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iBook - 5 years?

S

Sam I Am

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 5, 2005
112
0
Ann Arbor, MI
Hi, I am thirteen years old and I have saved up enough money to buy the middle iBook. I like the 14" screen and I don't need it to be "ultra-portable" with a 12" screen, nor do I need to burn DVDs. I will definitely wait until they are updated, and I won't wait until 2006 for them to be using Intel processors. I then will buy a PowerBook for college, which is in 5 years from now. I am just wondering if my iBook will last me 5 years.

Thanks in advance for help.
 
Anything will last if you don't plan to put the newest operating system. If you get your iBook tomorrow and install 25 apps that run great and then put your computer away and take it out 5 years later, those apps will run exactly the same as 5 years ago. Things start getting slower when you try to put new software on old hardware. But, yes, even with updating it, I think it will last you 5 years.
 
5 years is a long time for a portable machine. But, if you take good care of it, and load it with the biggest HD you can BTO and as much 3rd party RAM you can afford, there's a very good chance it will last you for as much as 5 years. You should consider getting Apple care (which you can buy anytime within the first year after purchase, IIRC).

There are lots of old G3 iBooks (clamshell and newer) that's still going strong.
 
Sam I Am said:
Hi, I am thirteen years old and I have saved up enough money to buy the middle iBook. I like the 14" screen and I don't need it to be "ultra-portable" with a 12" screen, nor do I need to burn DVDs. I will definitely wait until they are updated, and I won't wait until 2006 for them to be using Intel processors. I then will buy a PowerBook for college, which is in 5 years from now. I am just wondering if my iBook will last me 5 years.

Thanks in advance for help.
Click to expand...
Yes it should do. It won't do a lot of heavy lifting (video etc) but will run all apps quite happily. Have a look through these boards - there are plenty of people running Tiger and Panther on 5+ year old machines.
 
From one Sam to another:

I have been in the same kind of situation as you have - I am three years older than you and I totally understand the teenage money crunch. I also understand that as a high-tech teen you want the latest and greatest whenever you can have it.

That being said, I would not expect to be happy with an iBook for more than two to two-and-a-half years depending on how "high-tech" you like to be. A computer like that will not keep you happy for five years. Here is my advice to you:

If you can wait, which it sounds like you can, wait until you are 14 or so and the new generation of portables has been released -- and see where you stand with cash. Save dilligently and you'll be happy with whatever you get. I think that a PowerBook can easily last you three and a half years or so - but I have a feeling that with something like a lower-end model (iBook) you'll be itching for a new one sooner rather than later.

Hope that helps.
 
Congratulations and kudos on saving up enough cash to buy your Mac.

Buy it and enjoy it - as said above, in 3-5 years time it won't be as fast as a pal's newer iBook but major hardware failures aside, it should still be doing everything it can do today (plus probably a few extras).

If you do decide in 2 or 3 years that it's not enough power for you - perhaps you're taking a extra class in film production or something - you could sell it and trade up to a newer model. iBooks have a pretty good resale value and that shouldn't change all that much even with the new intel ibooks round the corner.
 
i know FOR SURE that whenever the new 12 in PB with intel inside is announced, i am going to put my ibook up for sale on here and on ebay. i would hope to at least get 1k for it maybe a little less?
 
buryyourbrideau said:
i know FOR SURE that whenever the new 12 in PB with intel inside is announced, i am going to put my ibook up for sale on here and on ebay. i would hope to at least get 1k for it maybe a little less?
Click to expand...

Good luck getting a grand. I'd think that it's worth a little more than that NOW ... things lose a lot of value when the box is opened.... I'd think after the intels are released you'd get about 700.
 
I've had my 12" iBook G3 for just on four years. It's been a great little computer.
The only sign of wear and tear externally is the most frequently used letters on the keyboard have worn away, LOL!

I upgraded to OS 10.39 (Panther) but the iBooks now on sale come loaded with Tiger (10.4). The 14" comes with 60G hard drive, pretty nice!

Good luck with your decision!
 
StarbucksSam said:
Good luck getting a grand. I'd think that it's worth a little more than that NOW ... things lose a lot of value when the box is opened.... I'd think after the intels are released you'd get about 700.
Click to expand...

it was over 2k brand new and it wont be over 2 years old by then. im sure someone could spring maybe a k for it. if not then ohh well. ill take whatever i can get at that time. hoepfully the intel PB will be cheaper than the PPC PB
 
Having owned both a 14" and a 12" iBook I would say definately go with a 12".

You get basically zero benefit from going to 14", unless you have really bad eyes and need the resolution stretched over 2 extra inches of screen space.

My 14" looks and feels like a tank compared to my 12", while you don't need ultra portable, it's much nicer carrying around a smaller lighter laptop than a bigger one. I could see going with the bigger iBook if it had a better video card, or higher resolution, but it doesn't.

As far as lasting 5 years, I would say that is up to the person and not the computer. It all depends on your threshold for pain. My parents who don't really do anything on their computer will probably get 5 years out of their new Mac Mini(just like they did with their old PC). And chances are by the time i've had my laptop for 2 years I will be itching for a new one bad.

My reccommendation would be, get a decent laptop for a decent price and just expect to get a new one every 2 or 3 years. A 12" iBook with an extra Gigabyte of reasonably priced Ram from Newegg is an awesome computer.
 
I would get the 12inch iBook then upgrade the HD then in a year or 2 upgrade the ram. Then you should be set. The only thing that might get old is the battery which you will be able to pick up fairly cheep.
 
I think it will last but whether you are happy or not is another matter.

I still occasionally use my Tangerine iBook, which I bought in March 2000. It is still going strong and is fine for many things. Except I have to be content using an old OS and things not happening instantaniously. I even still use it with illustrater and photoshop.

However, to tell the truth, I couldn't use the Tangerine as my primary computer anymore.
 
buryyourbrideau said:
it was over 2k brand new and it wont be over 2 years old by then. im sure someone could spring maybe a k for it. if not then ohh well. ill take whatever i can get at that time. hoepfully the intel PB will be cheaper than the PPC PB
Click to expand...

I just noticed the AU... I think we're talking in different currencies. If you are in Australia, you pay a lot more than we do and the currency is different...

The iBook you mentioned here is about 1550 configured the way you have it. And it would be worth more than 700 because of that SuperDrive... my bad.
 
StarbucksSam said:
I just noticed the AU... I think we're talking in different currencies. If you are in Australia, you pay a lot more than we do and the currency is different...

The iBook you mentioned here is about 1550 configured the way you have it. And it would be worth more than 700 because of that SuperDrive... my bad.
Click to expand...

haha im in michigan
 
Like others have said, it strongly depends on what you are planning to use the computer for. For writing, internet, itunes, dvd watching etc. the ibook will last 5 years and more. My girlfriend uses an orange ibook from the year 2000 and it's perfect for her needs. She uses word, exel and email, the computer runs 10.3.7... I'm a freelance graphic designer & casual gamer, so my needs are higher of course. Just recently I gave my 2 years old 12" pb away and got the 15 incher in my sig.
 
StarbucksSam said:
haha I'm an IDIOT. Why was it over 2 grand?
Click to expand...

• 768MB DDR266 (256MB built-in & 512MB SO-DIMM)
• 80GB Ultra ATA drive
• SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Bluetooth Module
• Keyboard & Mac OS X - U.S. English
• AppleCare Protection Plan for iBook
• 14-inch TFT XGA display
• 1.33GHz PowerPC G4
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 w/ 32MB DDR video memory
Estimated Ship:
1-3 business days
Free Shipping
Subtotal $1,998

with applecare and tax and whatnot

:eek:
 
Sam I Am said:
I am just wondering if my iBook will last me 5 years.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't expect the display to last that long. The 12" iBooks and PowerBooks are equipped with medium quality displays that have a low brightness.. meaning that they won't last too long, since brightness of TFT displays diminishes with age. Unless you're happy with using a really dark display ;-)

EDIT: Sorry, my fault - you want to buy a 14" iBook. Can't say anything about display quality there because I never owned one...
 
weg said:
I wouldn't expect the display to last that long. The 12" iBooks and PowerBooks are equipped with medium quality displays that have a low brightness.. meaning that they won't last too long, since brightness of TFT displays diminishes with age. Unless you're happy with using a really dark display ;-)
Click to expand...

I know most people probably hate that but because I've spent so many hours on the computer for so many years and my eyes are ultra sensitive to light the dimmer display is BETTER for somebody like me. I don't have to wear my sunglasses to use the computer. No, I'm not exaggerating. That's what happens when you start at 3.
 
The average life of a portable computer is 3 years, after then thing start to break down.

BUT the iBook is one of those computers that is definately great and may last 5 or 6 years.

But check Apple certified - they sometimes have dirt cheap PowerBooks which cost less than 14" iBooks.
 
FOR EXAMPLE, I just checked and Apple is selling a 1.5 GHz PowerBook G4 for *gasp* $1,299 - as much as a 14" iBook in price but much better.
 
I don't think a new iBook will be keeping you happy five years from now.

I bought a beige G3 Mac at 1997. A few years later, OS X came out, and my machine couldn't run it.

I got a Powerbook 1400c back in 1997. A few years later, I couldn't run a single piece of new Apple software on the thing.

However, both those machines _still_ work. They do everything they did the day I bought 'em.

The thing about Apple is, they are brilliant innovators. So they're always gonna be coming up with new stuff that you'll want to do. And you'll need to buy a new Mac to do it well.

If you want it, buy it, use it, enjoy it. Whenever you purchase a Mac, Apple will make sure that you have good reasons to upgrade in a few years.
 
Thanks for the responses! I will take good care of it and I will hopefully get 5 years out of it. I will try not to let myself want the latest and greatest as my iBook comes of age. If my iBook for some reason stops working, I will probably buy a PowerBook then, but hopefully that won't be before 5 years from now! Luckily, I have plenty of time to think about it, as I don't even have the iBook yet... :)
 
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