Does this PowerBook G4 have wifi?

Question

Does this PowerBook G4 have wifi?

Hello everyone,

I apologize for the lack of details, but I had a question about an old PowerBook I was considering buying. I've always wanted a cheap older Mac to just play around with (old GarageBand and Marathon, mostly) and I found one on Craigslist that looks good enough for me, but I'm worried it might not have wifi right away.

The listing is here: http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/sys/5002860144.html

The guy selling it provides some decent details about the laptop, but when I called him to ask if it had wifi he said he wasn't sure as he never used it. (Nice older guy, seemed kinda confused - guess he'd never tried it out.

Going by the stats, is anyone able to tell me if this laptop has wifi in it, or will I have to buy an adapter? If I do, will any USB wifi adapter work or does it specifically need to be an Airport?

Thanks in advance!

iMac, Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier

Posted on May 31, 2015 2:21 PM

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Answer 1

May 31, 2015 2:25 PM in response to PrinceOfBrains

It shows that it does, PowerBook G4 - Technical Specifications

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Answer 2

Niel

Level 10

726,755 points

May 31, 2015 2:26 PM in response to PrinceOfBrains

It’s impossible to tell based on the information posted. If you can, ask the seller to open the Apple System Profiler or choose About this Mac from the Apple menu, click on More Info, and look it up.

(128121)

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Answer 3

May 31, 2015 3:16 PM in response to Niel

He seemed a little...gun-shy about giving any more information, but I may bear this information in mind when I go take a look at it. Thanks!

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Answer 4

K Shaffer

Level 7

34,966 points

May 31, 2015 4:57 PM in response to PrinceOfBrains

If the machine really is the build series model of the era its said to be:

•PowerBook G4: (1GHz -or- 867MHz)

Introduced November 2002

Discontinued September 2003

Model Identifier PowerBook3,5

Model Number A1025

EMC 1931

Order Number M8858LL/A (867 MHz) or M8859LL/A (1.0 GHz)

Built-in Memory: None

Maximum Memory 1.0 GB

Memory Slots 2 - PC-133 3.3V 144-pin SO-DIMM

Minimum Speed 10 ns

Wi-Fi : Optional (867 MHz) -or- Built-in (1.0 GHz) AirPort card (802.11b)

So the unit could have the optional airport wi-fi card option included, or not.

(The last model PowerBookG4 & iBookG4 had different wi-fi card on logic board

and it was not located under the keyboard, as earlier models had been.)

With a RAM upgrade potential of only 1024MB total, this would be a bit slow

if upgraded to or running OS X Leopard 10.5.8, as that prefers more RAM.

Good luck in any event...! 🙂

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Answer 5

a brody

Level 10

82,841 points

May 31, 2015 5:06 PM in response to K Shaffer

I would also add that 802.11b WiFi is nice if you are in a rural neighborhood, but don't expect any security or blazingly fast WiFi speeds. 802.11b is limited WEP encryption (hardly any, most secure sites use WPA2), and 11 Mbps speed, which would slow down the wireless speed of any other devices on the network should you decide to share it on an existing higher speed WiFi network. You are better off with an ethernet wireless 802.11g or better bridge, connecting the Powerbook via ethernet to the bridge. Many offer wireless sharing with higher speed networks. The pre-September 2003 Powerbooks also did not have USB 2, so your USB would be as limited as the WiFi on it.

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