Got it - Purchasing iBook for my daughter - help needed

[Motorheader]

I want to get an iBook 1.42ghz 14" for my daughter for Christmas. I'm trying to help her with her direction is school with Digital Art/Photography.

Yes the technology is a couple of years old and I don't mind that. I'm also trying to decide between the Wacom Intuos3 4x6 Pen Tablet or the Wacom Bamboo Fun - Small.

I'm bound by a budget and that is why I'm trying to get the iBook with the specs outlined.

The only place online (other that e?ay) I know of to purchase Mac stuff is nnforums and Macofalltrades.

Any help with direction - pitfalls, what to avoid, etc - would be greatly appreciated. Even if you have one FS that would be great as well.

Would she be off to a good start with Tiger, iLife 06, Photoshop Elements 4.0?

Thanks for looking.

 

[MovingTarget]

Thats still a good model. Mine is the 12" model, so I can make a somewhat valid comparison. I'd highly suggest looking at upgrading the ram. Some came with either 256 or 512 default depending on what generation it was. Niether is really enough. I was able to bump mine up to 1Gb for about $50. All it took was a 512Mb stick of pc3200 notebook ram. You also might want to look and see if the battery in the unit qualifies for the recall. They replaced mine for free a year into it due to the recall, so hopefully you have a heads up there. I'd also highly reccommend investing in a carrying case or sleve for it. She sounds like it will be going in her bookbag, so it is a must if you want it to stay intact. Good luck with it!

 

[BrianH1]

nothing wrong at all with going for an ibook. make sure the HD is still in good shape and DEF DEF DEF upgrade the ram.

 

[secretanchitman]

ram is important. honestly...max it out to 1GB-1.25GB if you can.

yes...tiger is great! nothing wrong with it. i honestly prefer ilife 06 compared to 08 and photoshop elements is great for the average user!

 

[timswim78]

If you are open to a desktop system. you may be able to get a better performace/cost ratio You can get a used Intel mini or iMac for about the cost of a used iBook. For example, Apple sells refurbished 17" Intel iMacs for $699 (check often as the stock varies), and you can get a refurbished Core 2 Duo mini for $499. Both of the refurb options come with Leopard and iLife 08.

 

[Motorheader]

Thank you all for the input.

I did consider a desktop system - specifically and iMac - but portability had to be addressed as well, that is the reason for the iBook choice.

What is the logic board issue I've read about on many Apple boards/forums? Is this something that I have to be aware of regarding possible future cost?

 

[timswim78]

What kind of budget are you working with? Apple sells refurb macbooks for $749, including iLike 08 and Leopard.

 

[Injury]

Definitely max out the ram from the start if possible. She should be A-Okay as I don't think any of my projects ever toppled a few hundred MB... short of a used mac I don't think you're going to find a huge deal on macs... the BEST discount you can get is usually the student discount as it's usually in the area of 75%-80% of original for most systems, making it very comparable to a refurbished system. (and if you're trying to surprise her, when ordering online it doesn't take much more verification than knowing which school she is going to.)

IMHO, you're better off starting with the best mac you can afford then buying accessories and such when you need them, not just getting them outright. The premium on them makes them too expensive to discover you aren't going to use them as much as you thought you would. (Graphics tablet would be a good start, though.)

Just make sure to stress to her how important it is to protect her laptop as colleges are a thief's goldmine for stolen electronics.

 

[timswim78]

Originally posted by: Injury75%-80% off for most systems,

I'd really like to know where you go to school. The average student discount is 7% - 10%. Nowhere near refurb prices. The cheapest MacBook in the education store is $999. You can get a refurb for $749, if you don't mind having a slightly earlier model.

 

[Motorheader]

My wife works/student at local university. Where the heck are you guys finding those kinds of prices?

 

[Kmax82]

eBay.. You gotta be a bit patient, though.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: timswim78

Originally posted by: Injury75%-80% off for most systems,

I'd really like to know where you go to school. The average student discount is 7% - 10%. Nowhere near refurb prices. The cheapest MacBook in the education store is $999. You can get a refurb for $749, if you don't mind having a slightly earlier model.

Ooops. Meant "75-80% of original".

I think I'd have a boner if it was 75-80% off, and you can bet I'd hit my max purchases every year.

 

[KaOTiK]

Get her the intous 3, best tablet I have found thus far.

 

[Motorheader]

Thank you all for your help and suggestions - especially timswim78. I ended up going with a Macbook refurb from Apple. I had a couple of iBooks lined up at really good prices, but was swayed by the warranty, Leopard, and cheap memory upgrade path.

Damn spoiled kids.:frown:

 

[manly]

Originally posted by: Motorheader
Thank you all for your help and suggestions - especially timswim78. I ended up going with a Macbook refurb from Apple. I had a couple of iBooks lined up at really good prices, but was swayed by the warranty, Leopard, and cheap memory upgrade path.

Damn spoiled kids.:frown:

Congrats! :beer:

The G4 processor is a dog; you did her a Huge favor.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: manly

Originally posted by: Motorheader
Thank you all for your help and suggestions - especially timswim78. I ended up going with a Macbook refurb from Apple. I had a couple of iBooks lined up at really good prices, but was swayed by the warranty, Leopard, and cheap memory upgrade path.

Damn spoiled kids.:frown:

Congrats! :beer:

The G4 processor is a dog; you did her a Huge favor.

Well, the G4 isn't terrible... my PowerBook runs quite well, but if you compare it to the Core Duo or Core 2 Duo... then yes... it blows But so does most anything else.