Buying iBook G4?

[Xandros]

I would still pay even more than that for a good iBook G4. They're easy to open up/upgrade and they're good quality computers that have plenty of life left in them.

Plenty of life? Your living in a fantasy world. Even the very latest PPC Macs are at least nine years old chap, it's commendable that you may love PowerPC Macs so much that you have such a passion for them but tune into sanity FM here; whatever uses they have is fast dwindling into the realm of false economy where by you could by a newer more functional Windows machine for the same sort of money (my five year old Toshiba laptop for instance goes for around 40-60 dollars and already I run Windows 10 on it, I can put the latest iTunes version on it etc etc).

I keep seeing people with your outlook on here advocating how wonderful these things are for every day use and even recommending them to newbies asking about buying a functional Mac online and it's not right in my eyes because functionally, they're obsolete and not worth what people seem to ask for them. Yes, recommend them as collector's pieces or as old examples of Mac history for people with a passing fancy but please don't try and suggest they're functional and relevant in 2015 because they're not.

 

[Greene]

Something tells me that people in this thread are generally aware of the limitations of an iBook running tiger in 2015, and that the question of whether or not this computer is worth $40 is not so much a question about what $40 can buy you in terms of computing power across all brands and whether this iBook delivers in that comparison, but more of a question about the resale values of iBooks specifically, and whether this price for this computer is fair given the history of the iBook market.

 

[jbarley]

I look at my PPC purchases totally different then most of you I suspect.
Whenever I spend 20 - 30 -50 or whatever dollars on my hobby I consider it more like an entertainment or educational expense.
If I can get a few evenings of enjoyable learning from my purchases and in many cases I get much more then a few, I consider it money well spent.
It would be all too easy to blow through 50 bucks in no time sitting in a bar and all you'd have to show for it would be a big headache.

 

[gooser]

if you're into nostalgia it can be a great buy. they were generally well made machines. i should know, i've got twp g4 ibooks. don't use them very often but every month i will go through the rounds on one of them.

 

[RedCroissant]

Plenty of life? Your living in a fantasy world. Even the very latest PPC Macs are at least nine years old chap, it's commendable that you may love PowerPC Macs so much that you have such a passion for them but tune into sanity FM here; whatever uses they have is fast dwindling into the realm of false economy where by you could by a newer more functional Windows machine for the same sort of money (my five year old Toshiba laptop for instance goes for around 40-60 dollars and already I run Windows 10 on it, I can put the latest iTunes version on it etc etc).

I keep seeing people with your outlook on here advocating how wonderful these things are for every day use and even recommending them to newbies asking about buying a functional Mac online and it's not right in my eyes because functionally, they're obsolete and not worth what people seem to ask for them. Yes, recommend them as collector's pieces or as old examples of Mac history for people with a passing fancy but please don't try and suggest they're functional and relevant in 2015 because they're not.

Ah, ok.

Although I don't appreciate your tone, I completely understand now. You think that the age of a device should in turn reflect its current value. Some times that is and should be the case but not with some of these machines that I use and have used far past what some people would consider a normal use cycle. Some people advocate for getting a new computer every 2 years just because technology changes so quickly, or that one should get a new Mac every time AppleCare coverage expires. After all, 3 years is a very long time to keep a machine when a newer and more functional Mac would be more beneficial. <--- This is sarcasm.

I also know that many people have no idea that PPC Macs can do most of the things that a more "modern" machine can do; like stream an iTunes media library.

And please define "more functional." My PowerMac G5 does everything that I need it to do and more, and I paid less than I would have for a newer Mac that I would have been using for the same tasks.

I have an iPhone 4S that obviously does not fully sync with my machines now, but luckily (and one of the reasons I actually upgraded), it does sync with iCloud. I can still export my contacts within iCloud to my PowerMac/iPowerBook/iBook and have the same contact list on all of my devices.

I'm surprised you went the "5 year-old Toshiba route" in your post. I definitely wouldn't waste money on a Toshiba laptop. I also don't consider Windows 10 an upgrade over Leopard and the latest version of iTunes is not a deal-breaker given all but one of my devices (iPhone 4S) do just fine with iTunes 10.6.3. And pretty much any Windows machine makes a better LINUX machine as it is.

My outlook is an interesting one. I like Macs A LOT. I also like NOT spending money A LOT. So what should one do in my position that wants a very productive, capable, and secure machine that is more than able to do what I need it to do for low entry-level cost and low long-term cost; PowerPC Mac or older Intel Mac (which are still more expensive)?

When I was looking for a replacement after having to sell my 27" late 2013 iMac in order to pay rent, I really needed something that could: be used to create 3D models using great design software, run photoshop, video/audio production to render those same models with Quicktime (thanks to plug-ins), convert videos using Handbrake into various formats, be used as an educational device for my kids, be made to run different types of software to allow for retro gaming fun, troubleshoot and fix other Macs as well if need be, stream my media library either to my Apple TV or my PS3 and otherwise do home sharing with my other OS X and iOS devices, and act as a server as well for non-Apple devices. This would seem like a tough decision, but not when a PowerMac G5 Quad is concerned that is now 10 years old and still performing incredibly well doing all of those things. Yes it can use a lot of energy, but that can also be adjusted and I have done that as well. It's an amazing machine that I see lasting for a while longer. I would say my $200 investment in the machine was a smart move. I also finished the last 2 semesters of my B.A. on my PPC Macs at the time (my main machine being a 1.33GHz iBook G4 with 1.25GB RAM running OS X 10.5.8).

I use my current PowerBook G4 on the go to do my mobile stuff and I was just given a 14" iBook G3 800MHz with 640MB RAM and a 30GB HDD with a bunch of educational software. Yes, it will only ever run OS X Tiger(10.4.11), but it will run it very well and do what I need it to do.

Please define "functionally obsolete."

"...please don't try and suggest they're functional and relevant in 2015 because they're not."

Yes they are.

 

[bobesch]

Plenty of life? Your living in a fantasy world.
[...]
...recommending them to newbies asking about buying a functional Mac online and it's not right in my eyes because functionally, they're obsolete and not worth what people seem to ask for them.

It all depends on your personal requirements.
Certainly you won't be able to run the latest versions of OS X, latest versions of productivity software or games. And the Cloud-Services are limited to WebDAV. Otherwise it's a nice and handsome part of your network, allowing easy file access, streaming, screensharing, RDP/VNC and VPN.
If you're looking for a sturdy (additional) companion for productivity and entertainment, it's fairly a good choice.
And if you add all costs of hard- and software, then this nice piece of engineering can compare with your 5y-old Toshiba-Win10 alternative. But it all also depends for what price you may get a good iBook or Win-notebook.
Certainly some time the PPC iBooksG4 will turn into collectors items, but currently they are a lively part of my daily work ...

The *) marks the points, where Windows-licensing is more expensive or additional applications or hardware are necessary or features are missing in low-end versions of windows (e.g. bitlocker: Win7ultimate and above; proper child protection: win8 and above; making a local Hotspot: Win10?)

And here's the list of features and pricing:

- iBookG4; Processor 1.2 to 1.33GHz; 1.25 to 1.5 GB RAM, (average cost 70$)
- New Battery: 25$ *)
- optional: new mSATA-SSD (40$/60GB) with mSATA-IDE-Connector (25$)
- OS X 10.5 (if not yet in your software archive: 30$) *)
- Office 2004 (10-20$) *)
- Office 2008 (20-30$) *)
- PDF-editing/print to PDF (free) *)
- Akti-Virus-software: not necessary (old PPC-architecture) *)
- establish a local HotSpot (part of OS X 10.5) *)
- email-client: ok
- scanning documents: big bunch of scanners supported
- Backup-system: TimeMachine (incremental) or bootable copy of the HDD to external media

connectivity:
- Fax-Modem / Print to fax (not yet obsolete) *)
- WLAN/Airport (WPA2)
- LAN
- VPN and protocols (part of OS X 10.5) *)
- RDP (MS RPP-Client:free), VNC-Clients (Free/Shareware)

media:
- YouTube (no)
- DVD-Rom/PlayDVD (ok)
- Video-out to VGA (ok)
- Audio out to Klinke 3.5 (ok)
- Stream MPEG2 through the network (ok)
- Access to other iTunes-music-libraries: (still) ok
- view TV/record-video (eyeTV) plus 2nd hand hardware: 20-30$
- DVD-player-software/codec (free) *); VLC (free)
- DVD-Ripping (Handbrake) (free)

more advantages:
- once you've configured one machine you're able to clone it to another iBookG4 *)
- no hassle with updates - once set, ever forget
- security: FileVault-encryption of the user-account *)
- good for education / children (separate account with limited access to the internet) *)
- nice companion for presentations: hooked-up staying close to the beamer, no fear of usb-viruses, generating a HotSpot for ScreenSharing *)
... and it comes with a brilliant crispy klicking keyboard I really like to type with!
("The rest is silence..." due to the mSata-modding)

Better not to tout this out too loud - otherwise the prices will rise ... - but I guess the games will go the windows-way anyway.
BTW a Toshiba-Notebook is a good choice too!

(writing this on the iBookG4 while my MacBook is blocked due to any OSX-update...

 

[MultiFinder17]

I'm a high school teacher, and I use a 12" PowerBook G4 as my primary machine to tote between home and the classroom. It's the same PowerBook that saw me all through college (2007-2012), and it's a wonderful little machine for my needs there. I do all of my lesson planning and grading on it, I use it as central repository for anything that has to do with school, and as a machine to get things done on when my classroom desktop is in use. The little thing still works absolutely perfectly for my needs! Plus it's old, so while I'd be sad if it disappeared because of my emotional attachment to this particular machine, it wouldn't be a huge financial loss at all.

Most of my work at school is done in Office (I have 2008 on it) and FirstClass (a teacher info management app that amazingly still supports PowerPC).

 

[Slix]

Again, thanks for all the replies you guys, I appreciate the feedback.

I haven't heard anything from the seller of the iBook since I replied last, and the ad was taken down a few days ago, so I guess I'm out of luck to buy it after all. Ah well. Next time.

 

[bobesch]

I'm a high school teacher, and I use a 12" PowerBook G4 as my primary machine to tote between home and the classroom. It's the same PowerBook that saw me all through college (2007-2012), and it's a wonderful little machine for my needs there. I do all of my lesson planning and grading on it, I use it as central repository for anything that has to do with school, and as a machine to get things done on when my classroom desktop is in use. The little thing still works absolutely perfectly for my needs! Plus it's old, so while I'd be sad if it disappeared because of my emotional attachment to this particular machine, it wouldn't be a huge financial loss at all.
Most of my work at school is done in Office (I have 2008 on it) and FirstClass (a teacher info management app that amazingly still supports PowerPC).

Yes indeed, that's the field where this little companion serves pretty well.
As I can see, you've also done some modding (SSD and some add-ons at menubar and dock). Would be nice to know about some useful software enhancements ...
I' ve added an SSD too and I use TinkerTool to reduce a few animations - don't know if the latter has any effect on speed and performance...
I do really estimate the option to have bootable clone at hands (external drive or +x iBookG4 ), have all personal data encrypted and device that's beyond interest of any virus-programmer...
Cheers,
Robert

 

[MultiFinder17]

Yes indeed, that's the field where this little companion serves pretty well.
As I can see, you've also done some modding (SSD and some add-ons at menubar and dock). Would be nice to know about some useful software enhancements ...
I' ve added an SSD too and I use TinkerTool to reduce a few animations - don't know if the latter has any effect on speed and performance...
I do really estimate the option to have bootable clone at hands (external drive or +x iBookG4 ), have all personal data encrypted and device that's beyond interest of any virus-programmer...
Cheers,
Robert

Yup, the little bugger isn't quite stock any longer. Maxed out the RAM years ago at 1.25GB, and recently popped in a 32GB SSD. I really don't need much space on the little guy, as most of what I store on it is word documents. I install MenuMeters on every machine I have - it's a great, lightweight menubar addon to see what's going on with your machine. There is a version floating around out there for 10.11 despite what the dev says. I also use TinkerTool to tweak a few things, but nothing major. Other than that the only real special things I have going on with it are Leopard Webkit and a custom About This Mac logo

I love the feel of this little machine. It has always felt just right to carry around. I recently got a new battery for it off eBay, and despite it being only $15, it seems to work fine and actually have its advertised capacity. I'd imagine that it'll be dead in a year, but for $15 what's not to love?

 

[bobesch]

...and a custom About This Mac logo

Yeah, the Mac logo I' m curious about. How did you manage to replace the icon that's coming off the shelves?

 

[MultiFinder17]

Yeah, the Mac logo I' m curious about. How did you manage to replace the icon that's coming off the shelves?

The file is /System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/Resources/MacOSX.tif

Replace with whatever you like in a tif format. I made a version that replaced the Apple logo with my first name in Circular Gallifreyan

 

[bobesch]

The file is /System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/Resources/MacOSX.tif

Replace with whatever you like in a tif format. I made a version that replaced the Apple logo with my first name in Circular Gallifreyan

The file is /System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/Resources/MacOSX.tif

Replace with whatever you like in a tif format. I made a version that replaced the Apple logo with my first name in Circular Gallifreyan

Oh no, I've meant the silver Apple-icon instead of the ordinary icon for the HDD...
PS: thank you so much for the hint about "Leopard WebKit" !!!

 

[MacCubed]

Oh no, I've meant the silver Apple-icon instead of the ordinary icon for the HDD...
PS: thank you so much for the hint about "Leopard WebKit" !!!

Even easier, right click the icon>Get Info, then, take the photo you want and drag it to the little icon in the top left corner of the get info window

 

[MultiFinder17]

Oh no, I've meant the silver Apple-icon instead of the ordinary icon for the HDD...
PS: thank you so much for the hint about "Leopard WebKit" !!!

Oh, that. Here's a collection of icons that I've been using on all my machines for years now. I usually stick with Graphite, and occasionally use Snow. Classic is used for any partition with OS 9 on it

 

[bobesch]

Oh, that. Here's a collection of icons that I've been using on all my machines for years now. I usually stick with Graphite, and occasionally use Snow. Classic is used for any partition with OS 9 on it

@ MacCubed and Multifinder: thanks for you help and the set of icons - the iBook looks pretty cool now!

 

[dogslobber]

$40 isn't bad, especially if it's a late 2005 1.33 GHz with working battery.

That model had 0.5gb on the motherboard and could take a 1gb chip for 1.5gb in total. Not too bad for a 10 year old laptop, plus iBook 12" from 2004/5 were probably the best portables except for the 12" PowerBook at the time, IMO. So make sure it has the 1gb chip!

Also, avoid the 14" models as they had a 1024x768 display too. I was too pixelated IMO.

 

[dogslobber]

Something tells me that people in this thread are generally aware of the limitations of an iBook running tiger in 2015, and that the question of whether or not this computer is worth $40 is not so much a question about what $40 can buy you in terms of computing power across all brands and whether this iBook delivers in that comparison, but more of a question about the resale values of iBooks specifically, and whether this price for this computer is fair given the history of the iBook market.

Leopard ;-) These models could run Leopard really nicely and it was a definite upgrade from Tiger.

 

[Greene]

Leopard ;-) These models could run Leopard really nicely and it was a definite upgrade from Tiger.

I'm sure they can, I'm just a tiger guy through and through : )

 

[bobesch]

I'm sure they can, I'm just a tiger guy through and through : )

Below 1GHs Tiger performs much much better than Leopard. I tried to run Leopard on a G4/800MHz and it was really a hassle while Tiger runs smooth.
Maybe I should have tried additional RAM but even with no additional RAM MS Office 2004 and others of my favorite apps had a good performance.