I’d like to get back into the Macintosh camp, but I’d still like to keep my PC.
I’m looking at the following on the Apple Web site. I’m planning on using the computer mainly for wireless Internet access, word processing, some light graphics work, and a bit of geekery related to the NeXT-based operating system.
Price-wise, is there anyplace I can do better? I’m not having much luck on eBay.
For what it’s worth, are there any non-superficial differences between an iBook and a PowerBook with the same specs?
The PowerBook has the G4 processor (doesn’t sound like too big a deal for what you’re planning on using it for) and such frills as a PC card slot. However the iBook has far better wireless access than the older PowerBooks (Titanium blocks AirPort signals; aluminum not as much). Having said that, I love my PowerBook 550mhz, but I wish it was a 1ghz model…
My wife has owned a slightly older 800 mhz iBook for over a year. Great machine. The screen is very sharp and bright–we watch DVD movies on it often. It is lightweight. the design and user experience is wonderful. I just like lookin’ at it. Ours is a G3; I know that the newer iBooks have G4s. I think the G3 will suffice for your requirements quite well. I was not too impressed with the 14-in screen–it has the same number of pixels spread over a larger area, thus it was not as sharp as the 12-inch.
The only concern is the noted problems with the faulty hinges and the thin wires embedded within them. Lots of folks (not us. . .yet) seem to have the machines frying out when the hinges come loose. The Macintouch website offers details and horror stories. Perhaps being a refurb, your potential iBook has been fixed. So, there is some risk.
The Powerbook also supports video spanning, so you can hook it to a monitor and get more real estate. The iBook only officially does video mirroring, though I believe there’s a hack to make it do spanning as well.
As for lower prices, have you considered a refurb unit? Apple sometimes has “Special deals” on their online store, and companies like Small Dog Electronics regularly sells refurbished iBooks. Same warranty and everything, but a lower price.
If you are going to buy a used ibook, make sure that it has a G4 processor, not a G3. The G3 ibooks are known for having faulty logic boards. There is even a lawsuit about this specific issue going on right now. Though good choice on the ibook. I’ve been planning to buy one too for just the same reasons you’ve mentioned. Don’t forget the 6 hr battery life.