Odd advice / justification needed

nice&easy, mac&cheesey · Jun 14th, 2009, 01:33 AM

Okay, so this is a bit of an odd thread.

I need some help justifying the purchase of a 12" G4 PowerBook.
I totally don't need another laptop. I have a UMB and a hackintoshed Dell Mini9. My wife has a MBP and we also have an iMac.
But for some reason, gawd I want a 12" PowerBook. LOL
I was walking through an airport recently and saw a guy working on one. It looked like the perfect size. So cool.
I have been looking for a mint (or as close as possible) 1.5GHz model. As I'm sure most of you are aware, they are tough to come by. The search continues though. There is one close by for sale that looks good in the pictures but the guy selling hasn't answered some specific questions yet. Anyway, back to my dilemma...

What else can I do with the PowerBook aside from just having another laptop? I know that's a weird question but I know some people use their computers pretty creatively around the house. We have an AppleTV in the living room (everything streams from the iMac in the office). I though of using Front Row on it to watch movies in the bedroom.

So, what else can I do with it?
Am I crazy for wanting another mac? Should I just forget about this?
I know Snow Leopard won't run on it (right?). That doesn't concern me.

Any advice or help would be really great. And if anyone has a machine that fits that description I might be interested

PM me.

Lichen Software · Jun 14th, 2009, 07:09 AM

No - You don't need a PB 12" ... but you know you want one. This may help "justify" it.

I have one of these machines and have had it since it was new. It has been a solid performer with the only repairs being to change an inverter (under warranty) and to replace the hard drive recently.

If it is not your main machine, some of the potential is wasted. I use mine for work and most of the time have it set up with a second monitor and a USB keyboard and mouse. Then when I have to see someone, it becomes a travelling machine with a really compact form factor (12" is my favourite form factor) and full function.

As a secondary machine I would use it for a "Kitchen laptop" and "Cafe Cruiser". It's very compact yet does pretty much anything, all be it slower than today's machines.

Run it on 10.4 unless you have the RAM maxed out. I tried leopard. It runs, but it slowed down as I only have 512 Mb of RAM.

It has had a rep from day one of being a solid machine and yes... It does look cool.

The other way to justify it ( he says tongue in cheek) is as an investment. It has to turn into one of the classics ... and ... it is so much cheaper than buying a vintage car or airplane :-)

chas_m · Jun 14th, 2009, 10:21 AM

You know, I want a triple bacon cheeseburger sometimes, but then I think about what I'd be doing to my heart and something called "self-discipline" kicks in.

You may want to look into it, though Lard knows Apple customers have notoriously little.

PS. For the 3,487,963rd time -- SNOW LEOPARD IS FOR INTEL MACS ONLY.