iBook G4 case mod project

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apologize ahead of time if there is a place for this specific topic, I searched and couldn't find it...

This is the first of my planned mods...Used a piece of transparent clear green "Vinyl"...(From the little desk bins you get at the dollar tree) instead of paper...Wanting to paint the case with pain then clearcoat...Any suggestions on paint? Also, how much value would this add to a buyer? I realize I "Shouldn't" Do this, but I am, and would like to do it right.

Photo on 2013-10-25 at 17.26 #4.jpg

Photo on 2013-10-25 at 17.25 #3.jpg
 

pigoo3

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Also, how much value would this add to a buyer?

At best $0.00. At worst...it will reduce it's value.

I'm guessing that you also know that this is at least an 8+ year-old computer. So it's not worth a whole lot anyway! So what the heck!;)

- Nick
 
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Not really a need for you to respond, but ****....I own an intel Imac and I still use this thing more often....I think this things worth somewhere between MAYBE 75-100 bucks to someone whom appreciates the older PPC machines, which you obviously don't. IF and only IF this thing comes out REALLY nice, then it raises the value because of the cool factor...Which if you are toting a freaking iBook around, you are interested in...Please, ADDITIONS to this topic, please??
 

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Not really a need for you to respond, but ****....I own an intel Imac and I still use this thing more often....I think this things worth somewhere between MAYBE 75-100 bucks to someone whom appreciates the older PPC machines, which you obviously don't. IF and only IF this thing comes out REALLY nice, then it raises the value because of the cool factor...Which if you are toting a freaking iBook around, you are interested in...Please, ADDITIONS to this topic, please??

Hmmm...I'm not really sure how to respond to your post. Obviously you didn't appreciate or misunderstood something I said.

I agree with you that your iBook is probably worth about $75 bucks.

I hate to tell you this...but I've been doing the computer/Macintosh thing for a VERY long time...so I do have an appreciation for older models.:)

There's one thing I do know...probably 98-99% of folks looking to purchase an older model Macintosh...want it to look like it did when it was brand new (this is what's known as an appreciation for older Mac's). So modifying the appearance of an old Mac most likely will not translate into more value...and more likely...it will translate into a lower value...AND be harder to sell.

Be VERY careful about making generalizations about people (like you mentioned in your post above). You have no idea who I am, what my experiences are, etc. So saying that I don't have an appreciation for older PPC Mac's is totally erroneous...and you have absolutely no facts to base that on!

If you were talking about modifying the appearance of ANY Macintosh computer model in the way that you would describe...I would have given the exact same advice.

If you want to modify the appearance for your needs...go right ahead. But when it comes to resale time...those modifications are most likely going to be more of a downside than an upside to the vast majority of potential buyers.

This project really doesn't translate into any "cool factor" when it comes to reselling computers...or to folks who appreciate older Macintosh computers.;)

- Nick
 
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I wasn't really attempting to make any generalizations, but honestly, i think i did.. for that i am sorry.

Also, i get the original condition thing, I feel the same mostly. But there are so few mods on these notebooks for sale, that honestly, someone with the disposable income and desire for something unique, might be interested. Look at how many people own classic cars. Not the fastest, not the lightest or best handling....A DeLorean: Cannot find parts, and it WILL need them..

I've owned many older macs...99% of my macs were ppc. And still work. I think the mac world is the quickest to forget: PowerPC was the talk of their town until Intel came around....Now, it's like a bad word to the major part of mac sites, except for some dark dingy corner....Like they are ashamed of it or something..Tiger for example, is what I think to be apple's XP..Some think it was 10.5 that is their XP....OLD AS DIRT, BUT STILL **** WELL WORKING...Old never dies...It simply gets buried.

I Love these old powerpc macs...Shame there isn't a bigger market...They are still as capable as some mid-range PC's..That is my short explanation about why they still hold a value above zero..Ranting, I know..
 

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I wasn't really attempting to make any generalizations, but honestly, i think i did.. for that i am sorry.

No problems...all is good!:)

Also, i get the original condition thing, I feel the same mostly.

I'm mostly taking the conservative route. And I was only trying to help by offering a different perspective. Modding the appearance of this iBook may sound cool now...but at resell time...it may not seem as cool (harder to sell). Hey you never know...when it comes to resell time...it may sell on the first day. 99% of folks (interested in an old iBook) may not like it...but maybe you get lucky and find the 1%er who likes it.

Modding an old iBook worth about $75 bucks...certainly isn't as risky as modding a brand new MacBook Pro or iMac worth $1500+!;)

I also own MANY PPC Mac's...and MANY OS 10.5 install disks.

- Nick
 

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Just for "laughs & giggles"...here's a "Clamshell" Powerbook G3 (vintage about 2000) that I purchased a few years ago that was "modded" by the previous owner. I didn't buy it because it was modded...I bought it because I got for $15 bucks!:)

Since these iBook Clamshell's had cases that were in separate pieces (that could be disassembled)...and they came in about 6 different colors...the "mods" were swapping out different color pieces from other iBook Clamshells.

Notice the dark blue handle (top of photo), light blue Apple symbol, and lime green top portion of the outer display case. Versus all of these colored pieces being the same exact color (which is how they came when new).



- Nick
 
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Modding an old iBook worth about $75 bucks...certainly isn't as risky as modding a brand new MacBook Pro or iMac worth $1500+!;)

- Nick[/QUOTE]

I would never i my life do such a thing to a mac pro...

But yeah, I re-read your posts, and figured, the green apple logo is enough, that if i sell it, its modded nicely, but not so much that it can be considered not factory condition...And it's easily reversible...

Again, didn't mean to come off as a ****, i get kinda defensive about people knocking PPC's because alot of mac users never even owned a PPC, and they balk at it..the same way apple used to down intel. I like to respect the past..
 
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Nothing at all wrong with skins. They are easily removed if a future buyer doesn't like it...and there are CERTAINLY much more 'WILD" skins than the black one in the link.

I think that there are some websites that will make custom skins for a customer. Just need to send them the sketches for it.

- Nick
 
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No, there isnt.....completely superficial....There is one with a textured leather feel....Cheap, too....I was thinking about making an oreo ibook with black keys i can get on ebay...I feel these computers deserve a new life....Ahh, god I am nostalgic....
 

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...I feel these computers deserve a new life....Ahh, god I am nostalgic....

My most recent purchase was a 2004 17" Powerbook G4. It's banged up a little (nick's, dents, scratches)....and the 17" display is broken (non-useable)...that's why I got it for just $40 bucks!:)

Everything else works (just got to use an external display). One of the major reasons I got it was because it's one of the first Apple laptops with a illuminated/backlit keyboard (nice for those dark rooms).:)

I'm on the lookout for an inexpensive replacement display to make it fully operational as a laptop.:)

- Nick
 
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Nick, is that a 466 Key Lime? I've been wanting one of those for years, same as a Lime iMac G3, as I can seem to find every color but... :Grimmace:


feel these computers deserve a new life....Ahh, god I am nostalgic....

You and I see to have a very similar opinion on PPC macs. I know they're outdated, heck, ancient by this point, and most people send them to a recycling plant or donate them nowadays, but I can't stand to see one go to a landfill. (There's a reason I have 3 iMac G3's in various states of repair lying around my room)

Modding is something that should always be thoroughly considered before attempting. Also, the kind/extent of a mod should also be considered.

For example, your Green Apple Logo idea is neat, but if I were in the market for an iBook G4, that probably wouldn't get me to spend a whole lot more on it. Maybe, (because I like green), I might throw in an extra $10 than I would have if it were stock. However, if I hated green, I might pay you $10 less because I have to look at that color from that point on.

What I'm getting at, is that modding is usually done by the individual, for the individual's tastes. What might be great for one person, might not be so great for the next. And the greater the mod, the farther the price may go in one direction or the next.

Let's just say hypothetically some freakin' genius out there manages to jam the contents of a MacBook Air with an i7 into Nick's little iBook Clamshell there. You better believe I'd shell out the $$$ to get a chance to own it. A computer with that long-forgotten form factor which I love so much, with modern power to boot, count me in! Others, though, might think I'm crazy, and wouldn't want it at all. You never know.


Good luck! ;D
 

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Nick, is that a 466 Key Lime? I've been wanting one of those for years, same as a Lime iMac G3, as I can seem to find every color but... :Grimmace:

It is a 466ghz iBook G3 "Clamshell"...but I believe that it originally was the "Graphite" color (the color of the handle at the top of the photo)...since the bottom of the laptop is that color. The Lime colored piece must have come from a "donator" Lime Green iBook.

@anyone interested...a little Apple Trivia:

With all of the talk these days regarding MacBook Air's and retina MacBook Pro's...with how sleek & light weight they are. These iBook Clamshell laptops from 13 years ago:

- weighed in at 6.7 pounds
- had a 12.1" display!
- were almost 2" thick
- had a Geekbench score of 155 to 216 (compared to new quad-core iMacs getting almost 15,000)!

* Nick
 

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