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Why do people still use PowerPC Macs?

Book G4

I needed my iBook this morning. Trouble shooting network issues, no Internet access. MBA running ML does not support the Airport Utility for my AE. I used the iBook. Got the error message that the issue was at the cable modem.

Double checked with Acer netbook running Win 7. Same message. Called Time Warner. Area wide outage. Service restored about 5 hours later.

Bottom line, PPC Macs and Wintel pc support my AE. Updated Mac does not :(

A few weeks ago had a printer issue using MBA running ML indicted there was a problem communicating with the printer. Duh, I knew that.

Fired up the iBook. Gave print command. Error message instructing me to change the color cartridge and try again. Worked.

Too bad we lose so many important functions in more recent versions of OS X.
 
Cheap. Used to mac.

I have my windows machine for heavy work. Email, managing store, and tech support, the ibook/powerbook fares well.

Bottom line, a cheap mac laptop that I can carry on the bus. If I had a Windows Laptop (or macbook), it will never leave my house. It works so far, offline and online.
 
In my case it's many little things togheter which I personaly value. First and foremost, I am not a power user anymore and the current set-up meets my demands perfectly and it cost me 200$ only for the last powerbook..top of the line BTO. I just watch video/some news, sync my iPod and write docs/mail. It's my media/data storage machine.
And Tony Hawk 3 every now and then :p

1. OS X Leopard.

Yes, OS X up untiil Snow Leopard. everything was almost perfect. If there were any bugs, they would get fixed without breaking something else as it happens in the post-Lion era. I also like the general Aqua theme more relaxing, friendly and it's more intimate. The newer themes are too soul-less gray all around.
I also hugely appreciate the fact that the OS is local centered, not cloud-influenced as are most OS' these days.

2. Insignificant chances of Malware.
Not saying Intel Macs have major issues but since spyware/hackers adapt immediately to the new OSX versions , getting "left behind" is actually an advantage sometimes. PPC architecture is like 99% virus-free.

3. Keyboard.

I find the pre-unibody keyboard much more comfortable to type on.

4. SuperDrive.

Would you believe it ?

5. Cost

It's cheap and it's easy to repair.

6. Nostalgia and pseudo-PPCelitism.
 
ifrit05 said:
For me... Mostly nostalgia, and the fact that PPC was so much more powerful than intel at the time. They are unique and were a sort of statement/status (well, Mac's still are a bit of a statement/status... :p).

You can still do a lot of things on PPC Mac's. Cheap file servers, workstations, etc.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure about that... Esp. after the core duo's came out.

And I'd bet Athlon (What I used when you guys used PPCs, I guess I'm sorta hipster too) would run circles around the PPC.
 
Athlon64's were pretty powerful, but I was comparing the G4's to the Pentium 4's and G5's to Xeons of the time. The PPC CPU's outperformed them by a huge margin.
 
I still use mine because it is a wonderful computer that does what I need it to do, namely be available, have a beautiful large screen, and run a few fun applications :)
 
Intelligent said:
Why do people still use PowerPC macs?
Click to expand...

Why not? Beautiful design, well constructed and different.

Just open an PM G3 B&W and the people make WOW. Show a PM G4 Cube or a Mini to anyone. And the iMac Flat Panel? iMac G5? iBooks? They wake up a zone in the brain just as when you fall in love for the first time (search for it)

HTML5, USB2, i1394, Ethernet and other technologies (UNIX) next to the build quality are making PowerPC Macs last some years more than expected.

Also you have a lot of OS for it: OS9, OSX and *ubuntu/debian
They have the best apps for the digital hub

iPhoto, iLife, iTunes, iWork, Final Cut Pro, Protools, Logic, Print Shop for Mac, iDVD, Dropbox, MacTubes, TenFourFox, Pacifist, CandyBar, Internet Explorer (ups),...

When you see a old school mac users working with his/her mac you say: "I want one" even when he is using OS 8-9 or X

Some of us are comfortable with machines used for years. We "understand" them and know workflows with them. Why change?
 
Why use a PowerPC? I suppose why not, for my current use I could have a nMP and I'd still be using a word processor, listening to an mp3 of Thelonious Monk, with a web browser open, and some PDFs open. The G5 i have can handle that quite easily; a nMP wouldn't help me write any faster.
 
My first encounter with a mac is thru an iMac G3, I was truly amazed by the design and the sleek interface.

My first mac was a PowerMac G4 400MHz PCI which I have OC'ed to 450MHz. I saved it from the trash bin.

That is the beginning of the end of windows boxes and laptops for me. And I really have a fancy for powerpc macs because of the RISC architecture. Intel is mainstream, I don't want to be mainstream. I have a personal tendency to be against the flow and be unique.

I love powerpc macs for their design both function and form.

I also have intel macs in the form of a mac mini and a macbook, but I much preferred to use my powerpc's, not just for nostalgia but for the experience.

My powerpc macs, they are awesome, they just wouldn't die.

My main desktop is a quad powermac G5. My file server/NAS is a powermac G4 PCI (see above). My kitchen computer is an iBook G4.
 
They're Efficient!

PPC Macs were good machines. I personally used a Late 2005 PowerMac G5 until May of 2013. I replaced it with a Mac Pro simply because times are changing and fewer and fewer programs ran on Mac OS X Leopard every year. PPC Macs were also reliable and many still work today. I still own a Summer 2000 iMac G3 that works great. It would work better if I replaced the PRAM battery because it can't keep track of time and a few other things anymore, but the machine as a whole still works great after almost 14 years (knock on wood!!!!).
 
They Actually WORK

PPC processors, even today, could kill Intel very easily. The new G7 and, I think, G8 are waaaaaaaaay better than Intel. The G5 isn't that bad either. I don't know why people liked Intel better. You can't do anything on an Intel. Plus, PowerPc processors are more internet-friendly. They can host servers way better than Intel could dream of. And they aren't "obsolete", as I just wrote before. They still run flash 11.5. To prove it, here is the link: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4781929 so if you have this, your mac ppc has resurrected itself. Java 6 was in beta for the ppc, but I couldn't find a download of it. Ask Oracle themselves maybe?
 
Namija said:
PPC processors, even today, could kill Intel very easily. The new G7 and, I think, G8 are waaaaaaaaay better than Intel. The G5 isn't that bad either. I don't know why people liked Intel better. You can't do anything on an Intel. Plus, PowerPc processors are more internet-friendly. They can host servers way better than Intel could dream of. And they aren't "obsolete", as I just wrote before. They still run flash 11.5. To prove it, here is the link: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4781929 so if you have this, your mac ppc has resurrected itself. Java 6 was in beta for the ppc, but I couldn't find a download of it. Ask Oracle themselves maybe?
Click to expand...

Wrong. There is no G6, G7 or G8. You can do more on Intel than on PowerPC. PowerPC more internet friendly? LOL! There are more efficient Intel CPUs that run servers better. No, they don't run any Flash higher than 10 - Did you even read that page? The Java 6 beta has wiped itself from history too.
 
My G5 (Dual 2.0ghz/8g RAM/OS X Leopard/Debian 7) is a comfortably fast, extremely reliable, quality built machine that quite frankly does everything I could ever want a computer to do. And I ask alot of it! Its Obvious this machine was built with a quality standard that was, and still is unparalleled in the computer market. I dont have viruses to worry about, I can browse the internet without worry of crap being installed on it that I dont want. It has a feel of stability and strength that only an owner of one of these machines can understand. I have seen nothing impressive enough yet that would make me want to shelve it in place of the latest greatest thing. The areas where it might be slower, dont justify the price tag. And, I think the community (or cult) of powerpc users out there are pretty damned cool people. Why would anyone want the stress of a windows box or a mac windows wannabe box? This machine has run like a champ everyday since it's creation in 2004 and shows no sign of slowing down yet. For me, they can pry it from my cold dead hands!:)
 
Namija said:
PPC processors, even today, could kill Intel very easily. The new G7 and, I think, G8 are waaaaaaaaay better than Intel. The G5 isn't that bad either. I don't know why people liked Intel better. You can't do anything on an Intel. Plus, PowerPc processors are more internet-friendly. They can host servers way better than Intel could dream of. And they aren't "obsolete", as I just wrote before. They still run flash 11.5. To prove it, here is the link: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4781929 so if you have this, your mac ppc has resurrected itself. Java 6 was in beta for the ppc, but I couldn't find a download of it. Ask Oracle themselves maybe?
Click to expand...

Are you... Are you Rabidz?
 
I was just messing around with my brother's iMac running ML and his black Macbook running 10.5 Leopard. There really isn't a huge difference between the his macbook and my ibook, except for speed, and although his macbook was running the same OS, it could using slightly newer applications. But 10.5 has pretty much been dropped, even for Intel. His iMac, well it was a lot faster, but my ibook can do almost everything it can, except run the app store and bootcamp. If I need windows, I use a PC. Otherwise, there isn't a whole lot my iBook can't do in the internet age.
 
Intelligent said:
Why do people still use PowerPC macs? I'm just wondering, not saying its bad or anything. I see a lot of threads where people buy them for web browsing and stuff, why would you want different computers, why not just buy one newer and use it for everything.
Click to expand...

I've probably got about 10 G4 machines that I never use. I picked them up cheap from recyclers... $10 to $15 each... and had fun at the time bringing them back to life. I need to move them out of the house and find them good homes.

I still use a Powerbook G4 15" high def and a late 2005 Power Mac G5 2.0 GHz dual core on a regular basis and these are the two machines I'll eventually keep mostly for nostalgia purposes. They are still certainly capable of handling my daily tasks. I have plently of newer Windows machines to fill any voids if need be.
 
I still use mine because they are workhorses. I also have an Intel Mac mini. While the mini is certainly faster, I have it at home. Those PPC workhorses are at work.

So long as I can still run Word 2004 and TenFourFox, my PPC's will continue to be at work (that's literally the only two apps I use at work, so why try to get a massive upgrade for Word and internet?).
 
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