End of G4 Models Points to Unprecedented Value for Used G4 Macs
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- 2006.06.02
Ted Hodges' recent article on Low End Mac, The Sun Has Set on the G4, brought to light one mostly overlooked facts about the MacBook's introduction - the G4 is now out of Apple's lineup.
This really brings the reality of the Intel transition front and center. At a much faster pace than anyone anticipated, Apple is breaking away from the PowerPC and embracing the x86 architecture. While I'm all for that, it's hard to believe that the G4 - once the gigaflopping supercomputer brain of the Mac - is now yesterday's news and destined for low-end status at a rapid pace.
It won't be long before you'll be picking up G4 towers for less than a $100.
Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But low-end blue and white G3s now sell well south of $100. If you're happy with a beige G3, they can be had for about $25 on eBay and various other places around the Net.
It wasn't that long ago that a G3 was still very speedy in our minds, commanding respect and a good price on the used market. Once the G3 left the Apple lineup (with the introduction of the iBook G4 in late 2003), it wasn't long before its value plummeted.
History tells us that
it won't be long before the G4 occupies the same place in the used
market. In fact, it may make it there even quicker. This can partly
be attributed to technology continuing to evolve at an
exponentially faster pace, "obsoleting" the G4 at a faster pace
than its predecessors. And this is partly because of the
implications on the Intel Macs. Not only do the Intel machines
offer significantly better processor/system bus/memory speed specs
than any G4 Mac, they are considerably more future-proof than a
G4.
Do we know if there will still be Universal Binaries five years down the road? History tells us probably not.
We Mac users have seen "universal applications" before, when the 680x0 to PowerPC transition started in early 1994. Known as "fat binaries", applications could contain both 68K and PowerPC optimized code, taking advantage of whichever processor your Mac had.
But by 1999 - five years after the transition started - there were hardly any fat binaries left, and nearly all new software requiring PowerPC.
The way technology moves in this day and age - and the overwhelming success of the Intel Macs in their first five months on the market - I predict a much quicker demise for PowerPC Mac applications.
In reality, this is only bad news for folks who've made a living on trading and selling G3 and G4 Macs. The boxes that they used to count on being able to move for a good price will now sometimes cost more to ship than they are worth.
...the drop in value of G4 Macs presents an unprecedented value.
For the buyers, though, the drop in value of G4 Macs presents an unprecedented value.
Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" runs quite well on nearly all G4 systems. Some older systems without Quartz Extreme support don't fare as well as those that do have it, but overall Tiger (and also OS X 10.3 "Panther") is highly optimized for PowerPC systems, providing you with a very powerful option.
Let's stop and think about what you do with your Macs every day. Email, Web surfing, instant messaging, and maybe some word processing, spreadsheets, and graphics work. G4s handle this very well right now and will continue to do so with current software for a long time to come.
The nature of the technology companies is to sell you something new every year. But when you can get a G4 for $100, there is going to have to be a very "killer" new app come along that is going to justify the continuous upgrade cycle.
In a nutshell that is the essence of Low End Mac. How much Mac do you need?
I believe we are entering an era where the low end will without question provide you with more than you need. It's a lot different than when Low End Mac first appeared on the Web in 1997, when the low end represented a compact Mac with a black-and-white screen, which were described at the time as "fine for word processing, email, and a few simple games."
Imagine the new low end - "fine for word processing, Web browsing, 3D gaming, digital video editing, Photoshop, and iChat AV."
The march of time can leave you feeling left behind in
technology, but I think this is actually an exciting time to
embrace the low end. The value equation of processing power for the
money has never been better, and it's only going to get better.
Recent Plays Well with Others articles
- End of G4 models points to unprecedented value for used G4 Macs, 06.02. The PowerPC G4 may no longer have a place in Apple's product line, but that's a far cry from saying G4-based Macs are obsolete. If anything, there value is going to increase.
- X11: Your window for using Unix apps on the Mac, 05.17. Mac OS X is a Unix variant. X11 is the tool that lets you access Unix applications using a graphical interface with mouse support.
- 6 extensions to make Firefox even better, 03.29. Improve Firefox with everything from web developer tools to nuking unwanted ads, from faster page loads to knowing the weather.
- More in the Plays Well with Others index.
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Beyond the Mac mini, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 05.16. What if Apple were to think different and eliminate the built-in optical drive, cut $100 from the price, and offer an expansion chassis?
- Best Mac mini deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.16. Used 1.25 GHz G4 Combo, $449;; refurb 1.5 Core Solo, $450; 1.66 Duo SD, $489; 1.83, $599; ; new 1.83 Core2, $569 after rebate; 2.0 SD, $769 a/r.
- Best 15" PowerBook G4 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.16. Used 1 GHz Combo, $550; 1.25 SD, $575; 1.33, $625; 1.5, $675; 1.67, $725; hi-res, $800.
- Best classic iPod deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.16. Used 20 GB, $120; 30, $140; 40, $160; 60 color, $189; 30 video, $180; 60, $200; refurb 80 classic, $209; new, $230; refurb 160, $299; new, $330.
- BlackBerry's bold challenge to iPhone, Zune sales still flat, 3G iPhone launch nigh, and more, iNews Review, 05.16. Also a new Google Reader for the iPhone, an iPod-based supercomputer, remote Mac access from iPhone and iPod touch, new cases, and much more.
- Open source virtualization for Macs, iMac shutdowns, Psystar reviews, and more, Mac News Review, 05.16. Also aluminum iMac USB power concerns, Penryn iMac twice as powerful as fastest G5 iMac, Radeon vs. GeForce in top-end iMac, Odysseus email client in beta, and more.
- Limited USB bus power in Santa Rosa Macs, 1 TB in your 'Book, MacBook cooler, and more, The 'Book Review, 05.16. Hitachi first to market with 320 GB 7200 rpm notebook drive, Apple to refund for sparking power adapters, 10 hour external MacBook Air battery, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
- Best iBook G4 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.16. Used 12" 1.07 GHz Combo w/AP, $350; 1.33 GHz w/o AP, $400; 14" 933 MHz w/AP, $400; 1.07 GHz, $425; 1.33 SuperDrive, $450; 1.42, $500.
- Best iPhone deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.16. New 8 GB iPhone, $399; 16 GB, $499.
- Best Mac Pro deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.16. Refurb 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,888; 2.8, $1,999; 3.0, $2,299; 8-core '07, $2,499; new 2.8 4-core, $2,199; 8-core, $2,598 after rebate; 3.0 '08 $3,399 a/r; 3.2, $4,169 a/r.
- Mac Pro beats HP and Dell at their own game: Price, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 05.16. Whether comparing the top-end or low-end of Mac Pro options, comparable models from Dell and HP cost more.
- Mac of the Day: PowerBook 500 Series. May 1994 - 25-33 MHz 68040 powered PowerBooks with smart batteries, grayscale and color displays.
- List of the Day: System 6 is the email list for those who choose System 6.
- May 16 in LEM history: 98: iMac: A second look - 00: Raised in a 6-color world - 01: The exclusivist Mac - Troubleshooting your Mac - 02: MP3 and the Mac - SE/30 catharsis - 03: Don't confuse a pretty interface for an easy OS - SCSI and OS X on a beige G3 - 05: The Apple III and Lisa era - Bigger, faster, more: Enough! - G4 upgrade for iMac A-D - 06: MacBook - PowerBook 3400: Surprisingly useful and spry - 07: MacBook value equation - 3 GB in a MacBook
- Leopard is the way to go, even on most old G4 Macs, Carl Nygren, My Turn, 05.14. The useful and just cool features in Mac OS X 10.5 make this the biggest step forward in the history of the Mac OS.
- Windows on Macs: Three paths for integration, Jason Packer, Macs in the Enterprise, 05.14. Mac users have three routes for running Windows apps: Run Windows using Boot Camp or virtualization, or use a compatibility layer such as WINE.
- Mac OS 9 still nice, anticipating Odysseus, PowerBook 1400 upgrades, and more, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 05.14. Also rebuilding PowerBook batteries, FastMac vs. NuPower replacement batteries, and only one G4 upgrade left for WallStreet PowerBooks.
- Up-to-date or low-end, we need technology in our schools, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 05.14. Modern computers are great educational tools, but sometimes less distracting options (like no Internet) make more sense.
- Best iMac G4 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.14. Used 15" 800 MHz Combo, $320; SuperDrive, $380; 1 GHz Combo, $400; SD, $485; 17" 1.25 GHz, $459; 20", $750.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.14. Mac OS X 10.0.3, $40; 10.1, $49; 10.2, $60; 10.3 DVD, $50; CD, $100; 10.1 Server, unlimited users, $109; 10.3 Server, $130.
- Best MacBook Air deals, Low End Mac Deals, 05.14. 1.6 GHz, 80 GB, $1,694 after rebate; 1.8 GHz, $1,994 a/r; 1.6 GHz, 64 GB SSD, $2,689 a/r; 1.8 GHz, $2,950 a/r; SuperDrive, $99.
- More links in our archive.
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