Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

The Mac Webb

What a Long Strange Trip Back to Pismo

- 2004.03.29

Popularity:

Hello LEM fans!

For those who don't remember me, I was a semi-regular contributor until this previous year slowed me down. Growing kids and new jobs will strip away your time at the keyboard. I thought I would let you in on a little secret that I have slowly been realizing over the last few months: I seem to be a Luddite when it comes to PowerBooks.

Maybe it's simply that certain models remind me of better days, or maybe it's the fact that OS 9 is now a rebel, unsupported OS (cool huh). Since we last spoke, I have continued my trend of flying through computers like they were jogging shoes (bad analogy, but I am out of practice).

When we last spoke, I had grabbed a great titanium PowerBook 667 on eBay and was set for the foreseeable future. True to form, I traded that machine in on a revision A 12" aluminum PowerBook. I loved the machine's compact form factor, and it has one of the best keyboards since the 1400s were released.

The problem was that as great as this machine was, it never captured my fancy.

PowerBook Pismo Maybe it is something about "cold" metal exteriors (actually scalding hot, but you get the point) that makes the machine hard for me to love. I just never felt as great about this machine as I have about others. I began to long for my all time favorite PowerBook, the Pismo. The lovely wet suit look and the bronze keyboard make the machine a stunner. The upside down Apple and the yo-yo power adapter are great. (Wait, that adapter stinks.)

The Pismo is still considered a wonderful machine almost five years since its initial release. The machine holds value because it expandable, durable, and has some important technology (FireWire especially). When I hit the local Starbucks and see a Lombard or Pismo, I make it a point to talk to the users.

As I do many Friday nights after the kids are asleep, I jumped on eBay while drinking some "daddy juice." I am not a lush, but that combination has been responsible for at least five computer purchases in the last three years. As I searched the listings, I noticed large groups of Pismos were coming off of corporate lease. This seemed like a golden opportunity to recapture the spirit I seem to have been lacking of late.

I grabbed a machine with a low RAM and hard drive count (by my current standards) in order to keep the initial costs down. I was planning to replace both the current drive and add RAM, so this was the best choice.

The machine arrived in excellent condition and passed all of my initial checks. The screen showed no pink tinge, the hinges were good, and all of the pieces were in place. I picked up a new drive, some new RAM, and in 20 minutes I had a Pismo 500 with 1 GB of RAM and a 40 GB hard drive.

Then I grabbed an AirPort card from the box under the couch, and I was in Pismo heaven.

My first installation was OS 9, which I have spent little time in since migrating to OS X on its release three years ago (on my old Pismo!). For grins, I spent the weekend running OS 9, just as I had when I bought my first Pismo in 2000. I had a blast revisiting that time in my computer life. I have written many articles about this, but let me say it again - the Pismo is one of the greatest machines Apple ever built. The blend of form and function is second to none.

As I have grown older and work has required more of my attention, I spend less time using my computer to explore technology. I don't have time to continue my experiments in Unix or to make use of all of the things that make OS X cool to the technologists. If you look at what I do, it consists of browsing the Web, listening to music, writing emails, and a few other very pedestrian tasks (by today's standards).

The Pismo seems to be the perfect level of computer for me at this time, neither too much nor too little. I like the ability to run OS 9 and OS X, FireWire for my peripherals (iPod is a must), and the large screen. I will install Panther in the next few days, as I have about two years worth of emails I need to access, but I am enjoying this week in OS 9. It reminds me of the joy of first learning about the OS and Apple's portables.

Thanks, Apple, for making the Pismo. Now take that machine, add a G5 and 64 MB of VRAM, and you will sell them through the roof.

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.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac mini G4, Jan. 2005 - Apple does small: At 6.5" square and 2" high, it was one of the smallest PCs ever.
Group of the Day: 1st PowerMacs is for pre-PCI Power Macs.
March 11 in LEM history: 98: Internet Tax Freedom Act - 99: Geek like me - 02: Why I live Microsoft free - Wireless Internet should be free - System 1.0 and Mac OS X - 03: Sentimental journey with a PowerBook 3400 - 08: Digital SLRs affordable enough to replace 35mm SLRs

Recent Deals

Best iPod touch Deals, 03.11. Refurb 8 GB, $149; 16 GB, $199; 32 GB, $249; 64 GB, $339; new 3G/8 GB, $184; close-out 2G/16 GB, $229; 3G/32, $270; 64, $355. Shipping included.
Best Mac OS X 10.5 Deals, 03.11. "Leopard" one user, $180; upgrade from 10.4, $150; 5 users, $400; Server, 10 users, $493; unlimited users, $600.
Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals, 03.11. Used 2.33 GHz, $1,099; 2.5, $1,349; refurb 2.66, $1,949; 2.93, $2,199; new 2.8, $2,249 after rebate; 3.06, $2,749.
Best iPod nano Deals, 03.10. Refurb 4G/8 GB, $99; 16 GB, $119; 4G/8 GB, $129; 16 GB, $139; new 5G/8 GB, $134; 16 GB, $160. Shipping included.
Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, 03.10. 1 GHz Combo, $400; 1.25 GHz, $460; 1.33 GHz SuperDrive, $539; 1.5 GHz, $550; 1.67 GHz, $589; hi-res, $800.
Best iPod shuffle Deals, 03.10. New 3G/2 GB, pink, $53; other, $55, 4 GB, blue, $71; other, $73. Shipping included.
Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 03.09. 867 MHz Combo, $400; SuperDrive, $469; 1 GHz Combo, $430; SD, $479; 1.5 GHz Combo, $489; SD, $529.
Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals, 03.09. 1.0 GHz, $639; 1.67 GHz, $699.
Best Mac Pro Deals, 03.09. Used from $1,200; refurb 2.66 GHz 4-core, $2,149; new 2.66, $2,299; refurb 2.93, $2,549; new, $2,899; refurb 2.26 8-core, $2,799; new, $3,045; more.
More deals in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2010 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, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, 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.