March 19, 2005

• Can't help you out with deals (I'm in New Zealand, where they just don't do any deals at all), but if you're just looking at portability and processing power, the new Mac mini goes up to a 1.42 GHz G4, whereas the iBook tops out at 1.33 GHz G4. Of course, with the mini you don't get a screen or keyboard, and you still don't have a laptop... Sorry I couldn't help - just wanted to suggest another option to complicate your decision even more :)
• Be very careful about iBooks/Powerbooks on eBay... lots of scams with these items....
• Basically, unless you buy a used one (and I would second being careful of doing it online) you aren't going to find more than a couple bucks difference in prices. Apple controls the prices pretty strictly. I would, however, be sure to check out Mac Rumors Buyer's Guide before buying anything from Apple since they update with little warning and that link keeps track of how long it has been since products have been updated.
• Oh, I just remembered, the only real deal on Apple stuff is really the educational discounts, so if you or someone you know is a student, look at the univerity web site to see if they have deals in which case you can save $100 or so on laptops
• Gestas is on to something. I'll bet you could take one of those Mac Minis, a 15" LCD screen, and an old briefcase or something like that an come up with a really cool and original portable computer.
• Just keep haulin' the G5 - in a year or so, you'll be the envy and lust of everyone at the gym... No help on deals, but guess it depends on how much power you really need: graphics work? Photoshop, Illustrator, or AfterEffects, 3D stuff, or video editing? I know a couple video editors travelling around with their G4 PBooks, running FinalCut smoothly. Not cheap, of course, but they really need a fast G4. And a couple more people happy with low-end 12/14" iBooks, for lighter Flash-PShop stuff. Ah, why did Apple abandoned the 'CPU-inside-keyboard' form factor for desktops? I recall the freedom of using such a machine, taking it under my arm, plugging it in to monitor at client's studio... voilá.
• Wild guess: Because they're making crap keyboards now?
• Flagpole -- which Apple was that with a cpu in the keyboard? AFAIK, that was Commodore Vic 20 and C64 and Apple always put the CPU in the Monitor.
• Macs might have been that way but the famous Apple II's had the keyboard attached to the case. (and the original apples as well, if I recall correctly)
• Try dealmac.com.
• Squid, I recently bought an iBook after considering a PBook. I was going to put FCP 4.0HD on the Powerbook and even with upgraded memory it would not have run that well. My Mac friend advised that if I was going to do any serious editing I should get a desktop. So I got an iBook and love it. If you go to the Apple store and ask if they have any products in the back that are "refreshed" or "refurbished" they'll tell you what they've got. (But you definitely have to ask them.) I got the 15" screen for the 12" price because they had one returned in the box unopened. Same warranty as if it were new. And I got a free printer. I'd avoid recycled or refurbished from other people, although I know people who got perfectly good laptops through Small Dog and places like that.
• In looking at my local craigslist someone posted that amazon.com has a $150 rebate on the 14" ibook (with superdrive) which they list at $1499. So, if I bite the bullet and pay $1350 (the price minus the rebate) and use the rebate to bump the ram to 1.25 gigs, I'll walk away with a nice machine that will be more than fine to do the photoshop and motion stuff that I have to do for $1500. A little more than I wanted to spend, but ain't that always the case...
• Education discounts can also be found at the apple.com site. Also, check out the hot deals forum at fatwallet.com. I remember seeing a couple of posts about ibook deals at microcenter.
• and motion stuff that I have to do Squid: if it's that Motion, be warned using it on a G4 is quite a different experience that on the G5 (i.e., no real-time effects and lots of waiting). And calimehtar: it was actually an Amiga500, back in the jurassic. It drove techs crazy, how 'just a keyboard' could do real-time animation. Ah, memories.
• The online Mac shop in the UK sells refurbished and reconditioned products at a discount of up to 45% from 10am every wednesday - not sure if other shops worldwide do it - to get there you click on the link at the bottom right hand side of the store's main page. I got this very iMac at 25% off about 18 months ago :-) Of course this could be because in the UK macs are about 45% more expensive than anywhere else in the world :-( My bro is returning from singapore with a new iPod for me at about two thirds the price in the UK ... Failing that there are are a variety of ways to get about a 5% reduction as mentioned above - my union has a deal with the Mac shop ...
• the educational discounts Or you could find the grey market guys who'll give the educational discount to my mule Flossie as well as sell you 'bundled software' that is, in fact, conspicuously unbundled.
• make friends with an apple employee and get him/her to use their employee discount for you.
• Squid, if you haven't bought yet, let me echo and emphasize the "beware of online auction deals" on Macs. I nearly got burned and suffered six months of stress for a deal that would have saved $300 vs the educational prices. Reconditioned units are a decent way to go, but you really won't save much. Below are the going "deals" on new units through University of Michigan, just so you've got a price point reference: Showcase Item 996901 Apple Powerbook 12" 1.5MHz Combo drive(announced 1/31) 12.1 inch TFT Display, 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 processor, 512MB DDR333 SDRAM (2), 60GB Hard Drive, NVIDIA GeForce FX, Go5200 (64MB DDR), Full size keyboard, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, FireWire 400, Analog audio in/out, Mini-DVI out, Trackpad scrolling capability, AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 2.0 Sudden Motion Sensor, 2 USB ports M9690LL/A MSRP=$1,848 Showcase Item Number: 996901 Add to CartShowcase Sale Price: $1,499.00 Showcase Item 996777 Apple Powerbook G4/15"/Superdrive/1.67GHz/ 3 Yr AppleCare 15.2 TFT Display, 1.67GHz PowerPc G4, 512MB DDR333 SDRAM 996777, 80GB Hard Drive, ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR), Back-lit keyboard, GB Ethernet, FireWire 400 & 800, Analog audio in/out, DVI & S-Video out, Scrolling Trackpad capability, AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 2.0, autosensing harddrive shutoff if falling M9677LL/A (MSRP = $2648) Showcase Sale Price: $2,246.00
• If you or a close friend or relative works in an office that buys a lot of Macs, try speaking to the Apple salesrep who handles that office's account. S/he likely already gives the office some sort of discount on purchases, and might be willing to extend the discount to employees and their friends/relatives. A friend of mine recently saved about 10% on the purchase of an iBook by going through the Apple account manager for the office where her mom works.