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Granite's iBook G3 Clamshells

G

GraniteTheWolf

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 31, 2013
250
8
Wisconsin
Found a good deal I couldn't pass up. Strictly a nostalgic buy. So this one arrived broken..... Got a tangerine one ordered up. Starts at Post# 18.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-App...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
$_57.JPG

For the price id say its in great shape. Just missing the cd drive bezel, which seems to be common on these.

$50+ $15 for shipping for a mystery spec computer. The seller made no effort on the details but its not too hard to figure out what it is:
300 mhz original blueberry iBook G3. 2-6gb hdd. CD-ROM. No clue how much ram exactly.Hopefully it has some surprise upgrades.

I plan to upgrade the firmware while it has OS9 on it, then install OSX 10.3 Panther if it has enough ram.
I plan to toss in a 512mb stick of ram, and upgrade the hard drive to a 60gb one I happen to have in my spare hdd collection. I also plan to buy a new battery for it as well if the one it comes with is shot.

My only concern is finding the smallest usb wifi dongle possible that works in OSX 10.3. I currently have one by netgear that I know works but its very long and sticks out far from a usb port. I just want a tiny one thats hardly noticeable like one of these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-4-GHz-150...luetooth_Adapters_Dongles&hash=item2a3ec615d8
or
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-WIFI-N-...SB_Wi_Fi_Adapters_Dongles&hash=item4ac2310317

What do I plan to do with this computer? AIM/Skype/YIM, very light web browsing, and maybe a little music listening while doing those things. I have no expectations of youtube being watchable on it.

Is there a good ibook clamshell resource website around for the best and newest programs or replacement parts? Thanks guys!
 
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You won't be able to use Skype on that machine for much longer. Microsoft is discontinuing support for all PowerPC versions of it very soon.
 
Intell said:
You won't be able to use Skype on that machine for much longer. Microsoft is discontinuing support for all PowerPC versions of it very soon.
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They dropped PPC support a long time ago. I'm already using a very old version of Skype on my iMac G4.

Or by support, do you mean they plan to change the server it connects to, so older versions can no longer connect?

Either way, that doesn't bother me if I lose Skype for it in the future.
 
They'll be discontinuing server side connection support for it. Thus, you won't ever be able to log in or use it again.
 
Do not judge an iBook by it's Gigahertz!!!(from the Book of Wise Sayings by Jonas Kvale). Lol tbh I've never used a clamshell, just G3 Snows and G4s.
 
jrsx said:
Do not judge an iBook by it's Gigahertz!!!(from the Book of Wise Sayings by Jonas Kvale). Lol tbh I've never used a clamshell, just G3 Snows and G4s.
Click to expand...

As a person who has used a 600 MHz iBook G3 and a 900 MHz iBook G3 I can tell you 300 MHz does make a difference.
 
Altemose said:
As a person who has used a 600 MHz iBook G3 and a 900 MHz iBook G3 I can tell you 300 MHz does make a difference.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, I'm well aware how it will perform. It was a great price and after my own upgrades to this one, if I love it enough, I may just buy a maxed out 466mhz one later on.

It will be a fun toy :D
 
Despite their shortcomings, the clamshell iBooks are lots of fun! They're great for Sim City 2000 and running OS 9. I've always loved the palm rests and keyboards on the clamshells too. Word processing with 9 and MS Word 2001 is really a great experience. Office in OS X is harder due to the low screen resolution, but they really are a joy to type on.
 
Hey nice find, I have an old graphite one i like to "mac-off" with.
Instead of messing with wifi dongle, you could just use an original Airport card. That way it would work with os9 and 10. Have Fun!:)
 
GraniteTheWolf said:
Son of a bitch :mad::mad::mad:

It arrived in REALLY bad packaging with a broken screen. Time for a refund and look for another... :(
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Aw man :( Was just gonna post a big congrats as I love this machine so much, then read your last post. Hope you find a new one right away!!
 
GraniteTheWolf said:
Thats not too bad considering they are asking $250 a piece technically (if ya split it in two)

When the day comes i look to buy a 466 SE I kinda want a translucent one.
Click to expand...

Not bad for a collector given it comes with everything as it did new. And in great condition.
 
for AIM I plan to use an actual old AIM client. I have a friend with a Color Classic with AIM 2.something on it and it still signs in.

AIM doesn't give a crap what version you log in from :D
 
You did much better on the 2nd one for sure. Tangerine is the only one I don't have in the collection, but I've been wanting one for a long time. Unfortunately they've come up in price a lot of the last few years. Seems like in about 2009-2011 they could be had all day for about $30 shipped. Those days are over! Having the box is a great addition too.
 
Yeah, the first one was a really good deal.... still a shame it was ruined with poor packaging.

This tangerine one- beyond its great overall condition, the fact its shipping in an original box pretty much sold me, and assures its safe arrival. Also like you say, having the original box is a great addition!

The seller states he is missing the foam inserts to the box (not that that matters for shipping, sounds like he is going to wrap and package the hell out of it to make sure it arrives safe) I wonder how hard that would be to find those foam inserts so I can make the box more complete. I could also grab a yoyo power supply too :)

I grew up using these little ibooks and iMac G3's in elementary school. Seen plenty of them, this will be my first I actually own :)
 
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