Filed under: Odds and ends, Blast From the Past
Daddy, where do Macs go when they die?
Personally, I've never thrown away a Mac. I've always had someone to give or sell it to. I suppose it's a testament to the longevity of each unit.
The first Mac I owned, a Performa 6400, went to a friend of mine in Albuquerque. It had a good life: I installed a G3 upgrade card in its personality slot when its 603e processor wasn't cutting it anymore. I don't reckon she's using it still, though.
After that, I bought a Power Mac G4 with a 17-inch Studio Display (in matching graphite, of course). My aunt and uncle are still using that computer, and it's running just fine for the basic email and web browsing they need. It's probably more than they'll ever need, come to think of it.
Then came my iMac G5, which I sold to my previous employer for $500 or so. They sort of ... uh ... downsized after I left, so I'm not sure if it's being used right now. It runs great, though. I installed a new power supply in it a month or two before I sold it.
My MacBook and Intel iMac are running great for me right now, though, and I have no idea how they'll spend their retirement after they've done their bit for king and country.
Where have your old Macs gone? Schools? Parents? Kids? Share your misty-eyed memories of Macs past in comments.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
TriangleJuice said 7:09PM on 8-13-2008
iBook G3 > sold
iBook G4 1 > sold
iBook G4 2 > gave it to ex-girlfriend
MacBook Pro 1 > sold
MacBook Pro 2 > sold
MacBook Pro 3 > typing on it ;-)
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Rubbinz said 7:16PM on 8-13-2008
As long as it works, I keep it. Once it dies a horrible death, I take it out to the range and plug it up with my M4 like all my other dead tech.
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macfreak109 said 7:21PM on 8-13-2008
My Macs go to my ever growing collection...I own over 100 Apple machines as of today (some can be seen under http://www.teusch.lu/applecollection/apple.html), even one AppleIIe signed by Woz!
So, before throwing something out, you may check with some collectors around you... ;-)
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Frank said 12:18AM on 8-14-2008
hey, i have an apple IIe signed by woz, too! i wonder how many he's signed over the years...
Rob said 7:59PM on 8-13-2008
My PowerMac G5 is about to find new life as a Leopard server... My MacBook Pro will go to my partner... They will basically stay in service until they completely die.
I only throw away hardware when it totally dies... Other than that, it goes to a family member or gets donated to education.
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moo083 said 7:27PM on 8-13-2008
Lets see. My PowerMac 7600/120 went to my dad's friend. I sold my 8500/120 on a Mac auction site that no longer exists, in the days when eBay hadn't totally dominated yet.
I gave my PowerMac G4/450 to my cousin (yes, I know I sorta skipped that whole G3 thing).
I still have my Powerbook G4 Titanium 1 Ghz. I use it as a file/web/media/backup/printer server. Who ever said that old computers were useless?
My current Macbook Pro will probably end up as permanently hooked into my HDTV when I get a new one and it will work essentially as a media device.
I can't use the Powerbook for that because I want 1080p, which the Powerbook can't handle, and it also spits out a bunch of ugly green lines all over the screen when using the DVI output.
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DJOZERO1 said 7:37PM on 8-13-2008
I had a Performa 575 (I wish I never gave it away to my cousin), a Powerbook G3 that I still have but does not power up, and a Powerbook G4 Ti which is still alive and kicking. I won't give away my Powerbooks when I upgrade to new Mac.
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Cormier6083 said 7:34PM on 8-13-2008
I never throw away my tech.
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EricW said 7:36PM on 8-13-2008
After almost seven years of using them at work, I finally transitioned to a Mac for home use when the Intel MacBooks were introduced two years ago. Unfortunately, I've changed jobs and I'm back to using Windows at work. I'm strongly considering buying a new Mac next month depending on what's updated on the new models. A new hard drive on my current MacBook would be cheaper, but I'm not sure I can resist the new shiny (okay, brushed) aluminum enclosure, among other things. Besides, after showing my mother my laptop over Christmas last year, she's once again curious and open to having one for herself. I could give her my current MacBook -- being able to log on via iChat and walk her through problems she might have would be a big plus.
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Kyle Hance said 7:38PM on 8-13-2008
I'm still on my first Mac. It's a PowerMac G4... My grandpa gave it to me when my uncle gave him a newer PowerMac G4.... And mine was given to my grandpa by my aunt after she got a new computer (a pc....). And I'll pass this G4 down to my sister (who's in 7th grade- it's more than adequate for her) after I get myself a MacBook Pro (hopefully in the next months.... the G4 isn't quite cutting it for video editing anymore...). So, considering the fact that this G4 is about 7 years old and still chugging, and the only thing been changed is a new hard drive and more memory, it's a true testimony to the longevity of Macs!
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Chris Tutor said 8:11PM on 8-13-2008
I still own every Mac I ever bought including:
IIsi
Powerbook Duo 240
beige G4
iMac G5 Rev. A
MacBook Pro 2.4ghz
Then there are the multiple Macs I've inherited from people, saved from dumpsters and rescued from thrift stores. Including two Newtons and a Color Classic.
After using one for 8 years or more, they become more than machines for me and I just can't bring myself to get rid of one.
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Kevin said 7:46PM on 8-13-2008
Most of mine are still in storage. I've got an old SE that is still in the attic along with my Power Mac 6500. I've even picked up a few old macs that joined them after being used by my sibblings. My Mac mini is still in use as a ad hoc media center in my bed room thanks to my new Macbook
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Nonsanity said 7:50PM on 8-13-2008
I've got a closet-full from a Mac Plus onward. If anyone wants any, just pay the shipping and they are yours. So the old answer to the question is: I put them in a closet. And the new answer is: I try to give them away on TUAW. :)
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Mike S said 11:14PM on 8-13-2008
Any eMacs?
nickmontes said 1:54AM on 8-14-2008
ohh Anything good in there? I'm willing to pay ;)
OmniGeno said 7:47PM on 8-13-2008
Personally, my first Mac was a 2003 Power Mac G4 MDD, which I'm still using now. But my family has had Macs forever. First a IIci, which my dad sold to someone for about $300 along with an awesome external CD-ROM drive (whoo-hoo!). Then we had a Performa 6400/200, which my dad just _gave away_ to a coworker so he could use the power supply. I wasn't too happy, but hey, it was his computer.
My dad's current computer is a Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics). Dunno what'll happen with that one.
I actually inherited a Mac Classic about 6 years ago when I graduated high school. The journalism classroom had it sitting around. Technically, I think it was property of the district (shh!) but I think I can probably find a better home for it than the school.
btw, anyone want to buy a fully functional Mac Classic? :)
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Chase said 7:48PM on 8-13-2008
My Closet/basement/still being used
Performa 550- basement (still set-up and working)
iMac G3 Lime Green - my closet, still working
iMac G4 - kitchen, still used daily by my Dad
Powerbook 12" - kitchen, still used daily by my Mom
iBook 12" x2 - sisters' rooms, still used daily
Macbook - sister's room, still used daily
Macbook Pro 15"- typing on currently
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Mathew Duggan said 7:55PM on 8-13-2008
First mac I ever bought was an iBook G4 for college that still is running great. My Aluminum iMac I sold because I missed the portability of a laptop and bought a MacBook used off of craigslist which is still running great a year later. However I might sell them both for a new aluminum MacBook....
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Alex said 7:54PM on 8-13-2008
I actualy collect old Apple computers. I especialy like ones with MacOS 8.x and before. So i can play Afterdarks. Lunatic Fringe game/screensaver. So for some things i still use the old ones.
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OmniGeno said 8:26PM on 8-13-2008
Heck yeah! Lunatic Fringe was awesome! Guess that's why I later took to Escape Velocity, which reminded me of LF a ton.