Anyone buy older Macs?

I use my macbook for mostly music applications, and don't need a whole lot to run it. I am thinking about buying another mac but don't want to spend a whole lot so was looking into the old macs like powerbook g4s, but don't know a good place to buy them or if I can find them new.

Do you think its a bad idea to go back to the powerbooks, and should I just stick with the new line of things, or do people think its a good way to save money?
Is the difference between the old and new very noticeable?

 

What's wrong with the MacBook?

 

If you do not want performance and you do not want Bootcamp it is a excellent Idea.

 

The Powerbooks definitely are slower than the Intel Macs...I would personally just go with the Intel Macs. However, the G4s are not bad machines, they look almost the same as the MBP (no iSight camera though) and run pretty well. But yeah, given rumours that the next version of OS X (probably arriving in 2009) is going to be Intel-only (remember, just rumours), I would go for an Intel Mac. You can always get a refurbished MacBook or MacBook Pro, they're cheaper and still excellent quality.

 

Yeah, go for the refurbished ones if you're tight on budget. I've heard Apple has one of the best refurbished machines.

 

Yeah I checked apples website and saw those. I wanted to buy new just because refurbished products gave me trouble in the past. Is there a good site which is an official retailer of Macs?

I'll take a look at the refurbished ones, just looking for the best deal

 

Most places have the same prices as Apple does, so doesn't really matter. MacMall is one exception, but there have been complaints about MacMall, so personally I wouldn't risk it in order to save the $100 or so.

 

apple.com it is
Thank you very much again!

One more question, is there a way to rename multiple files at once in osx?
I have a bunch of pictures, want to rename them all at once "mac pics" with a number at the end.

Can I do that?

 

Yes, you can use Automator to do that.

 

I am trying to get familiar with this automator thing, but what exactly would I do to rename them? I dragged the files into the window, and am trying to figure out how to actually rename them

 

I don't have my MacBook in front of me right now...but there should be the command (search for it) "Rename Finder Items", and then select Sequential, etc.

 

jeebas man you're on a roll
Thanks again!

 

Haha, no problem, Jay07! Always happy to help out .

 

You know, if I could get a decent deal on a 12" PowerBook G4, I'd buy one. I mean, like $400 or $500, about the same as what I would pay for a similar PenM based notebook like the Sony VAIO S series, but the $800 rate they charge is just too much. Once the real replacement for the 12" PB comes out, hopefully the prices will drop and I will be able to justify a purchase.

 

Yeah thats what I mean. I wouldn't want to drop more than $700 but if I could find one for around $500 it would be a good investment I think. I mean, people still use these for there everyday needs and whatever professional media applications they have.
If someone knows a place with these prices, please post

 

I found www.lowendmac.com very helpful in making my first Mac purchase. It gives a profile description of all Apple computers from powerbooks to Performas to eMacs. It then let's you know how those machines fare with Leopard installed. The best part is the "deals" portion of the site. For example if you're in the market for a 12"PowerBook, it lists reputable sellers who offer the product for the lowest price. I got my 1.25GHz eMac for $249 from one of their listings and it runs great with Leopard and an airport extreme card. I hope this helps.