Just bought an iBook G3

Question

I just picked up an iBook G3 off of ebay today, and I don't have super high expections. Earlier this summer I bought a Macbook, which I love. I wanted to get an inexpensive backup that I can tote to school every day and abuse. For $200 I thought why not? I was considering getting an Asus EEE 701 when it came out, but now it is delayed until October, so I looked for an iBook G3, and I found one with a 500mhz cpu, a tiny 10gb hdd, and 384mb of ram. I plan on running schoolhouse, neooffice, and Safari.
Any issues I should be aware of? Was this a wise move? Have any of you found better deals than this? I am just using this thing to take notes in class, and sync with my network at home.

Answer 1

+Any issues I should be aware of?+
The iBook G3 (Dual USB) is somewhat prone to logic board failure. The failure is more common in later models (the program was started for the 800 MHz models and was expanded to include them all), however, it would be wise to handle it with a bit of care, taking care never to pick it up by the left front corner alone. If you're picking it up in your left hand, grab it in the center under the trackpad instead of by the left corner.
+Was this a wise move?+
It depends. Were the original software CD's included in your purchase? Has the OS been upgraded? If so, to what version of the OS and are the upgrade discs included? You are going to need some software discs for maintenance, and your MacBook discs won't do since it has an Intel processor, while the iBook has a Power PC processor.
That 10 GB hard drive is a real OS X killer. I have kept my 500 MHz iBook in OS 9 because that small hard drive really isn't up to running OS X, in my opinion. When the 500 MHz iBook came out, OS 9 was the default OS on it.
The 500 MHz iBook came with four options on the optical drive: CD-ROM (only reads CD's), CD-RW (reads and writes CD's), DVD-ROM (reads CD's and DVD's), or a Combo drive (reads CD's and DVD's; writes CD's). The CD-ROM version has 64 MB of RAM soldered to the logic board; the other models have 128 MB of RAM soldered to the logic board. The fact that the one you've purchased has 128 MB of RAM (384 - 256 = 128) says that the optical drive is something other than the mere CD-ROM. The RAM can be maximized to 640 MB by removing the 256 MB module in the one available RAM slot and replacing it with a 512 MB 3.3 V, PC100 or PC133 compliant, 1.25 inch SDRAM SO-DIMM.
If you want to do that, instructions can be found in this Apple Knowledge Base article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=111918
If you want wireless networking and/or wireless internet access and an original AirPort card hasn't been installed in it, you will need one of those. Possible sources (last checked July 9):
http://www.dvwarehouse.com/Apple-Original-AirPort-Wireless-Card-802.11B-p-31366. html
http://www.synaptech.com/catalog/index.php?mainpage=index&cPath=4953
http://www.expercom.com/productdetail.html?PRODUCTID=305851
http://www.powerbookguy.com/xcart/catalog/Airport-Cards-price0-p-1-c-507.html
http://www.macrecycling.com/ibook-g3-c-18.html
http://techrestore.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16174
http://store.macsolutions.com/airportad.html
http://memorysolutions.com/memorysolutions/orapaica1.html
http://store.airportcardsdirect.com/
http://www.ifixit.com/cart/catalog/product98_AirportCard.html
http://www.megamacs.com/v1/?action=view&pid=967052
http://www.lacomputercompany.com/cgi-bin/rpcart/index.cgi?command=dispitem&type= sku&sku=10061
Instructions for installing the card can be found in this Apple Knowledge Base article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=111919
Only time will tell if this has been a wise purchase for you. I bought two 500 MHz iBooks through eBay almost five years ago, and they are still chugging along, although they now sit idle a good deal of the time, since I've bought an 800 MHz G3 iBook and a 1.2 GHz iBook G4 since that time (also on eBay).
If you're going to want to use it with the battery, you may need a battery replacement, too. The typical lifespan of a lithium-ion battery is two to three years. An iBook G4 battery works in the 500 MHz iBook G3, too (but the color of the battery is a little bit different).
As long as you're not expecting it to measure up to the MacBook, you may be satisfied. Keep in mind that it is six years old.
Good luck with it.