EP82

I'm currently roaming ebay for a 12" G3 iBook but am really not sure what to look for.

It will be used for browsing the internet and a bit of design and development when i'm on the road.

Is there a spec i should go for, or steer clear of?

Any help appreciated

Cheers

Tim

Mossman

Tim, I would probably steer clear - sounds a little old. Can you wait and get a MacBook? They are very good.

Mossman

ScoobyDoo555

Just sold a G3 Powerbook - MUCH better than the Ibook tbh. More expandable.

However, it really depends what you want to use the Mac for. Anything more than Internet/Office apps, the IBook deffo won't fit the bill (especially in G3 guise)
I would be looking at a Powerbook from that era (maybe even a G4)
My Powerbook is a G3 400Mhz with 512 of Ram. The HDs really need to be upgraded as they tend to be quite small (circa 12 Gig).

However, for the year, they came with USB and firewire and airport (wireless)... not bad.

The screens were also bigger (15" IIRC)

Mine seemlessly integrated into my PC system (well it "dumbed itself down"!!) enabling both file and printer sharing

The only thing to look out for is battery-life. Tends to be a bit hammered on the older ones.
Also, with the PowerBook, make sure that the screen isn't going pink in the corners - sign of a fubar'd screen (although it's isn't expensive ot replace the entire lid - about £50)

Expect to pay up to £200 for a PowerBook G3. (Mine went for £250, but it was in A1 condition with lots of extras ), although Ebay does have it's fair share at the moment. FWIW, only got shot of mine because I'm now typing this on my shiney MacBook Pro

However, if you can afford it, as Mossman says, try and push for a G4 IBook, as they're a bit more potent, thus a bit more future-proof.......

Hope this helps - I'm sure others will be along soon.

Dan

EP82

Ideally i'd like a 12" screen and the powerbook G4's are unfortunatley out of budget.

Like i said in my initial post, i'd only be using the iBook for browsing the internet, emails, probably the odd dvd, etc. Mainly for use when i'm away from home.

One of the reasons i'd like a 12", it would slip into my bag nicely, be fairly lightweight no doubt and not as cumbersome as carting a normal notebook around.

Chris L

Got to agree - I've just bought my first Mac - a 2Ghz MacBook and it is a sensational machine and very good value. I would be temepted to save your pennies and go for one of these.

Chris

RichB

Are you talking about the clamshell iBooks or the white ones? I wouldn't bother personally, defo try and wait for a g4!
A Powerbook G3 will struggle but get by running Tiger and really needs 320+ RAM or its snails pace.
If you want a clam shell, let me know what sort of price you are looking at cos I know someone who has one.

EP82

It's the white one i'm looking at.

Apple store Us have a re-conned 12" G4 powerbook for $349 doesn't look like you can buy internationally unfortunatley.

Just keep an eye on things for now then and wait for a G4

AllanB

I have an iBook G4 and these g cheaply too and its great. Certainly think its better than the PowerBook G3s I have but the PowerBook G4 would be a good bet. Both are very good cpapable machines. Sme of the early PowerBooks had the screens attached by two short hinges and these had a slight tendancy t break with the later machines having much stronger longer hinges so they are more durable.

Doesn't sound like you are doing anything too taxing but think abut what you want to do in the future. Sme of the ealry machins have combo drives so you can burn CDs and watch DVDs but not burn DVDs. Just something to bear in mind for the future.



AllanB

Markus

I'd have to say the lowest spec I'd go for these days is a G4 based laptop, be it iBook or Powebook. I've got an original G4 Powerbook and 14" G4 iBook and they are pretty good machines for casual use.

My iBook does get a pretty good workout as a testbed workhorse and apart from having to replace the hard drive (a bit of a chore, but there's a great guide at iFixit Guide) it's still going strong.

As the G* machines are PowerPC based they have been replaced by the Intel based machines, so prices might be a bit lower than previously, and as things progress I'd expect the prices to drop a fair amount.

There is some Apple Discount store in the UK, which might have something you're looking for. I'm unsure of the details of this thing so hopefully one of the other chaps will post about it

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

every wednesday on the uk apple store they have discount day. you can see it now, but cant actually buy anything until then I believe

AllanB

Correct, Cancom UK also opperate a refurb store but the deals are quite variable I I reckon ebay may be a good bet as some mMac addict will alswys want the latest so you may be able to pick up a machine with balance of warrnaty. It might also be worth chekcing a PC World store to see if they ahve any old stock and make them an offer


AllanB