Low-end PowerBooks for College
Charles Moore - 2002.09.04 - Tip Jar
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: New 2008 iMac 2GB $42 / iMac Intel Core2 DUO & MacBook Pro 2GB $36 - 1GB $20. MacPro 8 Core Memory 8GB kit $286 / 4GB kit $143 / 2GB kit $93 -- Free shipping available. LIfetime warranty.
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
OWC: NewerTech miniStack FireWire/USB 2.0 HD & Hub Up to 1.0TB of Performance Storage + FW/USB2 Powered Hubs - convenient & sleek 6.5" x 6.5" x 1.5" Featured: 500GB $169.99; 750GB $209.99; 1.0TB $339.99
Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.
We got my daughter, Deirdre, away for her freshman year of university on the weekend, with a bung-full Toyota Corolla load of stuff, including two low-end PowerBooks - a 5300 and a 1400cs.
The 5300 is a well-known quantity, being the machine I used as my
main workhorse from 1996 to 1999. It has served Deirdre since as her
high school computer. The 1400, which I
wrote about in this space when we purchased it last spring, has
been working well all summer, and is now Deirdre's number one
computer, with the 
faithful
old 5300 in reserve. She has been enjoying the bigger color screen,
after three-and-a-half years of the little 9.5" grayscale display on
the 5300.
The 1400 is a wee bit faster, too, with its 117 MHz 603e CPU, versus the 100 MHz unit in the 5300. I had originally installed OS 9.1 when we got the 1400 in May, but its performance was a bit sluggish on the old machine, so I downgraded to OS 8.5.1 in July. OS 8.6 might be ideal system for this machine, but my 8.6 upgrade disk images, stored on a Zip disk, seem to have become corrupted, so OS 8.5.1 it remains.
One of the biggest hardships with either of these is that startup takes forever, but once they are up and running, either handles Nisus Writer and Eudora Light, the two applications Deirdre uses most, quite satisfactorily.
It will be interesting to see how the 1400 performs on the
broadband Internet hookup in her dorm residence. She 
won't
know for a few days yet, until the res-net folks get her connected.
The res-net issue actually involved a bit of a scramble at the last
minute.
Deirdre had thought she might just get a dial-up Internet account, but it turned out that is against university regulations through their phone system. However, neither of her PowerBooks has built in ethernet, and she had no ethernet PC Card. I contacted our nearest Apple dealer (150 miles away) and was told that they had no ethernet PC Cards in stock, but an Asante unit could be ordered in for about Can$99. Yikes; that's nearly half what we paid for the computer!
However, one of my son's coworkers had a Motorola Mariner ethernet/33.6 kbps modem combo card that he was willing to part with for $30, and for good measure he threw in an Asante ethernet card (with its connector dongle missing) in the bargain. If Deirdre can find a replacement dongle, she can have both PowerBooks ethernetted. That deal involved a last-minute 130 mile round trip on Friday afternoon to pick up the cards, but it seemed like the ideal solution.
Before Deirdre left, I also installed the latest version of Netscape Communicator (4.8) for browsing purposes, along with iCab 2.8.1. iCab is faster, but Netscape (or IE) is required for her university website.
The old bargain-basement 1400cs also plays prerecorded music CDs and MP3s satisfactorily using the Apple Audio CD player and QuickTime 3 software that installed with OS 8.5.1. Unfortunately, the Audio CD player seems to choke on burned CD-Rs, which was a disappointment. The CD-Rs show up on the Desktop, but the CD software hangs when you try to play songs.
That relatively minor issue aside, these two old PowerBooks, along with Deirdre's ten dollar used StyleWriter II printer (it works perfectly), should get her started on her university career satisfactorily. Unfortunately, her school's IT services department only supports PCs, so she is on her own on that score.
Deirdre would like to have a faster computer, of course, and is eyeing deals on PowerBook 3400s. The battery in the 1400 is not up to much, so it will likely be relegated to desktop substitute status, while the old 5300 is pressed into service for portable computing. Its original 1996 battery is still hanging in fine!
Charles Moore has been a freelance journalist since 1987 and writing for Mac websites since May 1998. His The Road Warrior column is a regular feature on MacOpinion, and he is a news editor and columnist at Applelinks.com.
Recent Miscellaneous Ramblings
- The Power of Older Macs, Why Vista Only Sees 3 GB of RAM, Wangwriter Supplies, and More, 10.08. Also the end of an era as MIT HyperArchive shuts down and another suggestion for profiling Windows computers.
- $19,800 Bentley Ego Laptop Remarkably Similar to 1999 Clamshell iBook, 10.06. Granted, Apple's iBook didn't have white gold trim, a padded leather exterior, or come in colors to match your Bentley automobile.
- The Best Browsers for Older Macs Running Tiger, 10.02. A dial-up user's overview of browsers for Mac OS X 10.4 puts the emphasis on reliability, downloads, and speed.
- Tiger Great on Old G3 'Books, Maximum RAM for 867 MHz PowerBook G4, and More, 10.01. Also why 4 GB of RAM in a 32-bit Vista PC wastes most of the last gigabyte and system profile software for Windows PCs.
- More in the Miscellaneous Ramblings index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Motorola StarMax 5000, May 1997 - This second-generation Mac clone offered 603e, 604e processors.
- List of the Day: The iPod List The iPod List is a forum to discuss the iPod, it's accessories, the iTunes Store, iTunes, and related topics.
- October 13 in LEM history: 98: Evidence that Macs last longer - 99: A Mac is like Prozac - From home computers to a real computer - 00: Tradeoffs for OS X beta - 03: iBook failures - 05: The 2005 iMac G5 value equation - Email on your iPod - OS X on 4 dual-core CPUs - 06: The legendary Apple Extended Keyboard - Stinky old iBook smells like sweat - Apple's climb back to success
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Will Apple's Rumored $800 Notebook Be a Netbook?, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 10.13. Netbooks are hot, and with the economy in turmoil, Apple needs to offer a netbook for the OS X crowd.
- Best Titanium PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.13. Used 667 MHz Combo, $480; 867 MHz, $530; 1 GHz, $590; SuperDrive, $900.
- Best Xserve Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.13. Used G4/1 GHz, $999; G5/2 GHz, $1,499; new 2.0 4-core Xeon, $1,900; refurb 3.0 4-core, $2,299; 2.8 GHz, $2,599; 3.0 8-core, $3,499; 3.2, $3,699.
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.13. System 6, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5.1, $4; Mac OS 7.6, $13; 8.0, $13; 8.1, $48; 8.5, $25; 8.6, $20; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $20; more.
- nVidia Inside Next MacBook?, Time for a Mac Netbook, Asus Launched MacBook Air Killer, and More, The 'Book Review, 10.10. Also photo reveals more about MacBook Pro, comparing 16:9 and 16:10 displays, Apple settles suit over faulty iBook and PowerBook adapters, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
- Economic Crunch May Slow Mac Sales, a Recycled Cube, ToCA Race Driver 3 for Mac, and More, Mac News Review, 10.10. Also don't buy RAM from Apple, customize your Mac's appearance, MacTribe expanding into print, My Apple Space social networking, and more.
- TruePower Battery Can Run WallStreet PowerBook Past the 5 Hour Mark, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 10.10. If you have a rugged old PowerBook but its battery is losing capacity, TruePower can give you plenty of time in the field.
- 30% of iPhone 3G Buyers Switched Carriers, EU Battery Rule May Force iPhone Redesign, and More, iNews Review, 10.10. Also iPhone 3G greatest consumer electronics device ever, track presidential polls on your iPhone, Talking English Dictionary, waterproof armbands, several new iPhone apps, and more.
- Best Mac Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,799; new, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 shipped; 8-core, $2,599 shipped; 3.0 $3,399 shipped; 3.2, $4,099 shipped.
- Best PowerBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10. Used 14" WallStreet G3/266 MHz, $90; Lombard G3/400 MHz, $150; Pismo G3/400 MHz, $300; 500 MHz, $350.
- Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10. Refurb 500 GB Time Capsule, $249; new, $294; refurb 1 TB, $419; new, $462; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; Base Station, $159; Express, $60.
- Modding Your Old Mac to Make It More Useful, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 10.09. If your old Mac is too slow, too noisy, too plain looking, or has too little room for expansion, you might want to mod it.
- What Would an $800 MacBook Mean for the Mac mini?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.09. If Apple does release an $800 entry-level MacBook next week, the $600 Mac mini is going to look very overpriced.
- Best iMac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09. Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $269; 800 Combo, $300; 1 GHz, $390; 17" 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $400; 20", $529.
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09. Used 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $995; 2.16, $1,125; new, 2.2, $1,400 after rebate; refurb 2.4, $1,699; 2.5, $1,999; 2.6, $2,299; rebates on new.
- Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09. DVD upgrade from 10.3, $75; upgrade bundle with 10.3, $118; full version, $129; family pack, $200; 10-user Server, $350; unlimited, $400.
- More links in our archive.
