Question about AirPort card for older system

Question

I have an iMac G5 with OSX 10.3.9. I need to get an AirPort card to install in it, and the local Apple store tech says they don't carry it for that system, and I need to go online and order it using my serial number. The only card I can seem to find on the Apple site is the newer AirPort card that is not compatible. Can anyone guide me in the right direction of how to order what I need on the Apple site by using my serial number to ensure I get the right card?

Answer 1

Some if not most of the information you seek could
be available through this service self-help page;
but the parts may also be harder to get The main
phone number to the Apple Store (not a local) is
also a place to contact to inquire about getting a
replacement or original part for a Macintosh.
Your computer likely uses the now discontinued
but probably available AirPort Extreme card aka:
"Optional AirPort Extreme card (802.11b/g)"
{Some iMac G5s were different, and those had
a "built-in" AirPort Extreme Card (802.11b/g;
so if these failed, they required someone to go
into the computer and remove a part off the
main logic board and replace it with another.}
When a part proves to be no longer available
through the Apple Store directly or online,
you may be directed to look elsewhere to see
if one exists in the resale market.
In the meantime, you should be able to put
a serial number in a box as directed in the
following page's linked 'online assistant' to
get to the area where parts you could install
may be listed. Some of the computers are
not readily user-updated and so a part in
one model may not be user installed where
in another model it was user installable.
Use this link:
http://www.apple.com/support/serviceassistant/overview.html
To go here:
https://selfsolve.apple.com/GetWarranty.do
{If this system won't let you go into replacement parts
and a way to order them (such as RAM upgrade, w-fi
Airport card, etc) you may have to call the Store's # as
shown in the online store's web page & ask about it.}
Hopefully the part is a user installed item; I no
longer have the iMac G5 Service Manual in PDF;
or I could look it up, with part number, in detail.
For more definition in questions regarding your Mac
you could cite more exact model information; as it
appears on your computer's build data outside on
the case and in the System Profiler. Also, a free
database you can download for offline use is
available from http://mactracker.ca ...
Good luck & happy computing!
edited.