How much will iBook G4's be reduced when Intels are released?

[Snide]

I was ready to order an iBook G4 from Amazon last month when they were
selling them for $899.00 with a $100.00 rebate--basically $800 with no tax and free shipping.
But then I heard the (incorrect, as it turned out) rumors about a new iBook.
I have no interest in an Intel model at this time, and wouldn't want to be a
revision A "beta tester". The G4 iBook has a proven track record with its great
battery life and Wi Fi reception.

I can get an 12" iBook right now for $999 with $100 rebate.
I am thinking of waiting to see if they do the $899 deal again.

So if an Intel version were to be released soon, how much do you guys
think the G4 iBook would be reduced?
How much have old iBook revisions been reduced in the past?

 

[danny_w]

Based on what happed with the iMac and PowerBook, the answer is $0. The iMac G5 and PowerBook G4 systems are still being sold on apple.com at the same price. Despite many people wanting Intel machines, there is still a very real market for the G4/G5 machines, and Apple apparently knows this.

 

[Hmm]

The most expensive iBook model is $1299, so they could conceivably offer a $1299 12" Intel model and $1499 14" Intel model, or maybe the rumored 13" model for $1399 or $1499 and still fit within the expected price.

 

[GFLPraxis]

I was ready to order an iBook G4 from Amazon last month when they were
selling them for $899.00 with a $100.00 rebate--basically $800 with no tax and free shipping.
But then I heard the (incorrect, as it turned out) rumors about a new iBook.
I have no interest in an Intel model at this time, and wouldn't want to be a
revision A "beta tester". The G4 iBook has a proven track record with its great
battery life and Wi Fi reception.

I can get an 12" iBook right now for $999 with $100 rebate.
I am thinking of waiting to see if they do the $899 deal again.

So if an Intel version were to be released soon, how much do you guys
think the G4 iBook would be reduced?
How much have old iBook revisions been reduced in the past?

Apple.com/store. Click the SAVE tag. Those are Apple's refurb products- products that were returned as defective, repaired, but now can't be sold as new. No iBooks at this moment but they have new ones almost daily. I see a 12" 1.5 GHz PowerBook @ $1099 so you can get some pretty good deals.

Also, if you are a college student, know someone who is a college student, or know someone who teaches at any school, you can get the education discount.

That's just the best deals I can think of at the moment.

In the past, Apple immediately stopped selling the old models when the new came out, but you could get the old ones refurb from them really cheap and there was a notable price drop on ebay. I don't have any numbers for you though.

 

[Hmm]

They had iBook refurbs up there this morning which just goes to show how quickly they get snatched up. I think there was a 12" G4 for $699 up there. It was a CD-Rom model, though, not a combo-drive.

 

[danny_w]

In the past, Apple immediately stopped selling the old models when the new came out, but you could get the old ones refurb from them really cheap and there was a notable price drop on ebay. I don't have any numbers for you though.

The key is "in the past". They may stop selling the current iBooks, but they didn't stop selling the PBs or iMacs, so it would be a gamble to think this (they might or they might not).

OTOH, a refurb can be a great buy. I got a refurb iMac G5 Rev B for only $849 a while back and consider that a bargain.

 

[jamesi]

apple wont make any of the G4s or G5s cheaper b/c they are still out there to make money and the obvious truth is that the intel chips are superior and intel revisions of the current lineup will just blow the old G4s and G5 away.

 

[OldCorpse]

I've been watching Apple iBook evolution for 3 years, waiting for when the 12" reaches a point technically, where it's worth buying and it's reliable with most bugs worked out (yeah, so I'm a nerd, sue me )

From my observation, you won't get a sub $800 price for a *new* 12" after a revision. They drop about $100-$150 and no more... even the refurbs rarely drop as much as $200, not just on the Apple site, but even on other sites (I'm talking about ONE generation back, not more... and the current iBooks will be ONE generation behind once the intel books come out).

Instead, I think you have a better chance of seeing Amazon maybe do their $800 AR deal one more time (actually, using A9, you get it for about $785), and maybe a free (AR) Mighty Mouse on top (the deal I got... well, I'm still waiting for my rebate checks to arrive). Of course, there is no guarantee that Amazon will do it again, but I think it's possible, especially if they have a lot of them on hand and the sales are slow because folks think new intel books are just around the corner. Of course, all IMHO and YMMV.

 

[jimN]

In the run up to the last powerbook updates (not the mackbook release) the refurb store was open everyday (in the UK at least) and there were some pretty good savings to be had, plus someone found a credit card that gave you 10% cashback - i worked out that i could have gotten a 17in powerbook with over 1.5x the processor in mine for less than i paid back in 2004 - that's progress for you.