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The Usefulness Equation
12" G4 iBooks and PowerBooks Are Mac Netbooks: Cheap and Powerful Enough
- 2009.02.05 - Tip Jar
Popularity: 
The second that Apple made the announcement it was going Intel, it was only a matter of time before PowerPC was phased out.
Did I look down upon this decision? Yes, I did.
Why? Well because one of the hooks of Macs of the time was the difference in architecture. With Windows machines, it was the same bland co-op of Intel, AMD, or VIA.
With PowerPC Macs, it was a rare mixture of hardware. It could be found in far fewer machines by comparison. After some initial research, I was hooked, to say the least. So when Apple announced they were abandoning the PowerPC architecture, I was a bit disappointed.
Fast Forward a Bit
I love my MacBook and MacBook Pro. Now that they've accumulated a few past generation models, I've gained some more respect for them. Maybe the Intel switch wasn't such a bad thing after all. Additionally, OS X has maintained it's stability and gained improved abilities with the Intel Macs. It's performance really blossomed atop the dual-core Intel architecture.
I was walking down the street by my house when I spotted a man with a scraggly beard and severely needing a shower. He was holding a large sign that said, "The end of PowerPC is near."
My response was simple: "Not in the slightest, my friend."
Realistically, PowerPC is at an end in terms of updates. It's pretty solid to say that OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" will phase PowerPC out of the latest and greatest operating system builds.
But does that mean my iBook G4 won't perform well in Tiger anymore? Not in the slightest.
Pseudo-Netbooks
My iBook G4 sits next to me while I type this on my MacBook. It's happily chugging along, processing some shell scripts. It's 1.33 GHz G4 processor is no slouch. It's ability to play streaming media, stream music from any of my servers, and run multiple Terminal windows with remote connections is more than adequately suited.
My 12" iBook, in comparison to an ASUS Eee PC (a common Hackintosh itself) is not large. Although roughly 1.5 Eee PCs can fit within the iBook, it's still fairly light, and my favorite feature is it's full figured keyboard. For me, typing on the Eee PC is clumsy at best.
A 1.33 GHz G4 holds its own against a 1.6 GHz Atom in most tests.
Just in regards to laptops (12-inchers, if we want to maintain the definition of a netbook), the G4s have officially become netbooks. There was a comparison recently done between an MSI Wind Clone and a 1.33 GHz G4 iBook (images above and below adapted from that article). The iBook held it's own in terms of daily performance and had twice the battery life compared with the netbook's standard 3-cell battery. Don't forget, however, that iBooks run much slower system buses and a previous generation of RAM.
The iBook G4 has over twice the battery life of a base netbook.
Now, for the juicy part, the part you've all been waiting for. Price comparison.
I'm using the 12" 1.33 GHz iBook as my base price point for the G4s.
- The cheapest I could find an iBook G4 without going to eBay was $417 (1 GB RAM, 40 GB hard drive, Combo drive).
- The cheapest I could find a 1.33 GHz PowerBook G4 without going to eBay was $579 (1.25 GB RAM, 60 GB hard drive, Combo drive).
- The cheapest I could find a baseline MSI Wind was $435 (1.6 GHz Atom, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB hard drive, webcam, 6-cell battery, no optical drive).
- A comparably powered ASUS Eee PC comes to $440 (1.6 GHz Atom, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB had drive, webcam, 6-cell battery, no optical drive).
The comparison is close, with the iBook and PowerBook lacking the larger hard drive and webcam available on the most modern notebooks and netbooks. However, the iBook and PowerBook have the largest screen and keyboard, almost as much battery life as the netbooks with 6-cell batteries, and come with Bluetooth. The PowerBook unfortunately goes for much more due to it's aluminum case and relative rarity.
All in all, 12" iBooks make great netbooks. They can be found for relatively cheap, are modestly powered, and well suited for the purpose. Additionally, they're very backpack friendly. And who could forget a touch-typist friendly keyboard.
They've said that the (official) end of PowerPC is approaching. I
say nay, just another chapter in the legacy.
Recent Columns by Phil Herlihy
- Max Miller, Solo Musician, 08.21. An interview with Max Miller, solo musician and Mac user.
- Lombard PowerBook: Almost a Pismo for Less, 06.18. Although Pismo has the huge following, Lombard provides comparable performance of often sells for quite a bit less.
- Heat Management for 'Books and the Last Mac to Run OS 9.1, 01.08. Tips on keeping a first-gen MacBook Air from throttling back with CoolBook, using G4FanControl with a G4 PowerBook, and the fastest Mac that can boot Mac OS 9.1.
- Software to Keep Your MacBook Cool, 11.25. Heat is the enemy of long hardware life. Two programs to keep your MacBook running cooler.
- More in the The Usefulness Equation index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 17" iMac G4/800 MHz, July 2002 - The iMac 'grows up' with a 17" 1440 x 900 display.
- Group of the Day: LisaList supports Lisa users.
- November 8 in LEM history: 99: OS 9: I think I like it - 01: The simplified Mac life - Soured on Windows - Flea market Mac - 02: Little room for improvement in new 'Books - Combo drive upgrade for iceBooks - 04: Re-Porter - 05: Fix the old iMac or buy a Mac mini? - Apple's Copland project - 06: MacBook Core 2 - MacBook value equation - Cheap is as cheap does - 07: Problems with Classic mode in Tiger - The G4 Power Mac that won't run Leopard
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Quad-Core CPU Makes Sense in MacBook Pro, OS X 10.6 Causing Overheating, Overseas Power, and More, The 'Book Review, 11.06. Also Late 2009 MacBook reviewed, how to add RAM to new MacBook, 18.4in Acer notebook used Intel i7, and SanDisk SSD chosen for Sony VAIO X.
- Dumping Macs for Google Apps, SSD in iMac, Late 2009 iMac Performance Problems, and More, Mac News Review, 11.06. /newsrev/09mnr/1106.html
- WiFi Paranoia, iMac-O-Lantern, Magic Mouse Does Click, Free Clipboard Managers, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 11.05. Also strange time stamps, problem with ColorIt on Intel Mac, and the story behind OS X 10.5.4 install discs.
- IDE Is Dead; Long Live SATA!, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 11.04. SATA has displaced parallel ATA. While IDE hard drives haven't disappeared, the best deals are in SATA hard drives.
- QuickTime X in Snow Leopard Imports, Trims, and Publishes Video Quickly and Easily, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 11.04. The long, slow process of importing video into iMovie to edit it, then render it to another format, is history as QuickTime X does that much more quickly.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best Mac Pro Deals, 11.03. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,300; 3.0 8-core. $2,299; refurb 2.66 4-core Nehalem, $2,149; 2.93, $2,549; 2.26 8-core, $2,799; 2.93, $4,999.
- Best iPhone Deals, 11.03. New 8 GB iPhone 3G, $$99; refurb 16 GB 3GS, $149; new, $199; 32 GB, $299.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.03. Used 867 MHz SperDrive, $348; 1 GHz, $499; 1.33 Combo, $298; SD, $559; 1.5 Combo, $448; SuperDrive, $589.
- Best Power Mac G3 and PCI Video Card Deals, 11.02. Used beige 300 MHz, $25; G4/366, $49; blue & white 350, $80; 400, $90; 450, $105; PCI video cards from $15; shipping additional.
- Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, 11.02. Used 400 MHz, $50; 733 MHz, $69; 933 MHz, $209; 1.25 GHz dual, $299.
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 11.02. Used 2.0 GHz, $800; 2.2, $900; 2.4, $1,000; refurb 2.53, $1,449; 2.66, $1,699; 2.8, $1,949; 3.06, $2,169; new 2.53, $1,579; 2.66, $1,799; more.
- Best Mac mini Deals, 10.30. Used 1.33 GHz G4 mini, $379; 1.42, $389; 1.5, $419; 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $350; Core 2, $439; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $770; Server, $990.
- Best G4 iBook Deals, 10.30. Used 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $225; 1.33 GHz, $298; 14" 1 GHz, $349; 1.33 GHz, $398; 1.42 GHz SuperDrive, $498.
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals, 10.30. System 6.0.8 floppies, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5, $20; 7.5 CD, $4; 7.6 $13; 8.1, $11; 8.5, $20; 8.6, $90; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $30.
- More deals in our archive.
