17" PowerBook G4 1.33 GHz for $25, And A Question

[CC_333]

Hi,

Basically what the title says. I got it among a lot of several other parts machines (among which was another 17" PowerBook), and I was able to piece it together and get it working.

The bottom case is in rotten shape (the latch button is missing and the area around the resulting void is scratched up and bent out of shape), but it's in okay shape considering (it even still has its rubber feet!) The LCD case/lid has some scratches and scuffs, but no major dents as far as I can tell, just a very slight one just left of the Apple logo.

Anyway, I am mentioning this because I am curious: how much do you think I could sell it for? I've seen them for sale anywhere between $200 and $300, in varying degrees of condition. Assuming I get a new bottom case for it, I would think that it would easily reach the $300 mark, since it works perfectly otherwise.

But I shouldn't be too optimistic, since this is a PowerPC, and therefore obsolete.

c

 

[MidnightCommando]

But I shouldn't be too optimistic, since this is a PowerPC, and therefore obsolete.

Congratulations, you just missed the entire point of having a 68k Mac Liberation Army. 68k Macs? I don't think you can get more obsolete. Yet, time and again, our users prove that they have at least some use, whether in furtherance of nostalgia (Dark Castle!), in a productive capacity (MacWrite is a damn good distraction-free environment for novelists, or so I'm told), or even to do entirely new things with (macbsd/68k would be a good example).

PPC Macs are surely less "obsolete" than their 68k brethren, so why would we think them any less valuable?

That said, you've got a 17" PowerBook G4. The best use of it would be to plonk down Tiger or Leopard (I vote Leopard myself) and enjoy the ride.

 

[Concorde1993]

Congratulations, you just missed the entire point of having a 68k Mac Liberation Army.

He was probably being sarcastic.

Nice find, CC.

 

[CC_333]

Congratulations, you just missed the entire point of having a 68k Mac Liberation Army.

Well... I was kind of being sarcastic, with all this forced obsolescence Apple has been shoving in our faces lately and all. As I read somewhere, a computer is not obsolete until it can no longer fulfill the user's needs.
In fact, this machine is far from obsolete in my opinion! I am using it now, and It seems a bit slow on the Internet, but I think it's handling it quite well (I haven't tried YouTube or anything yet, though). I am running Leopard, and it seems quite sluggish at times (probably due to the old and slow 4200 RPM, 40 GB hard drive I salvaged from somewhere, and only having 512 MB RAM which was salvaged from somewhere else). I will have to source newer, faster replacements for cheap, because I don't want to put more than $300 into it (my estimate of it's worth, based on looking at various sites offering comparable machines for sale). I've only put ~$25 into it so far, so I have plenty of room!

I have most of the pieces of a 1.5 GHz 17" which I'd like to fix up and keep for myself, while selling the 1.33 GHz off for a reasonable price.

I might post it here, but I haven't decided yet. If I do, would anybody here buy it for $250-$300?

c

 

[jruschme]

I have to confess that I'm surprised any G4 is selling for $300. Are the 17" ones particularly sought after or something? Maybe its me, but that price feels awfully close to impinging on low-end Macbook territory.

 

[CC_333]

I have to confess that I'm surprised any G4 is selling for $300.

Me too!

Are the 17" ones particularly sought after or something?

It would seem so. They're almost entirely $300 and up. Even parts are more expensive in general. I think people must like the big screen or something. I know I do!

Maybe its me, but that price feels awfully close to impinging on low-end Macbook territory.

Yeah, it probably is. Most MacBooks that I've seen hover around the $250-$300 mark, so there is some overlap.
[browses local craigslist]

Hmm... doing a quick browsing of the local craigslist shows that MacBooks and PowerBooks alike are mostly the same price, although 12" and 15" PowerBooks dominate the $100-$250 range, with the 17" PowerBooks at $300 and up.

I think I'll try to take advantage of the current market and see if it'll sell for that price. It looks to me like it could.

If not, then I will post it here and everybody here will get a chance to name their own price.

c