[Defiant Jazz]

Back in February, I bought the high-end 15" PowerBook, with the intent on dumping my PC for the Mac. I liked OS X, although coming off nearly 10 years of Windows use, I was a bit flummoxed at first (David Pogue's "Missing Manual" helped a ton).

However, after a few days, I actually felt afraid to use it. I was afraid of scratching it, dirtying up the chassis with greasy man-paws, or grabbing it too hard and damaging the screen. Not too long after I returned it to Apple (sans 10% return charge), I used a friend's older PowerBook he called a "Pismo," and even though it was far more "plasticky," I didn't feel like it was as delicate as the aluminum model seemed to be...the lid for the screen especially got my attention in that respect on the aluminum...I just felt like it was too flimsy.

If the PowerBooks had a lid like IBM ThinkPads do, I'd probably buy another one. And with all the problems I read about over in the Apple Discussions Forum, I will likely wait even longer until the major issues are completely resolved.

Recently, though, I've been wondering if maybe getting a used "Pismo" off of eBay would be the way to go instead of dropping the cash for a brand-new one.

I'd like to hear your thoughts, especially on the last part. Thanks and I'm glad to be here!

[Alex00087]

Well, I think that I am really careful with my macs (in terms of keeping them clean & handling them gently) only for the the first couple months til the "new" wears off and its just a regular computer that you use everyday. So maybe you should have kept the PB and you have become less afraid to use it as the weeks went on.

Just a thought. and welcome.

[Defiant Jazz]

Originally posted by Alex00087:
Well, I think that I am really careful with my macs (in terms of keeping them clean & handling them gently) only for the the first couple months til the "new" wears off and its just a regular computer that you use everyday. So maybe you should have kept the PB and you have become less afraid to use it as the weeks went on.

Just a thought. and welcome.

I would've been careful, but there is care and then there is being worried during general usage...I guess I just was too freaked out, heh.

[amazing]

If you're going to give OS X a good try, I'd suggest something more recent than a Pismo. How about a refurbished iBook (either a G4 or a G3--the G3 can run OS 9 as well as X) or something like an eMac?

Check out the refurb prices in the "Special Deals" section of the Apple Store, or check expercom.com or smalldog.com, both of the latter have better prices on AppleCare. You really don't want a laptop without Applecare, too much can go wrong.

Also, amazon.com will maybe run their $100 off rebates on the current iBooks after the initial buying furor has died down. Maybe in a month or two??

[anaphora68]

I actually upgraded from a pismo to an aluminum powerbook and i love the aluminum. It stands up to college life very well.

However, I feel that the pismo was a much more "solid" machine in terms of construction. It wasn't necessarily the best looking computer, but it put up with a lot and is built like a brick. It's still in use, just not by me.

try macofalltrades.com, they have a ton of older machines.

[Defiant Jazz]

Maybe I should look for a nice used G4 Titanium to get my feet wet...

[yellow no.5]

I have a TiBook. I'm notorious in my circle of family/friends for destroying equipment of all types because of my general disregard for how I handle all of it.

I take my TiBook everywhere...carry it all over my house, toss it on my bed or couch, in my van, in my bag...anywhere I'm going. I have a couple scratches on the bottom of the case, and that's it. I realize I'll get burned at some point for my recklessness, but my point is that it's standing up QUITE well to my normal abuse which is most likely far more damaging than PB owners with some sense in their heads

Check out the Ti's. They're sweet. And T.U.F.F.

-yno.5

[Defiant Jazz]

Originally posted by yellow no.5:
I have a TiBook. I'm notorious in my circle of family/friends for destroying equipment of all types because of my general disregard for how I handle all of it.

I take my TiBook everywhere...carry it all over my house, toss it on my bed or couch, in my van, in my bag...anywhere I'm going. I have a couple scratches on the bottom of the case, and that's it. I realize I'll get burned at some point for my recklessness, but my point is that it's standing up QUITE well to my normal abuse which is most likely far more damaging than PB owners with some sense in their heads

Check out the Ti's. They're sweet. And T.U.F.F.

-yno.5

Man...I'm scouring eBay and forums now! LOL

[rag on a muffin]

you could get a pismo and a g4 upgrade card i think the pismo is supposed to be quite sturdy. my 10 year old cousin has one, and it is great for him. he drops it all the time and still works. im not saying you should be playing frisbee with it, just that its moch more sturdy than the aluminum powerbooks. below is the link to one of the upgrade cards

http://daystartechnology.com/product..._G4_pismo.html

[[APi]TheMan]

Originally posted by rag on a muffin:
you could get a pismo and a g4 upgrade card i think the pismo is supposed to be quite sturdy. my 10 year old cousin has one, and it is great for him. he drops it all the time and still works. im not saying you should be playing frisbee with it, just that its moch more sturdy than the aluminum powerbooks. below is the link to one of the upgrade cards

http://daystartechnology.com/product..._G4_pismo.html

*ahem* The 1ghz G3 upgrade for the Pismo is better... I had a 900Mhz in my Pismo 400, it was awesome. Then I got this 1.25Ghz 15"...

It's from Powerlogix: http://powerlogix.com/products/g3_pismo/index.html

[Lateralus]

Agreed. The 750GX 1GHz upgrade would devour any G4 Pismo upgrade.

And on the subject of the Pismo: I would just like to say that it is the greatest notebook ever built.