iBook g4 worth buying?

hello all, i was wondering if the ibook g4 512 ram 40 g hd 1.3ghz ppc 10.5 osx, is a safe investment or not, i already have an imac almost 4 years old and a macbook pro, i mostly need the ibook for school work and browsing the internet while on the go, i really cant take my 2k dollar macbook pro everywhere, ty

Is that the 12" one? If so I own that machine. I have the RAM maxed at 1.5GB with 10.5. It's not the fastest thing out there but does what I need a notebook to do still.

dtravis7 said:

Is that the 12" one? If so I own that machine. I have the RAM maxed at 1.5GB with 10.5. It's not the fastest thing out there but does what I need a notebook to do still.

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thank u for the reply, yes its the 12 inch one, i mainly need it for internet and browsing on the go and i find it cheaper than most netbooks and it can do more than the ipad, do u think its a good deal my fellow mac users?

How much are you paying? I have both a Netbook and the 1.33Ghz iBook and never use the netbook. Just remember, no 10.6 Snow Leopard and no Intel only software. So far that has not been an issue for me.

dtravis7 said:

How much are you paying? I have both a Netbook and the 1.33Ghz iBook and never use the netbook. Just remember, no 10.6 Snow Leopard and no Intel only software. So far that has not been an issue for me.

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I'm going to disagree. I know you've had yours a while, but even back when I sold mine it wasn't particularly fast. We have a few of them lying around at work and they're good enough, but the battery life is pretty dismal and they aren't particularly light either by today's standards.

i mostly need the ibook for school work and browsing the internet while on the go, i really cant take my 2k dollar macbook pro everywhere

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If you can't take a notebook anywhere, why did you get it? Sorry, that sounds rude But maybe you would be better off selling the MacBook Pro and investing in a 21" iMac and MacBook Air instead?

I still get over 4 hours on a charge. Battery is old also. True on the weight though. Things have gotten lighter over the years.

I would purchase an intel but no $$$.

dtravis7 said:

I still get over 4 hours on a charge. Battery is old also. True on the weight though. Things have gotten lighter over the years.

I would purchase an intel but no $$$.

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Don't get me wrong - I completely agree with holding on to it if you have one (I did love that little machine - my first Mac too!) I'm just not sure if I'd buy one today given the OP's requirements.

What I don't understand is the OP has a modern Mac notebook. Use that and just be careful.

If it was me I would try and get a cheap Intel PC laptop and install Ubuntu on it so at least it feels a bit more Mac like, especially with Ubuntu 11.

That would be fine for browsing and some light essay work and you should be able to get a core duo or Core 2 duo laptop fairly cheap.

I have an old Centrino HP, that's fine for browsing, streaming movies from the Mac to the TV and some quick note taking

I would DEFINITELY buy one of the old 12" 1.33ghz iBooks in a heartbeat (although I would prefer the Powerbook version)...I wouldn't even give it a 2nd thought. My only decision point would be the price (it would have to be a good deal).

I have an 12" 867mhz Powerbook...and I was just using it yesterday...and it did most things fine (most websites & e-mail). A 1.33ghz iBook would be much better.

Now I will say that I wouldn't want this as my primary computer. But if I didn't have a laptop (if I couldn't afford anything newer) or as a "backup laptop"...I would find a 1.33ghz G4 iBook definitely usable. But other users may have more demanding tasks...in which case an iBook G4 may not be a good choice.

- Nick

thnx for the replies all, i didnt really buy the macbook pro i got it as a gift from my parents , the reason i want a cheap portable solution is i need one for school and u know i cant keep it with me all the time there so theres a chance it will get stolen or damaged, and i really cannot afford to replace my 2k dollar mbp, i think i can get a new battery from amazon for the ibook, and yes ty for the ubuntu idea, do u have a cheap intel laptop in mind all i could find was compaq celeren for around 300

Sorry for somewhat hijacking your thread, but I put a 1.33 Ghz 12" iBook with 1.5 GB RAM and a 100GB hard drive on craigslist and someone is offering me $250 for it. The only issue is the power button is kind of loose from opening it and you need to press to the right of the left speaker while holding the power button to turn it on. I was wondering if that's a good price to sell it for or am I getting ripped off?

Thanks!

Mac2Sell says $180. So no, you are getting more than it's worth.

Thanks! I just bought it to get a feel for OS X, it's a great computer, but I find myself never using it anymore. The power button issue kinda freaks me out so I figured that I better sell it before it's completely shot. The buyer knows of the issue too, so they won't be surprised or anything. I'm wanting a Power Mac G5 pretty badly right now, those machines are beautiful.