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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Topic: My Mac computer just died
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Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 04-27-2009 10:47 PM
It it's the 12" G4 laptop I think it is, it came with OS 10.2 on it. Right?
This one?
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook_g4/stats/powerbook_g4_1.33_12.html
I owned an original white iBook computer, before the G4s came out. It was nice in its day and, like the iMac, I had it upgraded as far as it would go. But, finaly, it decided to give out and I was stuck. I got nearly 5 years out of it. If you got more than that out of yours, it lasted longer than most people expect.
You probably can repair the computer but it would likely take a fair bit of surgery to do it. Unless you are especially attached to the computer or unless you like to tinker, it's probably not worth it.
Let's assume, for a moment, that you could get it back into fully working condition...
First: You could probably upgrade the OS to Tiger (OS 10.4) and be able to run Photoshop, et. al. but, at 1 GHz, the computer would run slowly. If you wanted to go up to Photoshop CS4, the computer would probably be painfully slow.
Second: The oldest OS that Apple "officially" supports today is OS 10.3. Most applications avaiable today list "Panther" as their minimum requirement. Some applications even list "Tiger" 10.4 as their minimums now.
One things Apples have historically been good about is longevity. I own a 10 year old iMac. It's one of the old missile shaped ones, not the "basketball on a stick" ones. I have replaced the hard drive twice and have maxed-out the RAM and it still runs perfectly well but I will never be able to get it to run anything newer than OS 10.3.
You could easily milk several more years out of your current computer, you're eventually going to have to contend with obsolescence.
Third: Laptops age faster than desktops. They take a lot more abuse. No matter how well you treat it, there will come a day when it will not be able to stand up to the daily bumps and grinds you subject it to. Some day, you're going to end up having to bite the bullet and buy a new computer. Why not upgrade on your terms? Things will be a lot harder if you have to do it in an emergency.
Finally: OS 10.5 "Leopard" is pretty slick!
I recently bought an 8-core Mac Pro ("Harpertown") desktop with Leopard pre-installed. My old computer (iMac) came with OS 9. I have since stepped up to OS 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3. It has a hard time doing even that. It would never even load OS 10.4, let alone operate at a tolerable speed. The difference between the old computer and the new one was like night and day. And, if you're going to be using Photoshop CS4, you'll want OS 10.5 to make it run at its best.
I think you're going to like the new MacBooks!
Basically the MacBook Pros have a faster CPU and an upgraded video card in them. There are other differences but, other than the size of the display, that's the main thing. You could get a 2.4 GHz MacBook that has the same CPU as the entry level Pro. The only thing you don't have is the larger display.
If you can get along with a smaller display, I think you'll be just as happy with the MacBook. And the money you save isn't anything to sneeze at, either! ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 04-27-2009 11:10 PM
quote: Mike Blakesley
I remember a few years ago Apple made a huge deal out of advertising that a Mac could run Windows software, open files created on a Windows machine, etc. They were making it look like the two platforms were completely compatible, which of course is crazy....but what ever happened with that initiative?
When Apple was building all their systems using PowerPC-based CPUs it was possible to run some Windows programs on a Mac via emulation software.
Now with all new Macs being Intel-based, both Microsoft Windows and Mac OSX can run natively on the same hardware, be it a MacBook, iMac or Mac Pro tower. You run "boot camp" to create a Windows partition on the Mac's hard drive. You have to buy an after-market copy of Windows XP or Vista to install on the Mac. At start up you can choose whether you want to run OSX or Windows.
quote: Randy Stankey
If you wanted to go up to Photoshop CS4, the computer would probably be painfully slow.
Photoshop CS4 is a major upgrade and as such it has really high hardware requirements. Whether you're working on a Mac or PC this application demands fairly new, well equipped computing hardware. This is especially true for the "extended" version. Additionally, the computer needs a very good 3D card with up to date OpenGL drivers that are compatible with the 3D oriented features in Photoshop CS4.
The Windows version of Adobe Photoshop CS4 was compiled for 64-bit operation, so those running PCs with 64-bit versions of WinXP Pro or Vista can load up beyond the usual 4GB RAM limits and Photoshop will use it. I don't know when the Mac version will be recompiled for native 64-bit operation.
Photoshop CS4 has some really cool features, but my aging notebook just isn't up to running it. My 2 year old Dell workstation at the office runs into enough slow downs with it as it is. So I'm going to keep my personal CS3 Design Premium license as it is until I have a new desktop or notebook system that can handle the upgrade.
[ 04-28-2009, 08:46 AM: Message edited by: Bobby Henderson ]
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Galen Murphy-Fahlgren
Master Film Handler
Posts: 405
From: Canton, MI, USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 04-28-2009 11:21 PM
This is always a fun subject. I own a Macbook 2.16 Ghz, which I think was the third generation Intel-based. It is a pretty reliable machine, with the exception of when the hard drive took a crap and I lost all my data (the second half being my fault: I've been around computers for 20 years and should've been smart enough to back up my drive). Let me examine some of the claims made about Macintoshes, and make a few other points as well.
1. Macs never lock up: The software is reasonably stable, and I've achieved uptimes of a month, but it certainly does lock up. For comparison, my Linux machine has a current uptime of 68 days. I haven't had more than a week with a Windows machine since NT, but the Windows machines I've had were shared with my siblings (irresponsible internet usage, and inadequate "protection").
2. Macs are immune to malware: The truth to this is related to what Bill said above. Apple has a very small market share, and hence is a small target. When designing malware, or anything for that matter, you want the most bang for your buck, if you will. Since Apple's market share is disproportionately young college students with no useful data to steal, and most institutions use Windows or Linux or some GNU GPL OS, it isn't really worth anyone's effort to make malware that targets OSX. There was, however, a report recently of someone doing just that, and if Apple's market share grows, we will be seeing a lot more of it.
3. Macs are easy to use: This is relative to past experience, frankly. If you've been using a Windows machine for a long time, Windows is easy to use. In any case, OSX is more reliant on keyboard shortcuts, and these are often not self-evident and must be memorized. For comparison, commands in Linux are nearly universal, doing the same thing in almost every application, and with a basic knowledge of commands, it becomes trivially easy to get the system to tell you more (via the man and info files).
4. Macs have better/special hardware: This is just plain false. My Macbook has a 2.16 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, which is the exact same processor as my dad's old Dell that he got a few months before I got my computer. My computer has a Seagate 160G 5400RPM laptop hard drive, which is only different from about a half million identical drives in that Seagate puts a little apple on the label for Apple. It uses common DDR2 laptop RAM. I could go on and on, but the point is, the hardware is common as well.
All these points aren't necessarily to detract from Macintoshes, simply deflating false hype. No, my issues with Apple, and why I won't be buying another Mac are different. Most of my issues center on how Apple chooses to market their product. Obviously, they want to say how much better they are than anybody else, but that isn't really what they are doing. They are saying they are cooler than anybody else, which is different and also not necessarily offensive. What they are doing that I don't like is trying to make their product boutique. The first way they do this is by making it ridiculously overpriced. The next way they do it is even worse: they make it inconvenient. If you have problems which you need fixed under warranty, you have to go to the Apple store. There are two in SE Michigan, and they are both conveniently a half hour away from me (although one is minutes from work, but it is not quite so simple), in the most expensive malls in the state. For the price of those two storefronts, they could have easily a half dozen in more modest locales. Anyhow, say your computer breaks, for example your hard drive takes a dump. You diagnose the problem quite easily yourself, and all you need is to take it in and have the hard drive replaced under the extended warranty you paid $150 for. Here is where it gets a little more complicated. In order to take it in, you need an appointment at their stupid, overpriced, overcrowded store. Here is the kicker: you must make this appointment online. No phone appointments. How do you make the appointment if your computer doesn't work?
Okay, so I have ranted quite thoroughly, but my point is that the product is overpriced and overrated, the service is not as advertised, and every time you set foot in one of their stupid stores, you want to punch yourself in the face, even though it would make more sense to punch them in the face.
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Brad Miller
Administrator
Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99
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posted 04-28-2009 11:49 PM
So well said Galen! You did forget one thing, that Mac owners seem to think they are better than everyone else because other people use "that horrible Windows OS". Ummmm, no. My XP systems that I have built as well as purchased from Dell have been beautifully stable. I've got two computers that I built and installed 5 years ago still running perfectly on their original install with daily use.
Just like with handling film, it all comes down to the operator. If someone is going to spend all day searching for doggie porn, then a PC really isn't the best choice since they are bound to pick up a virus doing that crap.
That said, Macs do have their place, usually for video production, but the decision shouldn't come from "ooooooooooh look, they're so PRETTY" (like one IT guy I work with who will buy ANYTHING sold by Apple). It all depends on the software that the end user is planning on using as to what is better. Still for most computing, Windows (not Vista) blows the crap out of Macs in price, reliability, ease of serviceability and just about everything else.
Still I feel sorry for the masses that blindly follow Steve Jobs and buy and do anything he says...like that one IT guy I know. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
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Brad Miller
Administrator
Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99
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posted 04-29-2009 02:19 AM
My issue isn't that someone wants to buy a Mac...or a Linux or even that hideous Vista. My issue is when Mac people get in my face and tell me repeatedly how foolish I am because I use a PC and how they are a superior being because they buy Apple products and how their computer is "prettier" than mine is and how I am not creative and artistic enough to use a Mac and how all of the iProducts are a LIFESTYLE, blah, blah, blah.
Seriously people, get over yourselves!
(This posting isn't reflected at Joe or Claude, by the way. It is for those crazed iPeople that without their iProducts couldn't exist.)
Also, Claude already answered his own question, because the "geniuses" at the Apple store told him a new laptop would outperform his older one at the same cost. Well duh. I think any 5 year old laptop would be outperformed with a new one at the same cost, or cheaper, than repairing the older one. That's why they are geniuses! ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
Seriously though Claude, in looking at the line of Apple laptops, I think this is the one you should get.
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