Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

lilcourtee · Sep 18, 2006, 09:00 PM

im a college student, looking to buy a laptop. and i've come to a brick wall!
there are so many great deals out there for an ibook, and honestly, they have always had very sleek, classic design. the first computer i ever used was a macintosh.

if i buy an ibook, is there any way i can run a pc operating system on there as well? does this even make sense?

HELP! thanks

imitchellg5 · Sep 18, 2006, 09:02 PM

Yes. You need a program called virtual pc. It is very sluggish however. If you need to run windows all of the time, get a MacBook. Welcome to MacNN

lilcourtee · Sep 18, 2006, 09:06 PM

hiii, thanks.
hmmm, macbook's are so expensive though! aren't they?
i wanted an ibook because they're cheap, cheap, cheap (under $500) but looooook good!
[img src="http://www.dicofr.com/chronologie/image/1999-ibook.jpg"]

like so ....

lilcourtee · Sep 18, 2006, 09:09 PM

but something more like this.
i can get one pre-owned, or refurbished, for about $300. YES! =]

http://www.lugroma.org/contenuti/eve.../image_preview

so cute and small!!

the only things i would like to be able to do on my notebook.

download music
talk in msn messenger, yahoo messenger, aol messenger
e-mail

and that's about it.

can you make music cd's on a mac?

brokenjago · Sep 18, 2006, 09:12 PM

Yes, you can make Music CDs using iTunes.

For all the things you listed above, an iBook would be perfect. It's not the fastest of machines and you'd need to upgrade the RAM (not too expensive.)

I don't see any reason why you'd need/want to run Windows on your Macintosh.

lilcourtee · Sep 18, 2006, 09:18 PM

do you have to use itunes for music on a mac?
you can't go to any other website, like i do now, with my pc, using limewire.com?

if i go to the apple store, are they going to have ibooks on display for me to peek at, and then come home and see if i can find a pre-owned, refurbed one online?

nJm · Sep 18, 2006, 09:26 PM

You won't find iBooks in stock at Apple Stores as the MacBook has been out since about June.

iTunes is the best 'jukebox' program out there and plays any mp3 files along with the mp4 files you can buy off the iTunes store. The only audio files you'll have problems using are wma files.

lilcourtee · Sep 18, 2006, 09:40 PM

I'm seriously thinking about purchasing a refrb/pre-owned iBook G4. If I can find a good deal on the 14" then I think I will settle for it.

Ahh, questions though. Questions.

1. I'm a huge fan of Windows Live Messenger - Will it work on an Apple?
2. Can I access Limewire.com? And download their free stuff?
3. I can burn music cd's, right?
4. It comes with 256MB of RAM, but I need to upgrade that asap. How much more RAM, for how much cash?
5. Anyone know a good website to find a deal under $500?

WOW. Sorry for being such a newb. Am I even posting in the right area? I'm probably scaring everyone with my newbishness. I'm just so PC ...

lilcourtee · Sep 18, 2006, 09:42 PM

Ohhh, and the hugest reason I am even purchasing a notebook, is because I want to take advantage of wi-fi ports everywhere.

Do iBooks (G4) come with wireless network cards?

C.A.T.S. CEO · Sep 18, 2006, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by lilcourtee

Ohhh, and the hugest reason I am even purchasing a notebook, is because I want to take advantage of wi-fi ports everywhere.

Do iBooks (G4) come with wireless network cards?

To answer the current question some do and some don't.

WARNING: don't mess with the fan boys here on MacNN or they will rant like crazy. (i am one)

Dr. DDS · Sep 19, 2006, 10:07 AM

I think all the G4 ibook cames with airport so you will have wireless conection.
Regarding VirtualPC, i use it here and with 1,5Gb of RAM it works with some apps quite well (not that fast) and i believe that for Windows Live Messenger you will be OK.

And Yes, there is a limewire mac version, but i use Cabos, much faster and light.

I even use my ibook with photoshop and works fine for some editing, so i thing that for your purpose the ibook will be Ok.

TheoCryst · Sep 19, 2006, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by lilcourtee

1. I'm a huge fan of Windows Live Messenger - Will it work on an Apple?
2. Can I access Limewire.com? And download their free stuff?
3. I can burn music cd's, right?
4. It comes with 256MB of RAM, but I need to upgrade that asap. How much more RAM, for how much cash?
5. Anyone know a good website to find a deal under $500?

1. Kinda. You can talk to your friends who have MSN/Windows Live, but you'll need to use either Microsoft's old MSN Messenger (they are working on a new verson to be released relatively soon) or download a free 3rd-party alternative, such as Adium.
2. Yes, there is a free version of Limewire. Oh, and downloading P2P music is illegal. Tsk tsk...
3. Yes. Instead of using Windows Media Player, you'll be using iTunes. There's a Windows version of iTunes also, if you want to check it out first.
4. It uses pretty much the same RAM as most older PC laptops. Prices will vary.
5. Craigslist.com is always good, as is eBay. Or you can check the Marketplace in this forum for good deals, which spring up regularly.

For your needs, I'd say that either a white G3 or G4 iBook would be perfect. A clamshell might be a bit long in the tooth for you, but you'll have no trouble finding them for <$300. Just make sure that it has wireless (either Airport or Airport Express, depending on your model).

icibaqu · Sep 19, 2006, 07:18 PM

if you are married to getting the ibook get a G4 b/c then you'll be able to upgrade to leopard later on down the line.