News, info, and opinion by Mac users, for Mac users.

February 28, 2008

hardware

Buying used Macs

Posted Feb. 28, ’08, 11:00 AM PT by Cyrus Farivar
Category | Hardware

690551-large.pngWhile it’s always fun to look at the shiny new gear that’s out there, you may not want to spend that kind of scratch. Fortunately, you can get some great deals on previous generations of Macs for a lot less money.

For instance, dealmac notes a bunch of different Macs available for a range of budgets: from your G3 iMac ($60), to an iBook G4 12” ($590), to a 1.83 GHz MacBook ($830).

Of course, unless the shop you’re buying from offers AppleCare, you run the risk of replacing the hardware out of your own pocket, should it crash out on you.

Here’s another tip: if you’re buying a laptop from one of these dealers, or checking out one on Craigslist, here’s another tip: bring a copy of CoconutBattery on a thumb drive to check out what kind of state the battery is in. (You can thank me later.)


7 Comments

michael said:

There is absolutely no need for CoconutBattery. If all you need is to quickly check the status of the battery, just use System Profiler. It will display everything CoconutBattery does. CoconutBattery is arguably more convenient (not much, because System Profiler isn’t that hard to figure out), but if all you want is to check the status of some used Mac CoconutBattery is a bit of a hassle.

February 28, 2008 11:28 AM
jayH said:

i only became an apple fan once the iMac G4 had been discontinued, so i didn't have the chance to buy one while it was new and fresh.

in 2005 i bought my iMac G4 20" used on ebay and it works flawlessly to this date. i have since updated the ram to 2gb (even tho apple claims you can only go up to 1) and i mainly use it for DVD watching and torrent downloading...

i love how this computer looks and i will NEVER get rid of it. it runs leopard better than my old powerbook did.

when i bought my macbook, i gave my old powerbook to my cousin as a graduation present. she was using a windows computer prior to this. she is now an apple fan and hates windows with a passion. i dind't have to say anything. she just saw the amazing difference between the two machines.

February 28, 2008 11:55 AM
Rafael said:

I can beat the system profiler. Why not turn the laptop. So the bottom is facing up. PUSH the button on the battery. If a few lights are on. That means how much power is left on the battery. if there is nothing the battery is gone or going.

February 28, 2008 12:42 PM
Dan Moren Author Profile Page said:

@Rafael That only gives you the current charge of the battery. I think the idea is they're looking to see how the potential battery life has diminished over time, which both the System Profiler and Coconut Battery can give you an idea of.

February 28, 2008 1:17 PM
Dana said:

Somebody needs to put in a word for the Refurb section of the Apple Store. You can get some pretty good bargains there. And one interesting feature of Apple refurbs is, although Macs are advertised as if they were in stock out-of-the-box configuration, if the previous owner has made upgrades Apple doesn't remove them. So you can wind up buying a Mac with, for inst., a lot more memory than you think you're buying. And that warrantee really is worth having.

February 28, 2008 1:24 PM
Donn Author Profile Page said:

Refurbs rule. I got my white Intel iMac as a Refurb, saved money, plus I had the knowledge that I was buying technology that had been tried by the masses for some months... no weeping screen for me.

February 28, 2008 2:29 PM
Gatesbasher Author Profile Page said:

How did you get that picture of my Blueberry slot-loader? Yes, I still use it occasionally, mainly as an e-book reader, but I put a lot of mileage on it, and it introduced me to OS X (Panther.) Best $75 I ever spent.

February 28, 2008 8:54 PM

Leave a comment

 



Visit other IDG sites: