Powerbook Source, refurb or used

[DaveSee]

Hiyas all around,
I am seeking opinions on sources for used or refurbished Powerbooks(in the USA) and also which model would serve best "in the field," not as a "digital lab."

It wouldn't need FW or DV, just USB and wireless/ethernet. Also need not have a 17-inch LCD, but must be MacOS 10+ capable.

Will trade Linux for Apple tips too 😀

rgds,
Dave

 

[bobofish]

Craigslist, baby.

Seriously, I see tons of smokin' deals on Macs there, also the occasionally good deal on camera gear, btw.

The Mac deals seem to follow cyclical curves, or maybe they follow the seasons, I don't know....right about now is one of those good times when people are unloading gear to finance holiday purchases.

Very often those same computers are loaded with some software, like slightly older versions of PS, Office, Final Cut, etc.

 

[JoeFriday]

I used to frequent Powerbook Central a year or so ago.. lots of good advice over there, and you can usually find a good deal in their classifieds section

my advice is be VERY careful when buying a used Powerbook.. it took me at least 4 months to find a decent deal from a trusted source.. I'd estimate that at least half the Powerbook auctions on eb*y are scams.. only buy from someone who takes a credit card or paypal (and use a credit card through paypal).. if possible, get your hands on the actual laptop before buying

you'll probably want a fairly new 'aluminum' Powerbook.. the G4 model rated above 1Ghz.. I personally have a 15" 1Ghz model that works pretty well.. it needs at least 1 gig of ram to run Photoshop properly, tho

and I'd highly recommend one with wifi built in.. Airport Express, they call it.. it's standard on all the newest models, but can be added to older setups for about $50

 

[Stephan]

Apple actually sell refurbished powerbooks and Ibooks themselves from their internet site, but I expect those are more expensive that what you're looking for.

 

[tajart]

they say craigslist is good when buying locally, in your community.
in portland area you might look at: http://www.powermax.com/
but then, the new, direct from apple, 12" iBook looks very nice and comes with so much stuff already you probably wouldn't have to add much other than specific software that you might not yet have.

 

[DaveSee]

Thanks for all of this feedback folks! I've looked through Craigslist, and a few other internet sites, but as I have been using only Linux and Unix for the last 12 years, I'm a little less knowledgable about Apple gear. Thanks again...

rgds,
Dave

 

[JoeFriday]

Dave, I've been using Macs for about 12 years, and I'm pretty familiar with most of their products and how they work in a real-world situation.. feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any specific questions

but for the most part, Macs are mostly set up to work 'as is'.. no modifications necessary.. the only thing I've done to mine since buying it is add more ram.. and I definitely prefer to use an external mouse

I never use the trackpad since it tends to make your mouse re-click somewhere else as you type things, and suddenly you're typing a sentence in the middle of a previous paragraph.. there are ways to prevent that, but I find using a real mouse a lot easier all around

one other thing.. if you enjoy music, you'll love iTunes.. and you can hook up iTunes to use a home wifi network to play all the music on your Powerbook through a home stereo

 

[brightsky]

Too bad you're in California, or too bad I'm in Florida. I don't want to ship.

I have a 7 month old PB with Applecare I don't need because I went the other way and bought a Dual G5.