Low End Mac Deals

Best iBook G3 Deals

2008.04.30

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core Memory 4GB kit $192 / 2GB kit $109. MacBook Pro / MacMini / iMac Intel Core2 DUO 2GB $44 1GB $23--Free shipping available.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, Apple Displays, MacBooks, iMac's, MacBook Pros, Laptop and iPod accessories and more. Apple A/C Adapters for laptops starting at $25.00 Call 1-800-941-7654 or Click Here.

OtherWorld Computing: NewerTech miniStack FW400+USB2 up to 750GB + Built in Hubs. Ultimate in performance storage + saves space with built in FW/USB2 Powered Hubs - all in convenient & sleek 6.5" x 6.5" x 1.5" profile. SPECIALS: 500GB now $219.99; 250GB now $139.99!

Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.

Memory For New Intel Core2 DUO MacBooks, MacBook Pro, MacMini & iMacs" 4GB Kit $80, 3GB Kit $60, 2GB Kit $40, 1GB $20. Click to Maximize your Macs...

How'd you like a nice little OS X machine to go a bit over $200? You can buy a 500 MHz dual USB iBook with a CD-ROM drive for $169, add 512 MB of RAM for $38, and be ready to comfortably run that copy of OS X 10.2, 10.3, or 10.4 you may already have.

For most purposes, a G3 provides plenty of power under Mac OS X 10.3.x and earlier, but if you want more power or want to get the most out of Tiger (OS X 10.4.x), check out our Best iBook G4 Deals and Best PowerBook G4 Deals. G3 iBooks can only be expanded by 512 MB beyond what's on the motherboard. It's enough to let you run Tiger - but not to unleash it to its full potential.

Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" is not supported on any G3 iBook. For our perspective on G3 iBooks and Leopard, see The future of G3 iBooks in the Age of Leopard.

Every G3 iBook ever made can run the Classic Mac OS.

The clamshell iBook was Apple's first consumer/education notebook - and the first Mac to support AirPort wireless networking. For most users, it provides plenty of power for the classic Mac OS - but just enough for OS X (10.4 is pushing things). Users may find the 800 x 600 display constricting under OS X. If that's the case, look into the all-white dual-USB iBooks, which have higher resolution 1024 x 768 displays.

The original 300 MHz iBook is not officially supported under OS X 10.4 (Tiger), which "requires" a built-in FireWire port, 256 MB of RAM, and 3 GB of available hard drive space. Ryan Rempel's XPostFacto 4 supports "Tiger" on clamshell iBooks. Note that Tiger normally ships on DVD-ROM, so you will either need a bootable DVD-capable drive or exchange your DVD for a CD install set through Apple. (For another option on FireWire-equipped iBooks, see Installing OS X 10.4 "Tiger" on DVD-challenged Macs using FireWire Target Disk Mode.)

Further Reading on Clamshells

For those looking forward, there's a fair chance that at least the slower G3 iBooks won't be supported at all in Leopard (OS X 10.5) - and possibly no G3 models at all.

MacInTouch has called the dual USB G3 iBooks Apple's most unreliable notebooks ever. According to their survey of iBook and PowerBook Reliability:

...by affected percentage of models, the G3 iBooks were the worst by far, with more than half requiring logic board replacements. Apple created a warranty extension program for some versions, but not all. (MacInTouch readers are still reporting newly failed iBook G3s, and the warranty extension program has ended.)

The white 12" iBook G3 series became much less reliable through its first five revisions, reaching a 73% failure percentage! The last revision dropped to a 49% failure percentage -- much improved over the previous model, but still unconscionably high. The problems appear to have been solved, for the most part, in the newer iBook G4 series.

Both the 12" and 14" white models have 1024 x 768 pixel displays. 500 MHz and some 600 MHz iBooks have 8 MB of video memory, other 600 MHz and 700 MHz have 16 MB, and some 700 MHz and all 800-900 MHz models have 32 MB.

If white iBooks are a bit rich for your budget, look at our Best PowerBook G3 Deals. And if you want G4 power, check out our Best iBook G4 Deals and Best Titanium PowerBook G4 Deals.

Be sure to factor in shipping costs and possible sales tax. Your best value depends on whether you need/want a color printer, extra RAM, etc. If you plan on using OS X, we strongly recommend bumping total memory to at least 384 MB, and Apple suggests no less than 512 MB for Tiger.

Used Macs usually include a 90 day warranty. Prices may be limited to quantity on hand. Not responsible for typos. Please email any corrections or additional sources with competitive prices to  Dan Knight .

Unless otherwise noted, there is no surcharge for credit card purchases, and shipping is not included. Vendors are listed in alphabetical order. Be sure to visit their sites for full details.

This week's standout deals (marked in bold below):

Best Clamshell iBook Prices

Best 12" CD Prices

Best 12" CD-RW Prices

Best 12" Combo Prices

Best 14" Combo Prices

Mac OS Prices

Recent Memory Prices

Batteries may be old and worn down, and even "new" Apple batteries that have been on the shelf for years will have less capacity then they did when new. We've had great results with NuPower batteries from site sponsor Other World Computing:

Some dealers have a much wider selection than we list here. We just look for the lowest cost configuration of each model. You may find iBooks with more RAM, bigger hard drives, and AirPort cards.

Listings note screen size, speed, optical drive, RAM/hard drive size, price. Bear in mind that laptop batteries to degrade over time, so you might want to consider replacement battery cost for any iBook over 3 years old.

Except for some early 500 MHz iBooks, which have 64 MB, all dual USB models have 128 MB on the motherboard. All G3 iBooks have a single memory expansion slot.

Listings sorted by screen size first, then CPU speed.

Buying through some of these links benefits Low End Mac. Buying at these prices benefits you.

Dual USB G3 iBook Profiles

US Dealers

BetaMacs

Custom Macs

D V Warehouse

pink covered iBookLaptop Rescue

Vinyl stickers can be removed.

Mac of All Trades

Mac of All Trades has the highest product turnover of any used Mac dealer we track.

The MacPac

MegaMacs

30 day warranty

PowerBook Guy

PowerBook Guy returns systems to their factory specifications as close as possible. This includes reinstalling the Mac OS as it originally shipped from the factory, replacing any failed parts, cleaning the system and performing various tests to ensure that it functions correctly.

clamshell iBooks

dual-USB iBooks

PowerMax - 12" / 14"

Teksale.com

Wegener Media

60 day warranty

clamshell iBooks

dual-USB iBooks

Need more power than a G3 iBook offers? Check out our Best iBook G4 Deals and Best Titanium PowerBook G4 Deals. Want something less expensive? Look at our Best PowerBook G3 Deals.  LEM

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2008 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, PowerBook, MacBook, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.


Have a question?
Ask an expert!

Low End Living

Amazon.com

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.