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novaeily

Q: powerbookG4 + ipad help!

I just arrived in india, having purchased an ipad, and only bringing my powerbookG4, os 10.4.11. I will be here approximately 4 months...I did not find out until the day before left that they are not initially compatible, which left me no time to return the purchase...I know i need to get up to at least 10.5 os, and heard something about needing a 2.0 usb port on the powerbook...can anybody out there, who really knows what they are talking about, guide me to the best solution? I can have things mailed here...am looking for cheapest option. also, the electrical outlets are pretty dodgey here, does anyone know exactly what I have to add to my american electronics, so they don't fry? I brought adapters here and there, and none of them seem to work 100%

I have a two year old, and it is almost beyond my abilities to look after her and figure this out!

thank you!

powerbookG4, Mac OS X (10.4.11), ipad

Posted on Sep 15, 2010 9:27 PM

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Q: powerbookG4 + ipad help!

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  • by eww,Helpful

    eww eww Sep 16, 2010 4:07 PM in response to novaeily
    Level 9 (52,994 points)
    Sep 16, 2010 4:07 PM in response to novaeily
    Hi, novaeily, and welcome to Apple Discussions.

    If you have the original 12" Powerbook G4 with an 867MHz processor, its USB ports are USB 1.1, not USB 2. There's no way to add USB 2 ports to it.

    All the later 12" PB G4 models, with processor speeds of 1.0-1.5 GHz, have built-in USB 2 ports.

    Any 12" Powerbook G4 with 512MB or more of RAM can run OS X 10.5.8, the last iteration of Leopard. More RAM is better, up to the maximum of 1.25GB. You will need to buy a retail Leopard installer DVD, and you will need adequate space on your hard drive for the installation, leaving a bare minimum of 10% of the total space on the drive unused at all times after the OS is installed.

    Regarding your electrical power supply question, that might best be answered by tech-savvy friends in India who are familiar with the local power supply and its quirks. Ask what they use to protect their equipment.
  • by novaeily,

    novaeily novaeily Sep 17, 2010 9:16 PM in response to eww
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 17, 2010 9:16 PM in response to eww
    hello,

    my computer is 512, and is 2.0 usb, i checked. but it is 10.4.11. I am making this quick, but how do I go from 10.4.11 to 10.5.8? do I have to purchase and install 10.5, then upgrade to 10.5.8, online? I can buy the disc online, but need to know asap how to get specifically up to date, as I have time constraints and budget limits.

    thank you.
  • by S.U.,

    S.U. S.U. Oct 2, 2010 7:32 PM in response to novaeily
    Level 6 (8,360 points)
    Oct 2, 2010 7:32 PM in response to novaeily
    You will need to purchase a retail copy of the 10.5 disc and install it. Then you can update it to 10.5.8 on line. I think you can get to the 10.5.8 combo update by using Software Update. It will also be on the Apple downloads site.

    Ironically, I am looking into doing the exact same thing to accommodate an iPad.

    Good luck!
  • by Natalie Mitchell,

    Natalie Mitchell Natalie Mitchell Dec 20, 2010 3:54 PM in response to novaeily
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 20, 2010 3:54 PM in response to novaeily
    I just went through this. I could not find 10.5 in the Apple store, but I clicked live chat and was given a phone number to call. The guy who worked there also had a hard time finding it. The disk will update you to 10.5.6 and then you can go online and update to 10.5.8 (which is, by the way, the last time you will be able to update your OS before buying an Intel-based Mac).

    Good luck!