A newbie to forums. :3

Hewwo! I just joined today. My name is Lee, I've been a Mac user for approx 1 year intermitently, meaning, I used my blueberry ibook a couple times, but mostly stuck to a PC for most of my daily computer tasks.

Anyway, soon the 'old timers' are going to be put out to pasture... I'm buying a new computer, and switching totally to Mac! Still debating; second hand G4 white iBook from ebay for about $700 Canadian, or Mini Mac, brand spanking new, for approx the same amount of money?

So the issue is: used laptop or new desktop.

Other than that, I have the issue of finding a keyboard and monitor to go with a Mini mac if I went that way, (I have a mouse) so I'm still debating that option. Leaning a little more towards an iBook, just for the fact its everything I need all in one, I won't need to purchase anything else (cept maybe extra software, ^^)

So, any advice would be welcome. Also, tips for shopping for Apple products and software for someone with a limited income? So far, the only apple product I've bought is my old clamshell iBook and Mac Addict magazines (the latter of which is technically not an Apple product, but still super applelicious!)

Besides that, so awed and happy to finally be done with Peecees forever! :mac: :mac: :mac:

personally i never buy used electronics, especially computers. i'd save up for a new laptop or just go with the mac mini.

Before getting my Mac Mini I played with our office test Mac, which is an iMac G4 (the dome with the monitor on a swivel-arm mount) because it had about the same specs, if a little inferior than those of a Mini. At 1Ghz with 256meg of RAM it seemed to work just fine for what I would be using it for. Now that I've used the Mini (bone stock 1.25Ghz with 256meg of RAM) it is indeed just fine for what I use it for (web browsing, email, picture editing, musci/audio management, and playing Unreal Tournament 2004) though I will be getting at least the 512meg upgrade soon. Occasionally I'll get "the pinwheel" while switching between a lot of apps I might have open, but it hasn't been really annoying. I love it.

A used G4 will be more expensive, if maybe more upgradable than a Mini, and it will still be a used computer. I bought a Logitech wireless keyboard/mouse combo for $50 US which works great with the mini, and of course already had a 20" CRT monitor which also works great with the mini. If you spring the $499 US for the new Mac Mini rather than get something else on ebay you have the 1 year warrantee should anything break, plus 90 days of phone support from Apple...though I don't forsee having to use it since everything just works.

To be honest it all boils down to howm much you wanna spend? I just switched myself 4 months ago and love it. Anyways I purchase a base Powermac 400 MHZ Agp model from Ebay. It was like 250.00. I upgraded the hardrive to a 80 gig, prodessor to a 1 gig, DVD Rom to Superdrive and a pathetic 64 megs of ram to 768. This thing has plenty of power for all my computing needs. I am also running Panther as well with absolutely no lags.