Resale value of Mac laptops after Intel switch?

[focal]

Recently lost my rev a 12" ibook G4. Insurance money has come through and while I'm extremely excited about Intel, I don't think it wise to go 6 months to a year without a laptop.

I'm looking at upgrading to the new 15" PB, but I could get by with another ibook or 12" PB. (I work with garage band, photoshop, and final cut and will eventually being doing performance production for theatre with the laptop.)

Questions: If I buy now and sell a well kept mac laptop, to switch to an Intel mac, will resale value be better for the 12" ibook, 12" PB or 15" PB?
and . . . What sort of percentage drop can I expect?

I'm a newbie (visiting since 09/04, longtime mac user)

Thanks!

 

[IllTakeAnApple]

ive been wondering about this too! with me its been between the ibook and 12 in pb. ive been on the forums everyday for the last 5 months and it seems that you can get about 60-75% back. however since intel is such a big thing im not sure if people will buy the older ppc platform. especially if you wait until the rev b's but you never know. thats kind of why i have the same questions.

 

[Sun Baked]

You may want to stick with a machine with the newest Intrepid2 chipset, aka the one with DDR2 memory.

 

[MRU]

Most macs have a good resale value.

I sold a 5 month old 12" powerbook for onlu 110 Euro less than I paid for it. I'm upgrading to the new 15" and i know in 6 months time I'll be able to get 1800Euro on ebay for it, should help go towards a new mactel.

 

[shadowmoses]

Apple's product will definatly keep there re-sale value even after the intel switch, they may even become more saught after than the first gen of intel Mac's,

Shadow

 

[Bear]

Also, you won't won't to switch until all the main programs you use have universal binaries available. GarageBand (and the rest of the iLife suite) are known to have universal binary versions. However, Final Cut and Photoshop do not as of yet.

Final Cut (both Express and Pro) require a G4 or G5 processor and therefore will not run under Rosetta. Since these are Apple products, I expect them to have universal binary versions available next year.

Remember, any PowerPC based Mac you buy now will still run for years and still have software (new and upgrades) available for years as well.

Buy now, buy something that you can use for a couple of years and then worry about getting an Intel based Mac in a couple of years.

 

[Majikthese42]

I just received my new 12" PB this week. We currently have four Macs up and running and, amazingly, all four are are running the same version of the operating system. I also have an old G3 stitting on the floor, whild I try to figure out what to do with it. So to try to answer your question, computer technology progresses at a rate that it takes about 5 years before something is so outmoded that it's useless. Apple probably offers a three year Apple Care agreement because that's when they figure you should really start to think about replacing the equipment. I think the 12" PB is a very, very neat piece of equipment, mostly because it's so compact, but as for the depreciation, who knows? Folks here seem to think Apple products sell for really good prices on e-bay. In my case, and probably like most people, I'll keep the equipment around until it breaks or until I throw it out.

I'm a HP 11C calculator fan and I see that mint 11Cs go for more on e-bay than when they were new, and they were new over 20 years ago! (The 11C does practically all the serious scientific math and it fits perfectly into a shirt pocket.) Not that I expect that of a 12" PB.

 

[drbrog]

Laptops will lose resale value

I'd be inclined to disagree with the sentiments in this thread. I believe that the resale value of powerPC powerbooks will drop notably after the intel switch. Aside from collectors of obselete electronics, I think most people will be reluctant to buy a used computer with an obsolete processor. I would consider buying a used ibook or powerbook now and be ready to upgrade to an intelMac around Rev B or C.

Incidently, I recently sold an HP 11C calculator on ebay for about $125, the purchase price paid in 1980.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

PowerPc value will drop like bricks thats how i see it and as time goes on there will only be less software for those PPCs............. who would want a PPC ? Not Me. The software is going to explode for Macs after this switch.

 

[Majikthese42]

What sort of percentage drop can I expect?

I think we may all be having different expectations ... scanning e-bay I see working G3 Macs for as little as $50 and G3 Powerbooks for a couple hundred. From my perspective $50 or a couple of hundred ain't bad for something that I'd plan to throw in the trash.

If I can still surf the net and do basic WP on the 12" PB in 3 years, it's still gonna be worth more than a couple hundred to me, no matter how good the Intel macines are.

I used to drive Saabs, so I'm kinda an expert about depreciation. At a certain point in the depreciation curve, basic value takes over.

 

[denial]

I honestly do not think they will drop as rapidly as some predictions. In fact some people will want the "last" PPC Mac as well as the first Intel one.

 

[Smallville]

Personally, I hope the resell drops.

My iMac G5 is only a year old, and I don't do very intensive work with it, so it should last me for another three years or so. By then, the bugs will be worked out of the Mactels (or whatever the hell they call them).

Next year, I'm hoping the resell drops so I can pick up a cheap iBook. I just need a decent one with decent battery life so I can take my writing projects with me and possibly for work. I'm basically looking for a cheap word processor, but don't have money for a used iBook now.

Also, I'm fairly certain that I can sell the G5 to my paper. They bought my G3 (the last version released) last year for about $350, which is usually what they go for. In about three years, they may still run OS9, but I'm hoping they'll upgrade so they can buy my machine.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

The last PPC laptops will hold their value pretty well, if the past is any judge. Back when Apple switched from the 68k to the PowerPC, the last 68k laptops held decent value for years; ditto the switch from the 603e to the G3. Don't expect the bottom to simply drop out. Even old Powerbook 3400s are still selling at (I think) ridiculous prices for an 8-year old laptop.

If you buy a PowerBook now and then sell it when the new Intel PBs come out you will make a lot your money back - it depends on how fast you want to sell. If it is in perfect shape with all the boxes, manuals and discs you can sell it at maybe a discount of 20% from new I'd guess, maybe even better.

 

[Bern]

I think the resale value will hold pretty well, especially for the 12" Powerbooks because there won't be any 12" laptops according to rumour after the Intel switch.

For me I couldn't care one way or the other. I just got my new Powerbook this year and certainly won't be updating it to a Mactel until they are tried and tested, which for me will be a few years and a couple of revisions down the line.

 

[focal]

good food for thought

thanks for the replies.
the jury's still out, especially as there might be mactel a powerbook by february.

 

[dblissmn]

Remember that Classic won't run on Intel. If you have any old applications like PageMaker or WordPerfect or older computer games, that's something to consider.

 

[revisionA]

Dont think that buying computers is like the stock market.

You will lose money when you buy anything material.

From computers to cars to clothes, resale values are always less than the original. And unless people start throwing thier powerbooks away, they will not be collectors items, there are too many available in good condition.

The mac resale value for g4 machines is still good, even though the g5 has been proven to be superior and even has an awesome design. Some people still pay a lot for a dual g4. It still runs classic (see above posts) helps.

When OSX 12 or so comes out and PPC isnt supported, like 5 or 10 years from now... then the resale values will plummet.

This isnt the end of new software for PPC, so its not the end of the line for owning a PPC machine.

$

 

[ldburroughs]

Remember that Classic won't run on Intel. If you have any old applications like PageMaker or WordPerfect or older computer games, that's something to consider.

I wouldn't get an outdated machine for this reason either. The resale value will drop significantly except for those who want to reminisce. These will be the same people who by old machines to run obsolete software. If you are one of them, by all means stick with the old. Otherwise, we are on the cusp of something great (I'm being a tad bit sarcastic). It will likely be worth your while to wait if it is within your means. Afterall, we're not talking about something diminimus like a speed increase. We're talking about a "complete" overhaul of the Apple product line. This IS significant and warrants consideration. It is anything but a minor upgrade.

It's a tough time for someone looking to get a new Mac. The existing systems are truly amazing but it won't be long before something even more amazing is released.