WTT (maybe): My 12" PowerBook for your X31/32 or X40/41

[asiafish]

I have a nice 12" PowerBook G4 with an 80GB 5400 RPM hard drive, built-in ABG wireless and Bluetooth, sudden motion sensor and DVDRW drive.

It has 256MB on the board and currently has a 1.0 GB PC2700 module in it that I would like to keep if trading for an X31, X32 or X40, or will leave inside if trading for an X41.

The PowerBook has a brand-new battery and is running OS X 105.5, though its original install disks (included) are for 10.3.7.

Looking for an even trade as I just spent a ton of money on my MacBook Pro and a bunch of desktop Macs and a Mac server for my office.

The MacBook is in good cosmetic condition, though it has the following issues (sorry, no digital camera, cannot provide pics).

It has two very visible and one not-as-visible white spots on the LCD. The largest and brightest of them is almost dead-center of the screen and is roughly 1/4 square. The pixels are not stuck or dead, just brighter than the rest of the screen, probably caused by pressure in my brief case.

There are numerous scratches on the aluminum case, though no dents that I have noticed. It is a metal laptop, so it will scratch easily.

The slot-loading DVDRW drive works great, but is a bit noisy.

That is it for issues. The machine comes with two batteries, a brand new one and an older one that still charges to about 80% capacity, but is missing the little rubber foot on the bottom (I stuck on a very different little rubber foot that makes the machine sit level with the old battery).

For anyone who has never used a 12" PowerBook, these are delightful machines. It is extremely small, about the same overall size as an X31, but includes a built-in slot-loading DVDRW drive, the same size and resolution screen (12" XGA) and a dedicated nVidia GeForce FX5200 GPU with 64MB of VRAM. It also has a very cool 3-speaker sound system that sounds far better than my 15" MacBook Pro or any T or R series ThinkPad that I've ever owned. It weighs 4.6 lbs and will easily run 4 hours or more on its battery with the scren dim and moderate power management. It will run 3 hours at full tilt.

Like all aluminum PowerBooks, it has an outstanding scissor-action keyboard that feels different, but every it as good as a ThinkPad keyboard. It also (or course) runs OS X, and like PowerBooks have done for years, it sleeps and wakes from sleep instantly and reliably.

Includes the original AC adapter that has the folding cord storage and a lighted tip that glows amber when the laptop is charging and green when fully charged.

What I would like in trade is a nice Banias or Dothan X series in good cosmetic condition. Scratches and a stuck/dead pixel here and there are fine, but absolutely no cracks, sloppy hinges, broken latches or missing feet. It must have at least BG wireless and Bluetooth would be nice, but isn't essential. Battery should still be green and run for 3 hours, or throw in some cash to the trade to allow me to obtain a new battery (remember, the PowerBook battery is brand new).

The PowerBook ha clearly been used, but has a lot of life left in it. It would make a great introduction to the Mac system. Machines like this typically fetch between $500 and $600 on eBay and range from pristine to totally thrashed. I would rate this one a 6.5 or 7/10, because of the white spots on the screen. Otherwise, it is in outstanding condition with only minor marks on the case. Definitely presentable.

[j-dawg]

If I had to buy an Apple laptop it would be one of these. I'd rather have the Intel processors, sure, but the form factor, design, and solid feel of this PowerBook are enough to trump that.