Should he buy...

[iEric]

My friend wants to buy this Powerbook G4 867 with 640 MB of Ram. It's a 12 incher.

He is going to get it for around 850 canadian...I was wondering if this was a good price or not for him to get it...and SHOULD he get it (since now the new macbook pros and universal apps and all)?

How long will it last him?

he says it's just for basic web browsing, essay writing, msn messenger, occasional use of Photoshop and the iApps (iMail, iTunes, iPhoto, etc.)

thank guys.

 

[jsw]

As long as the Photoshop usage isn't too significant, it should be just fine for him. Yes, the Intel ones are coming out, but they're way more expensive. However, if he waits, he might get a faster G4 for a similar price. But he won't really need it.

As far as the price is concerned,sorry, I'm not qualified to say if that's good. Seems OK to me, though, FWIW.

 

[sw1tcher]

850 canadian is about $740 U.S.

I personally think that's too much for a PB that old. He might want to look into a used current model iBook instead.

There's eBay (be careful), Craigslist, Small Dog, etc.

I think he'll be able to find a better deal if he looks around a bit. Or, see if he can get it for under 800 canadian.

 

[chopsuey158]

I agree, I think that that computer will work fine for him, but it's fairly pricey. I'd tell him to shop around a bit more, or get a lower price from the same guy.

 

[FFTT]

A new model 1.33 GHz iBook refurb direct from Apple for $799US would be a much better/faster computer for the money and he'd have the full factory warranty Tiger, iLife, the better trackpad, motion sensor and the better VRAM card.

 

[calebjohnston]

yeah, i second what he just said. my refurb ibook 12" g4 was 800 US dollars. Same price, and it will give you better results. I'd go with that anyday over a slow powerbook.

 

[FFTT]

The refurb 1.33 12" iBooks go REALLY FAST at the Apple refurb store
so you have to watch every day and be ready to jump when the
gettin's good.

In many cases you'll up with either a free RAM upgrade or a HD upgrade
at no cost.

My daughter's iBook arrived in pristine condition with the optional 60 GB HD.

She's very happy with it.

 

[iEric]

oh wow, i'll definately tell him to keep a looker on the ol' refurb. but i dont know if the canadian refurbs are that cheap!

 

[maddav]

Funnily enough I just bought a 12" PB 867MHz (sig), off eBay, and got it for a bargain, due to the fact that the seller had 0 feedback. I think eBay is fine, as long as you ask loads of questions, and request loads of pics, and if the seller is not willing to cooperate in this way then don't buy from them. Similarly avoiding any auctions where you don't feel 100% comfortable with the item/seller.

Another thing to look out for on eBay, is if the Mac has existing Applecare, if it has then the seller is more likely to be a responsible Mac owner, and it;s also an extra bit if 'insurance' for you.

 

[iEric]

how long do you think a 867 or a 1 ghz g4 will last him?

how bout the newest 1.5? (obviously purchased refurb'd)

 

[FFTT]

Providing he doesn't have something like a hard drive failure, those older machines will probably keep going like the Energizer Bunny, but the newest
applications may eventually require a faster processor.

I take it your friend wants a PowerBook.

If so, then the latest 1.5GHz model at either refurb or education price really would be his best choice.

The two major benefits of the PowerBooks over an iBook are the larger hard drives and the DVI out to push a larger external display.
Otherwise, the 1.33 GHz iBook is still the better bang for the buck
at $799 refurbished.

 

[iEric]

LOL my friend HATES the iBook. Both he and I think that they look so trashy with the white. ALthough, I have my iMac in that kind of white so I don't know..it just looks better on a desktop, or all-in-one for this matter.

there's a 1 ghz powerbook g4 that he's looking at that he really wants to get now...*sigh*

should he wait to get the 12" mac book pro?

 

[FFTT]

If you friend doesn't absolutely NEEEED a new computer right away, this will give him time to save up for a fully up to date model.

Once we see the 12-13" (??) new MBP's he'll be able to make a much more informed decision, either going for the new Intel model or saving on the clearance prices of the PPC PowerBooks.

Either way time is on his side.

 

[iEric]

If you friend doesn't absolutely NEEEED a new computer right away, this will give him time to save up for a fully up to date model.

Once we see the 12-13" (??) new MBP's he'll be able to make a much more informed decision, either going for the new Intel model or saving on the clearance prices of the PPC PowerBooks.

Either way time is on his side.

ah, very true...and a new 12/13 inch MBP shouldn't be that much more than the powerbook g4 12". i guess he should wait....

now it's me...should i wait to get the 12" or buy the 15" now? I've been hearing something about print drivers not working or something? Or i could just stick to my iMacg5

 

[FFTT]

If you already have a working iMac, I'd totally wait until Apple releases
their 64 bit Core Duo server quality chips.

Any snags you hear about in Universal Binary software should work themselves out over the next year, but this is all new territory.
The current single processor G4's may be well proven, but I think the prices for PowerBooks are simply too steep now this late in the game.

If you look at the BIG picture everything you see right now is going to get
leap frogged over the next 12-24 months.

You have to decide if you want to spend $1800-$2400 to play lab rat or just get by with what you have and ride out the storm.