general forum advice on pre-loved purchase

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Level 1

15 points

general forum advice on pre-loved purchase

My elderly and fairly techno-resistant Mum has recently discovered that several of her friends not only have emails and phone but they use them too-

So, she has accepted my old iPod Touch which is plugged into her car, and she can use the steering wheel to chose music... though it tends to be left on random- she brings it once every few weeks to 'swap' out music... so far I'm just adding all the time- Katie Melua, Tom Jones, Cliff Richard, Sam Smith, The Beatles & Suzie Quattro stand out... 😁

She's also accepted my old iPad 1st generation, and after a kerfuffle of refusal to accept why it wouldn't accept her fingers (long nails) and the introduction of a rather nice stylus- she's put her address, telephone and birthday books on, and has taken to surfing, emailing and even ordering flowers for friends birthdays like a duck to water (slight misunderstanding about why exactly iTunes wanted her card details! but we got there!)

In addition she now has an iPhone 5c (because it's 'that green' she likes!) now all fully decked out with violent green leather accessories (everything has green leather accessories! haha!)

Everything is linked together, and she has an iCloud email and everything!

She's becoming fond of Apple- Father has iPad and a Mac, so he can explain things- in conjunction with "iPad & Mac for the over 50's"

BUT her now 15+ year old Laptop is 'outside' the iCloud circle for emails and updates and editing of things on the iPad, and doesn't have contact updating, this is becoming an issue as she can only understand one operating system- it is also very slow and has lots of popups about updates and viruses!

I've been offered an elderly 2004 Apple iBook G4 for £50 ($75) or a 2010 Macbook for £180 ($270) But WHICH do I Choose- they're both via a friend- in mint condition, clean and latest operating system they will run & he will even set all her devices together if needed.

She uses her device for emails, writing a letter at Christmas, and to get her photos in order- she'd also want to be able to print pictures or scan them in from the print/scanner- maybe do a little light photo editing using a home version of Adobe Photo- cropping colour edit and red eye I guess!

My Question: Should I buy the slightly more expensive 2010 or just the cheap 2004 one- she's not fussed about speed or latest bits and bobs particularly, and has an external drive.

Thanks! I know it's not really a question- but I thought it'd be interesting what people thought!

NB which ever I choose I have to claim it was the £50 one!!

Posted on Mar 8, 2015 6:56 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

a brody

Level 10

83,101 points

Mar 8, 2015 9:19 AM in response to dingopuppy

The 2010 is a far better buy. 2004 Mac is harder to find hardware for, and harder to find software for. Apple changed their hardware drastically in 2006. So I'd go for the 2010. As long as the original installer discs are included. Because March 15, 2010 and newer Macs will not use any older installer discs, including the retail 10.6 installer disc that is currently available, and you have to contact AppleCare to get the correct discs if they still have them. Be sure to read my tip*:

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

* Links to my pages may give me compensation.

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Answer 2

John Galt

Level 10

141,454 points

Mar 8, 2015 9:20 AM in response to dingopuppy

I've been offered an elderly 2004 Apple iBook G4 for £50 ... he will even set all her devices together if needed.

That last part is very important: you will not be able to use an iBook to sync your Mum's iPhone 5c. I'm not 100% certain about the first generation iPad, but I'm pretty sure it's out of the question also, and it definitely is if it's running an updated iOS version (the latest for it is iOS 5).

The 2010 MacBook will be OK, but you should know that purchasing a used Mac is a task best left to very experienced Mac users. For example, it is a practical impossibility to transfer ownership of it with the latest operating system already installed as you described. It's always been a condition of Apple's end user license Agreement that the Mac must be restored to its factory original configuration before transferring it to someone else, but recent OS X versions have turned what used to be a mere legal distinction into an insurmountable obstacle. Both seller and buyer have to understand those implications thoroughly, lest both of them become angry at one another leaving your Mum in the middle of it.

To correctly sell or transfer ownership of a Mac, even to someone in your family, you should follow these instructions. Pay close attention to Step 5. The MacBook Pro's original grey discs must be included and accompany the Mac for its entire life, until such time it is permanently decommissioned, recycled, destroyed, or otherwise disposed of as scrap.

Disregard anything you are unable to accomplish.

Refer to What to do before selling or giving away your Mac

If you enabled FileVault, disable it in System Preferences > Security & Privacy.
"Deauthorize" your iTunes account. Same for Audible if you have one.
System Preferences > iCloud > de-select "Back to My Mac" and "Find my Mac".
Sign out of iCloud. Select "Delete from Mac" when it appears.

Next: Remove all your personal information by completely erasing the Mac's internal storage.

If your Mac shipped with a grey System Install DVD, start your Mac with that disc inserted in the optical drive while holding the c key to boot from it instead of its internal volume, which should be erased before selling it.
If your Mac did not ship with discs, boot OS X Internet Recovery:
- using three fingers press and hold the following keys: ⌘(command), option, and R.
- With a fourth finger press the power button to turn on the Mac.
- Keep the other three fingers where they are until you see the "spinning globe" icon.
- This method forces the Mac to download its originally installed OS from Apple's servers, which will not require an Apple ID to install.
Remove any Open Firmware password if you created one: select Firmware Password Utility from the Utilities menu and remove it.
Select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
Remove any partitions you may have created.
Select the Mac's hard disk icon, then select the "Erase" tab.
Select the "Security Options" button and erase the disk.
- The more "securely" you erase the disk, the longer it will take.
- The fastest method is sufficient since all but the most expensive techniques and equipment will be able to recover securely erased data.
When it finishes, quit Disk Utility.
Select Install Mac OS X from the Utilities menu.
- An Apple ID will not be required. If a prompt for an Apple ID appears, return to Step 5.
- Do not create any user accounts.
When it finishes, shut down the computer.
If you want to install the bundled apps that were included with your Mac, restart by using your Applications DVD if one was included, and install the bundled apps.
Apps bundled with newer Macs that shipped without discs cannot be transferred. Its new owner must purchase them from the Mac App Store using his or her own Apple ID.

If the Mac is being sold to someone outside the family consider the following additional information:

System Install DVDs that came with your Mac should remain with it forever, and must be included with the sale.
Consider including your AppleCare certificate if you bought it, printed documentation, even the box if you still have it.
AppleCare stays with the equipment and is transferable.
Execute a bill of sale showing the Mac's serial number.
Once no longer in your possession, remove the Mac from your devices in My Support Profile.

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