[kmarketing]

Hi,


A friend of mine is thinking of selling his pismo for $200. It is unbelievably nice condition with one issue that could be major. When you boot up the screen, it is a bright pink. It takes a few seconds then turns normal. Not a dead pixel, spot or scratch on the screen. Other than it works great!!


I know that i would have to upgrade the memory and hard drive, but would you get it. I'm even thinking of selling my aluminum to get some cash, and then keep a lesser laptop just to get me by until the new ones come out (could be some time!!) At least i'll have a g5 to keep me company.

I've had a pismo before and loved it, but i'm just wondering if it's too outdated at this point. It was always great for browsing the web, typing documents, and bringing everywhere. I'm thinking it would be the same for now.

What do you think?

[webb3201]

A Pismo in 2005 is still a viable machine based on how a person would use a computer. The Pismo can be upgraded easily with memory, external bays, new hard drives. It can run OSX quite well, which gives you access to almost all of the latest and greatest applications. It has Firewire, USB and is very durable. It can be updated with faster G3 or a G4 processor and you can run multiple batteries.

If you are surfing, doing office work, chatting, music, email kind of person, it will be a fine machine.

The Pink screen is another issue. This is a common sign of age in the Pismo line, and will only get worse. The eventual end will be a need for a new LCD. Tough to tell how long it will last. If you get the computer cheap and it runs for a year, it will have been a good deal. If it fails next week, that is another issue.

For 200.00, you might be able to part the machine out and turn a profit at the end of its run.

[tooki]

I'm pretty sure the pink is not a failing LCD, per se, but a failing backlight tube. Not a huge deal to replace.

tooki

[bighead]

Originally Posted by kmarketing

I'm even thinking of selling my aluminum to get some cash, and then keep a lesser laptop just to get me by

I had a 500 MHz Pismo before I went for the trifecta (1.25, 1.5, and now 1.67 15" 'Books) and while I loved my Pismo, there's just no comparison at all between it and the new 15" PowerBooks. I wouldn't trade back down for anything. The ONLY real advantage of the Pismo, in my opinion, is the ability to keep 2 batteries installed at once. Other than that, G4 all the way.

[kmarketing]

Everything about the aluminum that I have (14 1.25 80gb superdrive) is terrific. Sometimes, I just think I could sell it for still a decent chunk of change and just get a cheap laptop to go with my g5 to keep me going until the new pbs come out. That way the money that i get for my aluminum will pay for most of the newer one.

But I definitely know that g4 kills the pismo in performance. I just remember how I would have no fear bringing the pismo outside on the street and use it's amazing wireless range.

Now about the backlight...
How hard is that to change? Would you happen to have instructions and where I could by just a backlight?

Thanks!!

[SEkker]

The pink screen is the backlight, cheap in materials but needs a soldering iron to fix.

The Pismo is a fine machine, but the CPU speed (and lack of G4) is starting to be a limitation. I have one with a DVD burner, 1 G RAM, and a 5400 rom HD. Runs OSX, email and safari fine, actually. But some of the iLife suite are noticably slower than modern G4 PBs.

[finboy]

Originally Posted by kmarketing

What do you think?

That's a great price for what you're getting, which is a machine that can use up to 1G of RAM and an unlimited HD (which swaps in about 30 minutes, BTW). The pinkness was a common issue when they first came out, and it might be a bad screen. Even so, you can probably find a screen and/or backlight for cheap, and make good even paying someone to swap it for you.

Best thing about the Pismo is that it will boot OS 9 for those times when you need absolute "classic" compatibility. Nice, sturdy machine.

[webb3201]

Wow, I had never thought it was as easy as just the backlight! I sold one of mine long ago as I was quoted a new LCD as the repair. Man, If you don't want the Pismo, can I buy it? This is a great machine. I remember when the maximum drive capacities were in the 20-30gb range, and I would impress all my Titanium friends by doubling that capacity using my external bay hard drive.

In that case....jump on the deal. You could sell it on ebay for more.

[SEkker]

Originally Posted by finboy

...and an unlimited HD (which swaps in about 30 minutes, BTW).

To be fair, the last HD swap I did on my Pismo took me about 4 minutes. It's really very simple, and there are clear and detailed instructions readily available on the net.

Here's a great link on repairing the Pismo backlight

http://www.macopinion.com/columns/roadwarrior/04/10/19/

[macaddict0001]

it is an excellent deal.

[kmarketing]

Do any of you still have a pismo?

What type of work are you doing with them?

Thanks!

[SEkker]

My wife has one, she does everything -- email, surfing, even some iMovie work -- on it. She truly prefers it even over my PB17 G4 -- she thinks the Pismo form factor is a much more comfortable machine to work with.

And this is the 400 MHz G3 model. We've considered a G4 upgrade (the 550 MHz) or even the 900 MHz G3 for the CPU, but we're going to wait to see how it runs Tiger before we do so.

Even the screen can now be upgraded -- there's a link at xlr8yourmac.com site.

[kmarketing]

wow,

that sounds great! What type of imovie work does she do?

Upgrade on the screen?! I have to look into that!

[SEkker]

Originally Posted by kmarketing

wow,

that sounds great! What type of imovie work does she do?

Upgrade on the screen?! I have to look into that!

Mostly slide shows from our shots in iPhoto.

The screen upgrade is expensive.

[kmarketing]

I've taken the entire pismo apart (even the display) before so I definitely can do the upgrade myself. I have to check out the site, but when yuo say upgrade do you mean for a higher resolution?

[kmarketing]

Any chance you have a link to the discussion on the screen upgrade?

[Eug Wanker]

I think it's a potential disaster. Save your pennies for a used or refurb iBook G4, which is better than that Pismo in nearly every way, including not being broken.

[kmarketing]

Yeah, you may be right. The whole purpose of having the pismo was to have cheap machine to get me through until the new powerbooks.

[mitchell_pgh]

$200 is a great deal. It will last a few more years if you are sticking mainly to email, surfing etc.

[Superchicken]

A girl at school had a Pismo... I was tempted to ask her if I could buy it... nice machine, lil creeky but over all I'd love to have one if for nothing more than a convo piece or companion for a digital camera.

[Kyros]

200 bucks is an incredible deal. I see them go for 400 regularly. Definitely get it. Also, you can upgrade the processor to a g4 from sonnet if you want.

[joshnyberg]

Find out how long it has had the screen issue, and get an hoents answer. If it's been that way for a long time already, it is probably not going to worse.

I used a Lombard as my portable up until the end of 2003, and it did everything I needed to. A Pismo is faster, and more upgradeable to boot. If the pink screen at startup has been there a long time, I'd say go for it!

[finboy]

Originally Posted by SEkker

To be fair, the last HD swap I did on my Pismo took me about 4 minutes.

I was including backup and restore time using SuperDuper.

[gzeus]

Buy it! It's a no brainer. Search for pismo parts on ebay completed items and you'll see that broken pismos are going for $200-$250. So things could go terribly wrong with the computer and you'd still stand to make a profit.

[tomato71]

Killer deal, I'd do it. Used Pismos still sell for $700 to $800 in Japan.

The great thing about the Pismo is it can be hotrodded. Charles Moore has a 'G4 Pismo' with superdrive. Check out www.macopinion.com

[kmarketing]

Hi,

I have bought the pismo. I am so into the pismo that I bought some other things for it, and a friend help me get some stuff for it:

I just installed an 80gb 5400 Hitachi drive ($80). The pismo is flying!!
I got extra memory chips to make it 1gb (will install soon).

This one has a 400mhz processor. My friend was also able to get one for $350 with a 500mhz processor, airport etc. I will be looking at which one is in better condition and keep the 500mhz processor. (On a side note, he got a mint 500mhz titanium powerbook and said if I like that better, he'll take the pismo, what do you think?)

I am completely used to the pink screen now. It lasts for less than 10 secs, and then the screen is pretty nice. Nice even illumination, no imperfections, and not even keyboard marks.

This one is definitely a keeper. I think I will be letting go of my aluminum and hold onto this as my portable until the newer line.

Thanks everyone!!

[I was David B.]

kmarketing,

that was a good decision.
It is really overkill to have a brand new G5 and a brand new Powerbook. The Pismo will do a good job.

Apple is surely one of the companys where you can drown a lot of money. I once sold my Pismo (because of a dim backlight ) and I must say, performance wise the replacement is nice but not necessary at all. I agree that a fast hd and a lot of RAM will let the Pismo survive quite a while longer.

And if you take your Powerbook around it eases your mind to have a cheaper and already used machine. Its like with cars. The one that you baby does not let you sleep well and you die for every new scratch. The other one is really usefull and does a relaxed job.

[kmarketing]

Thanks for that reassurance!! I think that's what I was looking for.

I think you are absolutely right in that I really don't need my aluminum when I have my g5 to do my heavier tasks. I just need a portable that I can do my basic needs that I won't have to worry about. And I think the pismo will suffice. It actually feels good to have you agree with something I already know, even though I lose the cool and new factors.

Well, when I sold my dell laptops to get my first apple one, I said I didn't want to go to black plastic again, but here I am. Thank goodness, this one has a glowing apple logo, even though it's upside down

I also do like taking things apart, and I guess the pismo is a good machine for that!! All in all, I hope this to be a wise decision. So far, this purchase will be around $350 for the pismo (with 80gb, and 1gb memory). I hope to sell the aluminum now, and hopefully will come out with $1000 for something else or to put into my future account towards a new powerbook.

Once again, everyone has helped me with a tough decision!!
Thanks!!

[kmarketing]

I was just wondering and noticing that the pismo has 1mb l2 cache? What is that, and what is it good for? I notice that newer powerbooks don't have that. Is it a good thing that the pismo has the l2 cache?

And the same question goes for the 100mhz bus speed.

I hear that many people would take the pismo over any g3 ibook. Is that why?

Thanks!

[crazeazn]

the 1MB L2 cache is killer, i believe none of the newer g4s (512k) have it. and its one of the reasons why the old pismo still can keep up with basic tasks

[webb3201]

I prefer the Pismo over the Titanium (at the same processor clock levels). I had the same choice (500 Pismo, or 500 Titanium) back in the day and eventually chose Pismo. The Pismo was much easier to upgrade and offered the ability to have multiple drives, dual batteries installed, etc. They have the same ports, same GPU, and same power adapter. I am a big fan of the G3 on a mobile, especially if it is not your main machine. Also, while the Pismo is heavier, it is much more durable. Enjoy

[kmarketing]

Can I ask why you prefer the g3 processor over the g4 in a mobile?

Thanks!

[webb3201]

Originally Posted by kmarketing

Can I ask why you prefer the g3 processor over the g4 in a mobile?

Thanks!

Sure, it produces less heat and has a longer battery life in a mobile (or it did in original G4 chips in question here).

[kmarketing]

You are definitely right there. For the first time in a long while, I can use the powerbook on my legs or on the bed without fear. With my 2 batteries, I'm getting 7 hours with my 80gb 5400 hard drive. definitely cool.

[Wayland]

I think you made a good choice. I had a Ti 1GHz for a while, but sold it and picked up a Pismo. I was disappointed by the fan noise and the overall feel (sturdiness) of the Ti.

My pismo has just started doing the 10s pink screen at startup thing. I called around and it is probably the backlight starting to go. Some reports say it might not degrade further for a couple more years. In any case, there are a lot of places around Los Angeles and San Fran that will do the replacement for $100-$150.

[kmarketing]

Thanks, it looks like you made that sacrifice also. Can I assume that you are happy with the pismo?

I really hope in the near future, Apple puts something out that will be so exquisite that I will know giving up my aluminum now was well worth it.

In the meantime, I can save some cash, and still have a worthy machine.

I'm typing on the aluminum now, and I will definitely miss it!!

[SEkker]

Originally Posted by kmarketing

Thanks, it looks like you made that sacrifice also. Can I assume that you are happy with the pismo?

I really hope in the near future, Apple puts something out that will be so exquisite that I will know giving up my aluminum now was well worth it.

In the meantime, I can save some cash, and still have a worthy machine.

I'm typing on the aluminum now, and I will definitely miss it!!

I hope the next generation PB is to the G4 line what the G5 iMac was for the iMac line -- Apple builds a great form factor that is COMPLETELY user upgradable. The Pismo still holds its value because of this feature -- I have a 500 MHz iBook that is almost worthless because its ~3 hours and $125 just to exchange the HD. If I wanted to update the optical drive to a DVD burner, another 3 hours time for someone well versed in Apple technical capabilities.

[songoku912]

Yea, I am really hoping the next major powerbook revision returns the pb line to being user upgradable too. The Pismo form factor is fantastic and would love to see the next pb return to something similar and about a pound lighter.

[MORT A POTTY]

Originally Posted by songoku912

Yea, I am really hoping the next major powerbook revision returns the pb line to being user upgradable too. The Pismo form factor is fantastic and would love to see the next pb return to something similar and about a pound lighter.

could happen if they made it out of carbon fiber

[kmarketing]

I feel quite empowered when i simply lift up the keyboard and see everything that I could upgrade within minutes: cpu, hard drive, memory. When i look at some of the ebay prices for parts, and having the slightest bit of confidence in my tech skills (which is really not much), i just don't see why this pismo won't last me for years to come.

It may be obsolete for photoshop and unusable for final cut pro, but this thing kills for typing and internet. As long as there are batteries out there, long live Pismo!!

[OpenStep]

In Nov. 2003 I bought a 17" 1.33 GHz PowerBook G4 but within the last 6 months I had to sell it and use the money to pay for some bills. In the meantime I used a 333 MHz Lombard which was too slow for even basic tasks. Last week I got a Pismo with a cracked LCD for $75 that I loaded Tiger on and I love it. The graphics card is the only thing that really sucks but otherwise the Pismo has the best feel/design Apple has made on a laptop. I've already replaced the HD and bumped it to 384 MB and tonight snagged an LCD for it off eBay for $100. I plan on keeping this system for at least a couple years.

[kmarketing]

just know that if you can survive with the pismo for now, when the new pb's come out you'll have the funds for them without losing out on the resale value of your previous one.

All this is rationalization, because it would be great to keep an aluminum. Extravagant for now, but definitely a nice machine!

You are right though, the pismo has a great feel, and truthfully everything is user replaceable on it.

[d4nth3m4n]

anyone have the link to the adapter that lets you use a current ac adapter with a pismo?

i can't seem to find it. it looks like a pismo will be my main machine for a while here, so i'm trying make the most of it.

thanks.

EDIT: oh, and a link to a working hack that lets me remap the enter key on the right of the spacebar to a second command key.

[tigas]

Originally Posted by d4nth3m4n

EDIT: oh, and a link to a working hack that lets me remap the enter key on the right of the spacebar to a second command key.

Yeah, having the developer of uControl bailing out of a Tiger update sucked hard, but it's his right. I was a fan of using the Enter as an Fn key, sure beats using two hands to PageUp and PageDown. I'm now using SideTrack to do that.

Have you tried DoubleCommand ?

Me, I don't think I'll let go of the Pismo just yet, I've bought mine secondhand three years ago and now it has a DVD writer, 512MB ram, a 5400rpm disk, and all it's missing is a G4 that is coming in the mail from FastMac.com (I didn't have to send the whole thing halfway across the world, and I had a spare processor board). For what I do and the kind of tinkerer that I am, the Pismo is more than enough to fullfill me. The only thing that would make me get an Aluminum is that since they're wider, the keys are bigger and I'm a bad typist.

[legionare]

Originally Posted by d4nth3m4n

anyone have the link to the adapter that lets you use a current ac adapter with a pismo?

i can't seem to find it. it looks like a pismo will be my main machine for a while here, so i'm trying make the most of it.

It's called "generation adapter" or something.

[d4nth3m4n]

double command works flawlessly, thanks.

the generation adapter only works in the opposite way i want to be going.

[Bandit240]

I lucked up on a 600mhz iBook for $200. Check your local pawnshops often, never know what you will find.

[OperaMan]

I'm using a 333 lombard right now with tiger. Works fine for me. It takes about 2 minutes to start up, but I just hit the power and go get a snack. I have an 867 G4 for when I need to do iLife stuff other than iTunes. I'm planning to keep this thing until the intel powerbooks come out. Then it will make them seem even sweeter because they'll be 50x faster .

[Xserve@home]

Originally Posted by Bandit240

I lucked up on a 600mhz iBook for $200.

*sigh* They don't make them like that anymore. Good find though.

I bought a Pismo earlier this year. As I live in Japan, I paid about $700 for it. Worth every penny though, it's a really, really nice machine. I wanted one when I was in college (graphic design major) but there was no way I could afford to shell out $2000+ at the time.

Mine came with all the parts, box, etc. The original 20g drive whined so loud it drove me nuts (and the neighborhood pets too, probably) so I swapped it out. A Samsung 40g 5400rpm drive and now it's SUPER STEALTH quiet like Knight Rider, and noticeably faster. OS X struggles a little, but nothing major and it does run cooler. Plus you can still boot OS 9.

[tooki]

Originally Posted by d4nth3m4n

anyone have the link to the adapter that lets you use a current ac adapter with a pismo?

You're thinking of Madsonline's "Generation Gap" -- but it's to let you use old AC adapters on a newer Mac, not what you want.

tooki