anytime soon either. I use it as my main cart-about laptop, as my MacBook is actually oft-treated as a desktop. Usefulness wise mine is a 1.67Ghz model, so isnt actually that slow, even considering I throw Final Cut Express at it and even use it as a render station.
 
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