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A funny thing happened over the last few months. Some of you may
have read my column highlighting the
sale of my Titanium PowerBook and a
return to using an iBook as my
main machine.
Something unexpected happened in the intervening weeks, and I
realized that I would have to split time on the iBook with my wife.
After years of working to get her comfortable with computers, the
iBook and OS X have finally turned her to computer use. About
the third time we fought over the machine, I decided that I needed to
make other arrangements.
I was looking into a second iBook when I found a great deal on -
a PowerBook G3 (Pismo) 500. Two
years ago, this was the first Mac portable that I had ever purchased.
I sold the machine about a year ago and regretted it every day after.
As much as I loved my Titanium machine and my iBook, the Pismo
remained my favorite machine. The combination of performance,
expandability, and durability remains unsurpassed in laptop
computing.
While perusing eBay,
I found a wonderful deal on a Pismo. For US$950, I received a machine
with 576 MB of RAM, a
10 GB hard drive, two batteries, an expansion bay hard drive (very
cool), and a Zip drive. To seal the deal, the machine is still under
AppleCare for another 6 months.
The transaction was completed, and I eagerly ripped open the box
much like a kid on Christmas. The machine was in great shape, and I
pretend that the machine I sold a year and a half ago returned to my
door.
I quickly added a wireless card and swapped the internal hard
drive for a 20 GB drive I had in excess inventory. I loaded OS X
10.1.5 and was very happy with the performance.
Note: as of this weekend, I have been happily running
OS X 10.2, and I feel it is the OS Apple should have released
last year. All speed issues are solved and I defy someone to tell
me the OS is slow!
One piece of the rig that I had never used before was the
expansion bay hard drive. I set up an emergency partition on both the
expansion drive and the internal drive, leaving about 37 GB of space
to use. This coupled with a 40 GB FireWire drive made certain I did
not miss the beige servers I packed up and sold.
In my previous article on the reasons I moved away from my
PowerBook G4, I mentioned durability, expandability, heat, and
wireless range as my main reasons for the move. I really have little
use for a G4 chip and find a G3 suits my purposes. My PowerBook must
allow me to read, write, listen to music, surf, and communicate.
The only really intensive thing I do is computer gaming. The only
PC in the house handles my gaming, as I still like having one around
to keep my tinkering and problem solving skills up to date.
The good news is that I do not have to upgrade my Macs ever year
as I do with a gaming PC.
For those of you needing a good solid PowerBook, I heartily
recommend the PowerBook G3 (Pismo). The machine is a rugged performer
with all of the bells and whistles of its heir. A nice Pismo package
can be had for between $750 and $1,200 depending on processor and
accessories. For those requiring a G4, Other World Computing sells a
Newer Technologies upgrade G4/500 for $299. I was looking into this
upgrade but have shelved the plans after the OS X 10.2
performance increase.
One caveat: I have heard of some Pismo screens giving way with age
and fading to pink. Try to find one still under AppleCare.
Kevin Webb spent the last seven years selling
technology consulting services. Of that time, at least two years have
been devoted to trying to convince the world that the Macintosh is
the pinnacle of the computing experience. He is the proud owner of
eight Macs, ranging from a
new iBook to a Classic.
You can read about his newest computer in Kevin
Webb's PowerBook G4.
Recent articles by Kevin Webb
How Macintel could spell trouble for Windows, 06.15.
"Apple has been working to change the game from simply a hardware discussion to an integrated system approach - the digital hub."
Mac of the Day: DayStar Genesis, Oct. 1995 - The first 'Mac' with multiple processors, technology Daystar licensed to Apple.
List of the Day: SuperMacs is for those using Umax SuperMac clones.
October 6 in LEM history: 98: USB is a good thing - Can Apple save Emailer? - 99: Kihei iMacs - 00: Advice about PDS Power Macs - 03: A replacement PowerBook battery - 04: AirPort Express - 05: The Apple Lisa story - 06: Don't ignore battery recall - Use any networked computer as an additional Mac display
Use Your FileMaker Pro Databases on Your iPhone, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple, 10.06.
Although there's no version of FileMaker Pro for the iPhone, FMTouch will let you use your data and layouts on it.
Best eMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.06.
Used 700 MHz CD, $110; CD-RW, $130; Combo, $170; 800 CD, $170; 1 GHz Combo, $250; SuperDrive, $280; 1.25 Combo, $290; SD, $360; 1.42 Combo, $359.
Best MacBook Air Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.06.
Used 1.6 HD, $1,299; refurb, $1,499; new, $1,669 after rebate; 1.8, $1,919 a/r; 1.6 SSD, $2,294 a/r; used 1.8 SSD, $1,997; refurb, $2,299; new, $2,349 a/r.
Best iPod shuffle Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.06.
Refurb 3G/1 GB, $39; 2 GB, $59; new 1 GB (3G or 4G), $47; 2 GB (3G or 4G), $67. Prices include ground shipping.
Getting the Most from Your G3 Mac, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 10.03.
Most G3 Macs can be upgraded so they can run Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' quite nicely. Here's how.
Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.03.
Used 450 MHz, $75; 500, $99; 733, $150; 800, $199; 1.25 GHz, C$349; 867 MHz dual, $225; 1 GHz, $349; 1.25, $499; 1.42, $600.
Best iBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.03.
Used 300 MHz clamshell, $150; 366, $199; 500 CD, $149; 800, $190; 600 CD-RW, $240; 800 Combo, $300; 900, $399; 14" 600, $360; 900, $469.
Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.03.
Mac OS X 10.0.3, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $60; 10.3 CD, DVD, $100; CD, $119; 10.1 Server, unlimited users, $65; 10.3 Server, unlimited, $150.
The Best Browsers for Older Macs Running Tiger, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.02.
A dial-up user's overview of browsers for Mac OS X 10.4 puts the emphasis on reliability, downloads, and speed.
Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.02.
Used 1.83 GHz, $649; 2.0 SD, $750; refurb 2.1 GHz, $899; 2.4, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1, $1,019 after rebate; 2.4, $1,204 a/r; black, $1,394 a/r.
CodeWeavers Brings Google's Chrome Browser to Intel Macs, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 10.02.
Google's new Chrome browser uses separate processes for each tab and brings other changes to Windows users. Now Mac fans can try it as well.
Best iMac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.02.
Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $450; 2.0 SuperDrive, $500; 1.9 iSight, $625; 20" 1.8 GHz, $550; 2.0, $600; 2.1 iSight, $650.
Best iPod touch Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.02.
Used 1G/8 GB, $160; refurb, $179; new, $198; used 16, $200; refurb, $219; new, $265; refurb 32, $319; new, $345; 2G/8 GB, $229; 16, $280; 32, $380.
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a
10 GB hard drive, two batteries, an expansion bay hard drive (very
cool), and a Zip drive. To seal the deal, the machine is still under
AppleCare for another 6 months.
