is an ibook still worth it?

[iMpathetic]

I meant for a G4 portable.

I understand, but if he just wants to try it out, I don't think you should bother with a bigger one.

I bought mine "just trying" and it's spawned an obsession. Even after all that, the toe-in-water iBook is still my daily driver.

 

[dmmcintyre3]

iBooks cant even hook to a external monitor bigger than 1024*768

 

[SkyBell]

To the OP: Most people on this forum tend to have very high expectations. If you are one of those kinds of people, listen to them. A MacBook is a great machine, no doubt.

But, for the uses you have told us, an iBook G4 will be great. My 1.33 GHz iBook G4 is my daily machine, and it does very well with internet browsing, music, MS Office, and even some dabbling with Photoshop. Occasionally I'll get a beachball, but it's pretty seldom.

A 1.2 GHz iBook or above will be great, provided you have at least 1 GB of RAM.

 

[iMpathetic]

iBooks cant even hook to a external monitor bigger than 1024*768

Yes they can.

Mine does.

 

[dmmcintyre3]

I just require high resolution screens. My 1.67 GHz PowerBook is my BEST computer.

Yes they can.

Mine does.

Ok so they work with a HACK

 

[iMpathetic]

Ok so they work with a HACK

No, not with a hack. Mine just works.

It was only the very last iBook G4's, I believe.

 

[dmmcintyre3]

I had to hack mine to hook it to my 1280*1024 external dell monitor that I need to upgrade.

2nd Display Support: Mirroring Only* 2nd Max. Resolution: 1024x768

this is the last model 12 inch iBook

 

[dmmcintyre3]

No, not with a hack. Mine just works.

It was only the very last iBook G4's, I believe.

If yours was used the pervious owner hacked it.

 

[SkyBell]

It was only the very last iBook G4's, I believe.

I had to hack mine to hook it to my 1280*1024 external dell monitor that I need to upgrade.

The last 12" model was the 1.33 GHz, last 14" was the 1.42 GHz

 

[dmmcintyre3]

The last 12" model was the 1.33 GHz, last 14" was the 1.42 GHz

I got that from everymac. the 1.33 ghz 12 inch iBook was where I got it from

Straight from the 14 inch iBook 1.42 GHz specs

2nd Display Support: Mirroring Only* 2nd Max. Resolution: 1024x768
Details: *Apple reports that this system provides a "VGA video output for video mirroring on an external display or projector (24-bit color) with included Apple VGA Display Adapter".

However, the hardware is capable of using an external display in dual or "extended desktop mode", Apple just blocked the capability in firmware to protect sales of more expensive Macs. Unsupported third-party hacks are available.

 

[Floris1994]

In all honesty, used MacBook or refurb MacBook (whether it be White, Black or alum) is always 300% better choice over the iBooks.

You can basically call the PowerPC Processors dead. It is quite evident that it will not be supported by the next Mac OS X, and it's just an overall bad processor compared to the lowest Intel Chips that Apple has ever offered.

Any Intel chips from Apple is better than the best PPC apple has ever offered.

So I would get a used White MacBook

Naaaa. The G5 Quad is faster than the current 2Ghz Mac mini. Atleast that is what Mactracker says

 

[dmmcintyre3]

No, not with a hack. Mine just works.

It was only the very last iBook G4's, I believe.

Reset your nvram and see if it does!

A 15" PowerBook 1 - 1.5 GHz with 1.5 GB RAM would be good to try Mac on. My best computer is a 1.67 GHz 15" PB

 

[Davy.Shalom]

My advice is avoid the iBooks. If you are trying to get a feeler computer, go 12 inch powerbook. I bought a used one a couple of weeks ago for $250. Included Tiger OS X 10.4.5 discs, restore discs, extra charger, extra battery, cables, box, apple care documents. You'll eventually find a good deal. But yea, other than that go white macbook.

And I have to say, my G5 quad (specs in description) is retired from server duty, but I use it for Photoshop and FCP. Amazing, I have to say it kicks any intel's ass. Except the octo core mac pro of course. haha, still a great computer.

If you can find an iBook G4 1.2 ghz + for under $200 go for it. They are honestly worth no more.

 

[iMpathetic]

Reset your nvram and see if it does!

This is so weird! I did and it still works!

 

[JMann2380]

Listen to the people that actually own and USE their ibook G4's in this thread. Not the people that have a macbook or macbook pro and couldn't "gasp" using a lil ol ibook . As I said I build websites on my ibook and although not ideal (I really want a macbook pro), I have been doing for a year. For what the OP listed a Ibook G4 would be perfect for dabbling in OSx and for the apps he listed. Just max out the ram.

 

[dmmcintyre3]

I have a 14 inch iBook 1.2 GHz with 1.25 GB ram and I also have a 15" 1.67 GHz PowerBook and I cannot use my iBook even when it worked I could not stand the screen. It was a good computer but I could not stand the screen. The iBooks if they were not upgraded have small hard drives unless you go 14" and you would want 1.25 or 1.5 GB RAM if you got one. My iBook was slow but it just needed a faster hard drive. If you find one with an upgraded hard drive that is at least 5400 RPM it will be about as good as my PowerBook other than the screen which is why I bought a PowerBook over another iBook. If you have a 1024*768 screen already then an iBook would be good but If you have something better then do not get the iBook. If you want to hook it to a bigger external screen than 1024*768 you will need screen spanning doctor which is free and you should find it by googleing it. I would not buy an iBook because the screen is too small and the 12 inch PowerBooks are not any better. If you get a 7200 RPM hard drive and the max RAM (1.25 on most or 1.5 on last model) it will be OK. I would recommend an external screen for use at home. Anything newer than an iBook or a 15" aluminum PowerBook will have a much better screen and the extra cost of a PowerBook was worth it for me.

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

You can do all the things you wanted except messing with Garageband.

Wait, what? Is that based off any personal experience? My lowly last rev. 12 incher runs version 2.0.2 just fine, thank you.

No, not with a hack. Mine just works.

It was only the very last iBook G4's, I believe.

I use the Screen Spanning Doctor hack on mine and it supports resolutions higher than 1024x768. However, judging from the OP's post, it doesn't seem like he needs an external monitor, or even wants one.
EDIT- As a side note, my iBook G4 1.33GHz has been my primary computer since 2005, when it was released, and has had not a single hardware flaw (I've seen many cracked MBs) and very few kernel panics. Also, I've maxed the RAM to 1.5GB (added a one gig stick) myself, and had a 120GB HD installed (which was my biggest 'performance' boost I've had). My daily uses are much the same as yours- I constantly have iTunes, Mail and Safari running, with Word, Skype, and iPhoto also in use often. I'll be upgrading to a MBP if Nehalem ever ships, simply because at that point I'll need to run CS3/4 (the iBook's inability to run CS3 might be a red flag for you, as the entire CS3 collection was Intel-only).

 

[js81]

Listen to the people that actually own and USE their ibook G4's in this thread. Not the people that have a macbook or macbook pro and couldn't "gasp" using a lil ol ibook . As I said I build websites on my ibook and although not ideal (I really want a macbook pro), I have been doing for a year. For what the OP listed a Ibook G4 would be perfect for dabbling in OSx and for the apps he listed. Just max out the ram.

That's right, OP - listen to the people on hear who have actually USED (or still use) a G4 for day to day work. I used to and many on here still do - for the things you listed, a G4 iBook with plenty of RAM will be fine. No speed demon, mind you, but a perfectly useable introduction to OS X. To be quite frank about it, I'd trade my Mac Mini for my old Dual G4 PowerMac any day - but alas, its dead. R.I.P., old friend. And mine was only a dual 500MHz - but it did have 2 GB RAM, a 7200 RPM hard drive, and a 128MB video card; and that was 3 years ago.

 

[dmmcintyre3]

G4's if they have a fast hard drive (5400 RPM or 7200 RPM) are OK. I just could not use a 1024*768 screen. That is why I got a 15" PowerBook. My best computer is a G4 and it is not slow. It is actually faster than my mom's 3GHz thinkpad. The thinkpad has a 4200RPM HD and 512 MB RAM (FAST DDR2) while my PowerBook has a slow CPU but a 5400 RPM HD and 2 GB RAM (SLOW DDR). The PowerBook can be faster than a MacBook if the MacBook has 512 MB RAM and a 4200 RPM HD

 

[dmmcintyre3]

The key to performance on laptops is RAM and HD speed. My G4's are not slow. When I put a 5400 RPM HD in my iBook it got much faster. Do not worry about the processor. Get a 1.33 GHz G4 with 7200 RPM HD and 1.5-2 GB RAM and it will not be slow. As I said my 1.67 GHz PowerBook is faster than mom's 3 GHz thinkpad. Just get a fast HD and lots of RAM and it will be fast. My PB was faster than my friend's parent's MacBook when it had 512 MB RAM and a 4200 RPM HD which it still has. Worry more about 4200 RPM HD's than the 1 - 1.33 GHz G4.

If the HD is original in an iBook it is 4200 RPM

My friend's 550 MHz TiBook was faster than my iBook until I put a 5400 RPM HD in the iBook. Then his TiBook was slower than my iBook.

HD speed and RAM amount matter more than CPU speed. HD speed is more important than RAM as long as you have 1GB

 

[dmmcintyre3]

Garageband (the current version and maybe the last version) will not work. In iPhoto some effects will be missing (current version)
Leopard will work and I run it on my G4 and it is not slow with a fast HD
Just don't get a 4200 RPM HD
The original HD's are 4200 RPM

 

[Patriks7]

So a Core Solo 1.5 GHz (lowest Intel chip Apple ever offered) is better than the PowerMac G5 Quad @ 2.5 GHz? I must say, uh, NO. I own a Mini that was originally a Core Solo (now its a Duo) and it was dog slow. My old PowerMac G4 (dual) was faster for most everything, save video encoding in iMovie.

So you're comparing a low-end laptop processor with a high-end desktop one? Nice one.

 

[dmmcintyre3]

iBook G4's should be around $250-300. Do not pay any more than that for one. MacBooks are $600 and would be more reliable than a iBook.

 

[JMann2380]

I have the original hard drive in mine, so I guess it is a 4200rpm version and I do all the things I listed! Man the way you guy's are talking I would want to throw my ibook out the window within ten seconds of turning it on. Too bad I have made thousands of dollars on this thing designing websites, using CS2, coda, itunes, safari, firefox, word and mail all open at the same time!

And on the 1024 res screen to boot

Dude, buy the ibook for $300 to try out OSX and if you don't like it sell it for $300 and you are out nothing! You will be fine.

 

[SkyBell]

Geez, I paid $500 for my 12" 1.33 iBook a year ago. What's all this "$300" stuff?