[qertgfd]

I'm hoping that someone on this board might give me some clues on this...

I am very serious about switching over to Apple after being an MS user all of my life. Big step, and honestly not a very easy one. Now, the laptop that I own isn't ready to be replaced yet, maybe in about a year, which gives me some time to think about this...

So, here's the deal: my thought is that I should pick up an 'older' used ibook or something so that I can screw around with it, play with the OS and see if it is something I can used to. Since I want to try this out, I am not really interested in plowing 2k into a computer that I'm not sure I'm going to transition to. On the other hand, I'm not sure of what kind of ibook I should get to look at this closer, as far as processor speeds, memory, etc. I like the idea of 12' (I'm used to small laptops) and I'm hoping to find something on ebay in the $400 range, but what should I expect/be looking for to get an accurate idea of 'mac'?.

Any ideas of what I should be looking for? Thanks to everyone!

[Geofries]

I would just visit an Apple store twice a month and constantly toy with their computers there.

[mduell]

Picking up some old $400 iBook isn't going to give you an idea of what OSX is like on a new machine.

Either buy a new machine from a store with a generous return policy and try it out for a month, or wait until you're ready to replace and buy a MacBook. If you don't like OSX, you can always throw Windows on it and it's just like any other PC.

[larrinski]

I bought a 12" 1.33Ghz Powerbook last year for $700. You should be able to find one now for about $500. If you get at least a 1 Ghz machine, it will give you a feel for OSX... Get some extra RAM, and it will cook!

[LagunaSol]

"Picking up some old $400 iBook isn't going to give you an idea of what OSX is like on a new machine."

I agree. This would be like trying to decide if you want to buy a new Porsche by test-driving an old Porsche with 100k on the odometer and bald tires.

I have an old iBook, and if you test-drove OS X on it, you won't be very impressed. Well, you'd probably be impressed, but not as impressed as you could be.

I say try to pick up a refurb low-end MacBook (the online Apple store had them a couple of weeks ago for $799). I think an Intel machine is the way to go for your situation. Use it for a year (until you're ready for your REAL laptop replacement), sell it for a couple-hundred-dollar loss, and get the laptop you really want at that time. The Intel-based Mac would also let you experiment with Bootcamp and Parallels for running Windows stuff, if you choose. Though I'll bet you'll be like many others and find you have no desire to run Windows stuff any longer, period. Plus it would be a much zippier machine all-around.

OS X is definitely something you can "get used" to. In fact, odds are good once you start using it, you'll wonder how you were ever content with Windows to begin with. I should know - I have to use Windows all day every day at the office.

Go for it!

[Thade]

While buying a 400 iBook won't give you an idea of what OSX is like on a NEW machine, it will give you an idea of what OSX is like. I recently bought a Macbook but just prior to purchasing it I bought a 300.00 1 GHZ iBook. It wasn't my 1st experience with OSX but it's a solid machine. It gives good OSX

[uicandrew]

would a mac mini be better for you? it is roughly $400 for a G4 model, and they were decently fast. I think Expose is key to having a great mac experience. The productivity and multitasking possible when you can switch between windows and programs so quickly is amazing.