kb3wmh Posted January 8 Report Share Posted January 8 This iBook G4 is the 2004 model with the 1.2 GHz G4. It has 1.25 GB of RAM, and a 30 gigabyte hard drive. I put a fresh install on Tiger on it and its a great little machine! As I'm sure you can see, it was really gross when I first got it, but it cleaned up really nicely. The keyboard is a little discolored, and there is also some discoloration on the palmrest but it looks better in person than it does in these photos. I already have a 2005 12 inch PowerBook G4, so I didn't really need this machine, but at $12 (it was 25% off day at my local Value Village) I couldn't say no. I've never owned one of the white plastic iBooks--I have an indigo G3 clamshell and a early white plastic macbook, but the G4 iBook is a smart-looking little machine, and I'm definitely a fan! I'm just praying that the hard drive doesn't fail, because changing that out doesn't seem like the most fun job, but for now it seems to be running OK and isn't making any terrible noises. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
travistouchdown Posted January 13 Report Share Posted January 13 Wow nice score! If i saw something like that locally i'd snap it up for sure. How did you get it so CLEAN?! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
davidg5678 Posted January 13 Report Share Posted January 13 3 hours ago, travistouchdown said: How did you get it so CLEAN?! I once got a filthy MacBook 1,1 to look almost brand new using a Magic Eraser. I know this is an iBook G4, but they're similar enough. I wiped the computer down with Windex and Isopropyl alcohol first, but a lot of the dirt refused to come off with these chemicals. I think the Magic Eraser's abrasive is necessary to really clean up the discolored palm rests and plastic. Of course the abrasive also leaves a lot of microscopic scratches everywhere on the shiny plastic. Considering how dirty the computer was beforehand, this tradeoff was worth it to me. (Not to mention that it was already badly scratched. --like every used polycarbonate Apple product seems to be) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nightingale Posted January 13 Report Share Posted January 13 Wow, that’s a great find. The Value Village by me rarely has any computers, and if they do they are extremely over priced junk. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kb3wmh Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 On 1/13/2021 at 10:23 AM, travistouchdown said: Wow nice score! If i saw something like that locally i'd snap it up for sure. How did you get it so CLEAN?! For the scuffs, they came off with some household cleaner (Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day for what its worth) and a lot of elbow grease. I just spray a little on a paper towel so it doesn't get the computer too wet and scrub from there. The sticker came off with some Goo-Gone (that stuff is magic if you've never used it. And the magic eraser is actually a good idea--I have a beat up 2007 MacBook 3, 1 with a discolored palmrest that I'll probably try it on first but that would be the last piece of my iBook puzzle. On 1/13/2021 at 3:31 PM, nightingale said: Wow, that’s a great find. The Value Village by me rarely has any computers, and if they do they are extremely over priced junk. This one is the same way, I really have no understanding of how they price things. The same trip last week I picked up the iBook I also bought a Latitude E6440 for only $20! I went back there today and they had a couple of mid-2000s Windows laptops for about $50 each--old enough to be useless but also not really interesting in any way in my opinion. This is from a different thrift store, but the situation is frequently the same there. They had this iMac G5 languishing behind the counter for months, and for some reason no one ever bought it. I can't imagine why... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CC_333 Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 12 hours ago, kb3wmh said: This is from a different thrift store, but the situation is frequently the same there. They had this iMac G5 languishing behind the counter for months, and for some reason no one ever bought it. I can't imagine why... Ouch! That price isn't negotiable? c Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kb3wmh Posted January 15 Author Report Share Posted January 15 Nope, not negotiable unfortunately. It disappeared eventually so I'm assuming they gave in and dropped the price. I don't have space for desktops like that so I probably wouldn't have bought it even if it was reasonable but it was still sad to see it sit there for so long. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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