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Re: Apple Pismo Laptop?

S

Santeh

macrumors member
Original poster
May 7, 2005
60
0
Hello All,

I am sorry to ask this question here, yet with only 35 posts I am not allowed to put this thread in the Marketplace. However I was wondering if someone knew where I might get a decent Apple Pismo laptop other than just on eBay? I am looking to spend $100-300 for the unit as I only need something that can run Panther, MS Office 2004, allow for internet/email, and has USB 1.1 or 2.0 ports for my Lexar Media JumpDrive (so that I can transfer files to my Apple desktop running Tiger).

Thanks in advance!

Respectfully,

Sam
 
Good luck getting one for between 100-300, no offense.

They go for a LOT on eBay, people consider them worth even more than the Powerbook G4s due to their media bays and dual battery capabilitys, not to mention their ruggedness and their upgrade abilitys.
 
Hello!

No offense taken at all. :)

Actually I had no idea they were still so popular. Hmmm. I will have to just keep my eyes open then.

Thanks again.

Respectfully,

Sam
 
Yup

Us Pismo owners are a fanatic subset of the overall Mac fanclub. Separating us from the love of our lives is not an easy thing to do.

I pray every night that Steverino will stick a G5 in one (no other changes). Then I can die a happy man.

When I do finally retire mine, he's going on the wall. Noone else gets my baby. ;)
 
Pismo's are great

I have a pismo but I don't use it anymore since I got my new computer. It has a new 40Gb HD and 2 batteries that are basically new. But it's not worth selling at what your asking. You might find a good price somewhere or possibly in the newspaper... best of luck.

Nuc
 
Upgrades

Nuc said:
I have a pismo but I don't use it anymore since I got my new computer. It has a new 40Gb HD and 2 batteries that are basically new. But it's not worth selling at what your asking. You might find a good price somewhere or possibly in the newspaper... best of luck.
Click to expand...

That's the other thing you're going to run into. Most of us have spent a good chunk of change upgrading. There's just no way to run OSX with the original 4 GB hard drive and 64MB of RAM.

Point is - most people are factoring those additions into their mental image of what their Pismos are worth. If someone is still running one on original configuration (it would have to be OS9), you might find it for that price, but those will be few and far between.
 
jsalzer said:
That's the other thing you're going to run into. Most of us have spent a good chunk of change upgrading. There's just no way to run OSX with the original 4 GB hard drive and 64MB of RAM.

Point is - most people are factoring those additions into their mental image of what their Pismos are worth. If someone is still running one on original configuration (it would have to be OS9), you might find it for that price, but those will be few and far between.
Click to expand...
*Raises Hand* I have a professor than has a mint Pismo. 9.04 and 64 MB of RAM. A Target Disk Mode later and all of her old file are on her new Power Mac G5.
 
I was actually looking for a Pismo recently (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/173136/), but ended up buying a TiBook from a member here instead for a good price. While I'm loving the new TiBook (runs great, suits all my needs perfectly), I would have been terribly happy to get my hands on a nice, good condition Pismo "loaded" with upgrades. They are solid computers and maybe have one of the most loyal followings in the Mac community (right up there with the Cube and iMac G4).
 
This poses an interesting question for me,

If I wanted to update and upgrade my 6 year old Pismo, how much would I be looking at? I've literally loved my Pismo to death. I already have to replace the screen (Pismos are tough, but they do not withstand someone stepping on them apparently).

Ballpark? I wouldn't dream of doing it myself, and I think the Mac Service center quoted me $350 just to replace the screen. Labor was more, obviously. And if I'm already giving them labor, might as well go for broke and upgrade the memory and replace the harddrive and see if I can make it run Tiger or Panter.
 
Upgrades

TechnoPagan said:
This poses an interesting question for me,

If I wanted to update and upgrade my 6 year old Pismo, how much would I be looking at?
Click to expand...

Well, hopefully someone who's done more can help here. I've upgraded the RAM (768) and the hard drive (40GB), and it's gotten me this far.

BUT, Pages 2 is not running well.

There are G4 upgrades, but they're quite expensive. And, even then, you're still limited to the 8 MB of video RAM you started with. If the video RAM was upgradable, then I might consider upgrading the processor and plan to keep the Pismo active another 6 years.

(To others) As it stands, don't get one now. You'll just fall in love and it'll break your heart. I at least got 6 years of great memories out of it. ;)
 
Oh, Eidorian, you're breaking my heart! But I wouldn't have a clue as to how to replace the screen.

I've upgraded the RAM (768) and the hard drive (40GB), and it's gotten me this far.
Click to expand...
jsalzer, I assume you did the work on that yourself as well? How much, if I may ask?

Damn, I need to be techy-er. I lack hand-to-eye coordination, not to mentio good fine motor skills (fancy ways of saying I'm a bit of a klutz.

I don't need it to be fancy--just enough to run the basics of a laptop (ie, iTunes, Word, internet, and my gradebook) so it can be both a back-up laptop to the PB G4 I'm using now and a stop-gap for a new MBP I covet but cannot yet afford. So I really don't want to spend too much.
 
Cost

TechnoPagan said:
jsalzer, I assume you did the work on that yourself as well? How much, if I may ask?
Click to expand...

Oh, boy. Heck if I remember. I'm on my third hard drive (the original and the second crashed). With the "swap pages" in OSX, this was probably the most important upgrade. I believe 40 is about as low as you can get nowadays. Installation wasn't too bad if you do it when you have enough time to read the directions and take your time. Make sure you have some small tools. You'll need a set of the tiny star-shaped screwdrivers. (Well, you actually just need one - the one that fits) and a size 0 or 1 philips-head. There will be some things that will make you uncomfortable (having to pull things and push things harder than you want to). Just triple-check the picture and make sure what you're doing.

RAM is pretty easy to change and gets cheaper all the time. Again, read the blue/gray book that came with the Pismo for good directions. The top slot is the easiest. As always with RAM, you'll have to push it in a little harder than you'll feel comfortable doing. Just pat the Pismo and say "good boy" as you do it to calm him down.

You'll do fine. Just make sure your battery (or batteries) are pulled out and you're unplugged before you go in!!! And only purchase parts that specifically say they work with the Pismo (aka PowerBook Firewire).
 
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