10-09-2011, 04:47 AM

howzit new to the forum here. I have a ibook g4 running osx 10.4.11 that i bought back in the spring of 2005 that is still chugging along. all i really use the internet for is surfing the web so it serves the purpose and music(which i use on my external to keep the hard drive freed up), but I'm started to run into issues with updating my iphone 3gs. I haven't been able to update any of the software on the phone in about a year in a half (not sure which version i have currently) because every time I try to update the phone through itunes it tells me i need to update itunes. I have itunes 9.2 and every time i go to software update there isnt anything for itunes, probably because I'm running itunes 10.4.11. i know lol it's old. so basically I'm pretty sure my computer is now obsolete so can you guys confirm this? or hopefully it's not and you guys have some suggestions? I'm about to get the new iphone 4s so will i even be able to upload my music and stuff from my version of itunes?! not really excited about dropping 1200$ on a new macbook just for surfing the web and synching my new phone but this is what it's looking like. thanks!

10-09-2011, 04:54 AM

Which iBook is it?
If its 867mhz or faster you can update to 10.5 Leopard and then get the latest iTunes, but your RAM should also be 1gb or more to make things run smoothly.
Leopard is still good in my opinion, I use it in an eMac.

Cheers

Hugh

10-09-2011, 05:08 AM

thanks. i got a 1.2 ghz processor with 256 mb of memory built in (ram?) and the hard drive has 28gb capacity with 9gb avail (don't know if that matters?). so does that mean i can use leopard? how do i get it and does it cost? new iphone 4s wont synch without it right

10-09-2011, 05:28 AM

According to Apple - iPhone 4S - Technical Specifications you can use any Mac with a USB 2 port and 10.5.8 or above, but you will definitely need to upgrade the RAM.
It may cost you to get a Leopard disc (retail, black disc not grey), I would check on places like eBay.

Cheers

Hugh

10-09-2011, 06:16 AM

iPhone 4S system requirements:

OS X version 10.5.8
iTunes 10.5 - not even released as of the time of this post

You can update the software on the 3GS - just need iTunes 10 which also requires OS X 10.5

10-09-2011, 06:20 AM

cool thanks a lot.really helpful. and im looking on ebay do i want the orignial install disc or the reinstall disc will work? and why does grey or black matter? i only see grey discs. and just 10.5 not 10.6 or anything else right?

10-09-2011, 06:21 AM

Note: Merged duplicate threads - a single post for a single question - thanks.


And you need a black retail copy of Leopard. The grey discs will not work.

Snow Leopard will not work on a PPC Mac.

10-09-2011, 06:27 AM

You can only upgrade as far as 10.5 Leopard with that machine.
You need what is called a Retail disc, which are black in colour with a silver X in the middle, and work on any Mac which meets the minimum requirements (yours will once you've upgraded the RAM).
Grey coloured discs are specific to which Mac you have and you won't find one for your iBook.
iTunes 10.5 will be released when the iPhone 4s is out.

Cheers

Hugh

10-10-2011, 03:44 AM

But the answer to your subject question is yes -- it's about time for a new(er) computer.

You CAN, with a combination of luck, patience and money, get all the ingredients together and upgrade your machine sufficiently to bring your 3GS up to spec. At least for the time being.

But wait a year and guess what -- that system won't work anymore. Either the 3GS will go off the supported list, or OS X 10.5 will (the latter most likely). On top of that, more and more programs are requiring the Intel chip Macs, including the last two versions of the OS, and likely the next versions of iTunes, Safari, QuickTime ... you get the picture.

The writing is on the wall. You can start saving for a new(er) Intel Mac now, or wait until you HAVE to get one. I'm delighted that your 2005 machine is still working out for you, but truthfully there are already chunks of the web that are beyond your machine's capabilities, and program versions as well. That problem is only going to get worse with time.