iBook advice for a friend
Okay, a friend of mine bought a refurbished 700 MHz/Combo iBook about two weeks ago, not knowing about the upcoming refresh (he thought it probably wouldn't be until next year, and he didn't want to wait that long). He paid $1300 for it.
Today he called MacWarehouse and they said they have a 15% restocking fee, meaning he'd get back about $1100. Of course, he's really disappointed about getting the iBook so soon before the update. Anyway, he's wondering if it's worth it to restock the iBook and buy a new middle-end 12" one - meaning, effectively, he will have paid $1500 for the new one, instead of $1300.
I'm thinking it is probably worth it, because the video card is much better. The 100 MHz faster speed isn't a big deal, only 14% and this time it isn't a newer, better G3 chip, it's the same one. I told him it would probably last a year longer before becoming too obsolete, because of the extra VRAM.
Today he called MacWarehouse and they said they have a 15% restocking fee, meaning he'd get back about $1100. Of course, he's really disappointed about getting the iBook so soon before the update. Anyway, he's wondering if it's worth it to restock the iBook and buy a new middle-end 12" one - meaning, effectively, he will have paid $1500 for the new one, instead of $1300.
I'm thinking it is probably worth it, because the video card is much better. The 100 MHz faster speed isn't a big deal, only 14% and this time it isn't a newer, better G3 chip, it's the same one. I told him it would probably last a year longer before becoming too obsolete, because of the extra VRAM.
Comments
As far as what he uses it for, the reason he got an iBook is because he needs a portable but he can't afford a TiBook. Believe me, if he could afford a TiBook, he would have gotten one. He wants to get the better one because he likes gaming. One thing he is thinking of doing is using the $200 towards an XBox instead of the upgrade for the iBook. He'd still be short on HD room, but he wouldn't need the latest and greatest graphics card that way.
I don't agree with you in saying that "if he wanted good gaming, why'd he get an iBook?" He needed a portable, he can't afford a TiBook, and he kinda wants to be able to game on the same machine instead of having to buy a separate console.
the only thing is would he rather use the $200 for an external hard drive?
the "old" one only at 8x
combine that with the larger hard drive, and $200 is not sounding too bad
If your friend loves games, this will be great. ANd QE will be much smoother and quicker.
20Gb may not be alot of space nowdays, but it is more than enough to store lotsa music and a few movies.
But he still looks at it and thinks, "WHY must you exist!?" It must be really frustrating, especially since there is no way to upgrade the graphics and it's difficult to upgrade the HD.