[rivacom]

I've been a PC/Unix/Linux user my whole life, until I hit the Iphone craze. Recently I've been really motivated to pick up a mac and start development on some App ideas i've been toying with. Problem being, I don't want to go out and blow 300-1000 dollars on a new machine. I've been eyeballing ebay with no luck, is there anyway to get a cheap mac anywhere? Desktop/laptop , I would hope at least 800mhz with Leopard? Seems like the price of macs don't decrease due to age(which kinda blows my mind). Or is there a good site that offers a very nice payment plan for me to pick up a mac mini or macbook for cheap(with monthly payment options?). I know the apple site does but that is at retail cost.

[mduell]

An 800Mhz Mac is going to be PowerPC, which is deprecated and won't run the software you want.

I'd look for a used Intel Mac mini to get under $300. Or a MacBook with a busted display.

[rivacom]

Problem being I would need a mac mini that sold from a site for under 300(which I haven't seen yet) that offered some sort of payment plan.

[ibook_steve]

Apple itself offers a payment plan, or at least they used to. But you're not going to find a machine that cheap. You might get lucky with a refurb, though.

Steve

[Uisce]

Try some known used-mac sites and get a 2-3 yr old machine maybe?

I don't know about payment pans, but sites like lowendmac.com and powermax.com have some minis for just over $300.

Of course, you can get a new base mini for $500 with a payment plan, which may be a better bet. mac resale is high because the hardare is quality - macs have longer shelf lives than PCs.

Fwiw, I just bought a new MacBook Pro to replace my 7-yr old PowerBook. You just don't get that longevity with PCs.