(fully working) iMac G4 17 Inch - M8935LL/A - marketplace or scrapheap?

[PurpleGoose76]

Hi,

I am not an Apple collector, but was given this machine many years ago (maybe 2008 or 2009). It has sat untouched in my father's house for the past 15 years, but still turns on and is fully operational.

I don't know whether these are desirable, I did a bit of research and wasn't able to find many examples for sale. Maybe that's because it belongs in a recycling facility haha, but thought it was worth asking here if anyone knows anything about these machines?

Apple iMac G4 17 Inch - M8935LL/A
512MB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX (64MB)
80GB HDD
Peripherals: Speakers, Keyboard & Mouse - All in full working order.

Many thanks in advance for any information you might be able to give! I am based in the UK.

PurpleGoose76

 

[sunapple]

There are definitely some people out there still looking for these. You don't see them as much these days (and I wonder how many were actually sold). It would personally break my heart a little if I saw one in a recycling bin.

I'm in The Netherlands and it should be worth anything between 50 and 100 euros depending on your luck. Discolouration seems be there, but it's functioning at least. Good luck.

 

[Berenod]

Indeed, in our nick of the woods (am from Belgium) they go between 50 and 100€.
Most are the 15" (4/3 ratio), yours is the 17" wide screen, so a bit more desireable!
I have two of them, and actually use one to play internet radio streams (bit of trickery needed to make them work on the "modern" internet), them speakers still put out decent sound!

There are still a fair bit of fun things to do with those machines,at the very least they are pretty decorative!

 

[za9ra22]

Fully working and in the US, this would probably sell on eBay for about $150. They're common enough not to be highly valuable (yet), but there are collectors who value them for their iconic design, unlike any other computer before or since.

Recycling this would be a great waste. If you didn't want to go to the trouble of selling it, it is quite possible someone who wanted it would happily arrange to come to you to pick it up.

 

[Applicator]

Don't know much about prices in the US, but in Germany you'd probably get around 150€ for a 17" in good condition without original packaging.
A 20" with original packaging in mint condition would be at least 500€.
The price heavily depends on the location, as it's super complicated to improvise a shipping container suitable for such a device and it might be costly too, considering weight and size.

 

[trisette]

My mom has a G4 as well (17" I think, 1GH/256MB/80 HD model number M6498 and EMC 1987). I absolutely can not find models with this EMC on US websites like https://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/. The serial number doesn't show up either. The only hit I get is at the MOTAT museum in Auckland, New Zealand. So is this a rare model that shouldn't be trashed? Is it a gray market model intended for the Asia/Pacific market? I suspect it isn't museum worthy without it's box and original accessories. Any ideas what to do with it?

 

[CooperBox]

My mom has a G4 as well (17" I think, 1GH/256MB/80 HD model number M6498 and EMC 1987). I absolutely can not find models with this EMC on US websites like https://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/. The serial number doesn't show up either. The only hit I get is at the MOTAT museum in Auckland, New Zealand. So is this a rare model that shouldn't be trashed? Is it a gray market model intended for the Asia/Pacific market? I suspect it isn't museum worthy without it's box and original accessories. Any ideas what to do with it?

First things first. Imho no iMac G4 should ever be trashed whether it be a scarce 20" model (PowerMac6,3) or a far more common 17" 1GHz flat-panel iMac (PowerMac6,1) which I believe is what you have.
As a collector of G4 iMacs I've always found the EMC No./Order Nos.a little confusing, and a believe these changed depending on the actual build spec (standard/optional customer built-to-order RAM, bluetooth cable with/without BT module) etc. The 'bluetooth ready' installed cable option and/or complete with the BT module was rather expensive. I have refurbished many G4 iMacs and only found one which had the BT cable and module installed - a 20" model, which found a happy buyer rapidly. I have another two 20" models, both without the optional apple installed mod. BT can easily be added however with the use of a D-link Bluetooth USB adapter DBT-120.

 

[trisette]

Thanks. The computer works nicely, now that I've had a chance to get my hands on it. I can't open the CD tray maybe, adjust the volume, or adjust the brightness because it has the wrong keyboard. It is nicer than my 2019 iMac with hard drive that I hate. I think it is a later model since it is 1GHz, which have UBS 2 ports, so it's possible that modern thumb drives can be used on it. . I've found a home within family.

 

[za9ra22]

...I can't open the CD tray maybe...

I think I recall you can press and hold the F12 key on a PC keyboard to operate the G4 iMac eject.

 

[wonderings]

These are great machines to just turn into a juke box. Load your music via iTunes, or if you can get a browser that lets you stream then stream it. Those speakers are great and iconic along with the computer. I had the first version which I believe was 15". Power supply died and could not even give it away in the end so it did end up in the pile. This was their best design and wish they would bring this back, especially now that you really can't upgrade yourself anymore anyways, this model fits perfectly in with that. Just need a hinge that supports a massive 27" screen.

 

[Astro13]

I mean, if you don’t want it… my g3 is dead and my Mac classic is in for repairs… asking price?