PowerBook lifespan

[nicomendoza]

How long would my PowerBook G4 15" 1.33GHz last? I bought it a month ago, and I just wanted to have an idea how long it would be before (a) it's not "in" anymore, and (b) it becomes unusable due to insufficient power. I don't use this for my graphic work (Power Mac G5 for that), only for word processing, e-mails and presentations (Quicktime and Keynote stuff).

[penmanila]

for the uses you specify, it could last at least five years, subject only to how well you care for it and how well the hardware holds up. (get applecare if you can afford it-check out "applecare" in the search box for all the arguments pro and con).

i have a writer-friend who still uses his ca. 1995 powerbook 1400c for daily work (word processing and email); i have lots of duos from the early 1990s that still work.

as for being "in", no point worrying about it, because laptops fade fast in the innovation dept.--maybe 18 months? don't get caught in the "latest and greatest" craze, unless you have the cash, or you'll be upgrading every year. enjoy your machine--that's a great one. my 12" albook's been serving me well every day since february 2003, as has my ibook since may 2001.

for word processing alone, the human brain and our typing fingers will never be as fast as even a pre-PowerPC processor.

[brain1976]

A true mac never dies!

My dad's powerbook Pismo G3 purchased in 2000 still works and he's a really rugged user.

[nicomendoza]

Thanx for the help dudes! I'm more comfortable now knowing that it'll last (and longer than any PC I ever used before - 2 years tops)! I was doing a little brainstorm on how much I'd have to get for next year's equipment - great thing I wouldn't need to worry about replacing my Powerbook; should use the money for I dunno...

[penmanila]

use the money for applecare, which could be around P20K (maybe less) for 2 extra years of warranty--just buy yourself some peace of mind. some local apple dealers might also bundle an extra two years' warranty for a little more than the base price of the machine. take that deal if you can get it.

[nicomendoza]

Yeah, I guess I should. I didn't buy Applecare the first time out because I wasn't sure if I was going to be retiring my PB quick or not. Well, now I guess it'll be staying with me for a long time so I certainly would get Applecare. It's $299 in the online Apple Store (I think), so I should be going online there now. Thanks again for all the advice!

[penmanila]

find out how much applecare is here, if you bought your PB here, and buy it locally if the price differential isn't so great--it'll save you a lot of trouble registering it later on. as i mentioned in another thread, product registrations (including applecare) seem to be region-bound, with serial nos. being recognized only within the region--so that a US-bought applecare policy won't register when paired with an asia-bought p'book.

and this may have changed, but the last time i got applecare from the US, it applied only to US/canada-bought products.

[nicomendoza]

I wasn't able to read your post since I already bought Applecare last night But great news - I was able to register it!