bushkanaka86
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: These iBooks worth repairing?

Hello,

 

I recently came into possession of 4 iBooks from a school trying to get rid of them. I'm trying to figure out if they are worth fixing or not. Basically, I would like them to be able to stream Netflix, browse Facebook, and check email. 3 of them are G3 and one is a G4. They have RAM ranging from 128 MB to 384 MB and either 20 or 30 GB hard drives. They seem to all be running Tiger 10.4.11.

 

Unfortunately, with that OS, I can't seem to download Microsoft Silverlight which prevents them from streaming Netflix. In addition, They can't connect to any WiFi with a password so in order to get online, there has to be a guest network or the password has to be turned off.

 

I see on Ebay that people are selling similar iBooks for between $45-140 but they are also selling the parts for just as much.

 

I need at least 1 of them to work well for a relative but the other 3 can either be repaired and sold or parted out and sold.

 

Is it worth:

-Upgrading the OS

-Increasing Hard drive size

-Increasing RAM

 

Or none of the above?

 

Thanks for any advice you can give!

iBook, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Dec 28, 2015 11:22 PM

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bushkanaka86

Q: These iBooks worth repairing?

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  • by a brody,

    a brody a brody Dec 29, 2015 3:46 PM in response to bushkanaka86
    Level 9 (66,865 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Dec 29, 2015 3:46 PM in response to bushkanaka86

    No iBook will run Netflix.

     

    They can browse Facebook, although may have significant problems playing certain videos, and they can check e-mail.

     

    See this link about web browsers*:

     

    http://www.macmaps.com/browser.html

     

    You need an Intel Mac to run Netflix, or use any modern video format.  That includes MacBooks, MacBook Pros, and MacBook Airs*, and can get any of those used or refurbished for less than new:

    http://www.macmaps.com/usedrefurbished.html

     

    * Links to my pages may give me compensation.

  • by bushkanaka86,

    bushkanaka86 bushkanaka86 Dec 29, 2015 6:59 PM in response to a brody
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 29, 2015 6:59 PM in response to a brody

    Even if I upgraded the OS and was able to download Silverlight it wouldn't be able to play Netflix?

  • by a brody,

    a brody a brody Dec 30, 2015 7:22 AM in response to bushkanaka86
    Level 9 (66,865 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Dec 30, 2015 7:22 AM in response to bushkanaka86

    That's correct.  The Silverlight version that is compatible with Netflix is only available for Intel Macs.   That was the craziest decision by Netflix I agree, but that's what they made when they first started.  Here's what's even stranger, a Powerbook G3/233 could manage 320x240 video at full screen with Quicktime Sorensen compression.    And yet Netflix did not seem to think it worth to connect older PowerPC Macs.