Need advice for a used mac ibook

11-14-08 | self

[SoftballMominVA]

My daughter's PC died last night probably due to a systems upgrade sent by Microsoft. I strongly suspect this upgrade as the culprit as my desktop had the same symptoms after the same upgrade. The cost to fix was about 300. I'm not willing to put that into repairs for hers because she was already having massive other problems.

So, based on everything I've read (largely here) I'm looking for a used Mac.

Is there anyone who would be willing to just look over a couple or three postings that I've found on Craigslist and another site that sells refurbished Macs and give a thumbs up or thumbs down based on value vs. asking price?

I'm not asking for a guarantee, just a general nudge in the right direction and after that it's 'you get what you get.'

[dayglored]

> I agree, but I tend to believe that a serviceable Mac with a long life span will come in somewhere north of $500. That's why I haven't made any suggestions. I would prefer not to get a non-Intel, as most new software is written for the Intel line of products. I think like the jump from OS9 to OSX, the Intel changeover was a dramatic line in the evolution of the Mac, and I wouldn't buy a g4 for that reason.

You're right -- I've got two Intel Macs and one older PPC, and it's definitely the outsider. The only thing that runs on that that doesn't run on the Intels is Z-Term. ;-)

Also, I do a lot with VMware Fusion (running WinXP, Vista, Linux, etc. on the Mac) and that's only available for the Intel Macs.

[dennisw]

Your computers are not dead. Dead means extreme hardware failure not some Windows crash

[Uri’el-2012]

These guys sell a lot of used systems and they have an excellent reputation in the Mac community. They have a wide assortment of models that are used/refurbished etc.

http://www.wegenermedia.com/

I would second that !

[dayglored]

> a serviceable Mac with a long life span will come in somewhere north of $500.

Not if she gets a used Mac Mini and uses the old PC's keyboard, mouse, and video display. Hell, brand new they're only $600 or so. And they work great. I've seen used ones in good condition for around $400.

[Tribune7]

In my opinion, the comp is in all effect ‘dead’ because it cannot be booted up in any way, shape, form, or manner by someone such as I with limited information

You might want to download a ubuntu (linux) disk and give it a shot. Ubuntu is free and will boot from the CD you make. It might solve everything -- if all she wants is word processing & internet -- without spending a nickel. I'm not sure if iTunes is available for Linux though.

FYI, you will have to spend $120 or so for MS Office for Mac (I'm guessing your daughter is a student and gets a discount) if she really needs it.

For the record, I'm a Mac user and I use TextEdit and NeoOffice (free) for my word processing needs.

[Richard Kimball]

True, but she was talking notebooks or laptops. I don’t see getting a good quality Mac laptop with an Intel for $500. I think the mini is an excellent idea, though.

[Mad-Margaret]

Hey! I’m writing this on an iBookG4 and I love this computer. It suits my needs just fine. I’ve had it for three years and the only problem I had with it was the DC-in board. Apple fixed it at no cost (other than the price of gas to deliver and pick up the iBook at the Apple store) this summer.

I’ve been using Mac since 86 and I’ll buy another when this one is obsolete. It’s a very reliable machine. And yes, I still use Tiger.

I also love my 5.5G video iPod. Unlike the new ones, it lets me download pictures from my digital camera.

[Yardstick]

Just curious — why would you recommend an iBook over a Powerbook? I see 15” 1.67GHz Powerbooks on eBay pretty regularly for around $500. In fact, I’m getting ready to buy one — it’ll be my first Mac. And I agree with your logic on the G4. The fact that the G4/Intel switchover is a well-known evolutionary divide is what’s making the G4 Macs a good bargain right now for people who aren’t super sensitive to evolutionary divides. I don’t really care about having the latest wiz bang stuff and I could care less if 10.6 won’t support my G4. A G4 Mac for $500 or less is a sweet computer that will be totally adequate for 90% of people for several years. And if you really wanted to go cheap, how about a 1GHz titanium Powerbook for $350?

[dayglored]

> True, but she was talking notebooks or laptops. I don’t see getting a good quality Mac laptop with an Intel for $500. I think the mini is an excellent idea, though.

Oh, duh, sorry. Right, I forgot the "iBook" reference.

Well, one might be able to find a used 13" MacBook for $500. That's what I'm typing on right now...

[romanesq]

I have a buddy doing film editing on the G4 12” but I’m sure if he had an option, he’d love your new Macbook with those nice Intel Core 2 Duo processors. :)

You can get by fine with a G4 machine for the work described at the top of the thread. But seeking it out with newly spent dollars is something different entirely and that’s why I said not to go that route.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

due to a systems upgrade sent by Microsoft.

Which MS upgrade was it that killed your PC and your daughter's? This could be important info for others wishing to avoid a similar fate.

[Mad-Margaret]

Sounds like my iBook, but I think the screen is a bit bigger. And yes it is a nice machine.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I took mine to a computer repair place and even they could not ‘fix’ the problem. So they just reinstalled windows but every since then the computer is not running well at all.

Find a new 'computer repair place'. The one you used is clearly inhabited by Goobers. Not being snide, just stating facts.

[Yardstick]

Goobers I guess being Geeks without the talent (which doesn’t leave you much).

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

"It’s just like a Mac."

AppyPappy: Heh. Not hardly, though your advice should indeed give the old hardware new life. I use Windows, Mac and Linux. There's no question that the Mac is the easiest to use and most polished of the three platforms, with an excellent selection of mainstream software, and lots of freeware too. With Linux, you're pretty much limited to the freeware. Both Linux and Mac OS X are highly secure and safe against viruses and malware, though I hasten to add that the safety of any machine depends on a non-stupid user who doesn't grant authorization to unknown programs they might encounter on the web or as email attachments. If that rule is observed, there's practically no chance that a non-expert user will bugger a Mac, whereas newbies can bring a Linux installation to its knees in no time-- and I speak from experience on that one!

SBBMinVA: Regarding your question, I bought a two-year old, top-end Intel Macbook off craigslist.org just last weekend for $900. It originally sold for about $2700. Going through the listings, I saw plenty of pre-Intel iBooks in your price range. If you filter the craigslist postings to eliminate all without the original CDs, you are likely protected against purchasing a stolen unit. A bonus is that the machine might come with other software installed like Microsoft Office (which is so much better on the Mac it's not funny, except it is).

Caveats: Laptops in SBMinVA's price range will probably be older units with a worn-out battery. So, all else being equal, give preference to units that claim a fresh battery, and verify the claim by checking the battery status (see http://mactips.info/2008/09/check-your-batterys-health-with-system-profiler). Batteries are easily replaced; cost varies by model. Check for frayed power-supply cords and weak display backlights. Listen for gravelly noises in the hard disk; a new disk runs less than $100 and is easy to replace if you're technically inclined and have backed up your old hard disk. Crank up the unit to maximum power and ensure the fan is blowing robustly. Flex the unit slightly while it is running to ensure against physical motherboard problems.

If it passes these tests, it will probably be as reliable as a hammer. Just back it up frequently as any user of any computer should do (ideally to an external USB hard disk like the superb Western Digital Passport models, available for a song at Costco) and enjoy a superior computing experience.

A word about hard disks. Their failure curves tend to show a peak at a few weeks, drop to a fairly low level for a couple years, then rise again. Mis-handling can and will destroy them, but even a gently-used hard disk will (and I do mean will) fail after several years. This is a fact of computing life. And, as the curve I described suggests, buying a new machine does not insulate you against hard disk failures. So back up your work and applications. The latest OS X revision for Intel Macs includes a really superb backup utility, Time Machine. I'm not sure what the equivalent for pre-Intel Macs is; perhaps some Freepers might want to chime in on that point.

[IreneE]

Love those Titaniums... in fact... notice how head designer at Apple revolutionized the computer world when those first Tibooks came out...

and notice how he kept the industrial design looks of the tibook for the MacBook Air, new Mac books and MBPs?

Only limit on Tibooks is max 1 gig ram. And they are a tad wide after the 12” screens. I had one back in the day as well as the first 400, and a 667mhz, too.

I kind of like having the last revision of the PPC lines... Good price on the Tibook, and I’ve seen late model G4s for good prices like that...

[ReignOfError]

I loved my iBook (it was a G3), and if it still worked, I’d still be using it. But I wouldn’t get one now, for the reasons I outlined. Used computers in general can be risky, and that particular model has some logic board problems. That’s a statistical issue; a lot of them have had no problem and won’t for years.

It was a great little machine new, no doubt; but used, I’d be a little leery.

Have you had a look at the new Mac Books? That’s one sexy little machine.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Gots to have some of dat Mojo to be a Geek. A Goober...well, you can guess the rest.

[IreneE]

You must have the 14” 1.42ghz G4 iBook. That is a mean machine, too. Bought one for my BF last year and owned one when they first come out.

[IreneE]

You buddy would not like the MacBook for film editing

No firewire!