Here's my story:
I've been a Wintel user for over 15 years but my workplace is asking me to become knowledgeable about macs, especially in it's installation, maintenance, upgrades and quirks.
I've decided I've gotten as much book learning as I can handle and now I need a mac to do some hands-on work. I'll mostly be compatibility testing the latest OS X updates and software releases plus the occasional experimenting on active directory network connectivity. I won't be doing extensive photo-editing
I've decided I want to get a used 12" powerbook or ibook because I'm a contractor and I'll need to lug it around wherever I go (in addition to my wintel machine).
My budget: $500-$600 US.
I'll need the following:
G3 or G4 processor
256MB ram minimum
20GB HD min.
DVD-ROM drive (or a combo drive)
Fast Ethernet
Airport (or AP extreme)
USB
Firewire
Must be capable of running Tiger
Preferable: ease in hardware upgrading
Questions:
1. Do you guys think the above configuration is adequate for what I need to do? If not please let me know.
2. Does my minimum hardware requirement listed above sound reasonable for the budget I've made?
3. Can anyone recommend any reputable used mac dealers that won't try to rip me off? Please understand I won't be buying from ebay or other auction sites. (I would definitely consider offers in my local area if someone has one for sale.)
4. Are there any certification exams for mac technicians or service engineers or anything like that? My boss is a certification freak and wasn't very helpful in pointing me in any particular direction.
Thanks for any advice you guys may have for me. Hopefully I can turn it around some day and help you guys with tech support.
I've been a Wintel user for over 15 years but my workplace is asking me to become knowledgeable about macs, especially in it's installation, maintenance, upgrades and quirks.
I've decided I've gotten as much book learning as I can handle and now I need a mac to do some hands-on work. I'll mostly be compatibility testing the latest OS X updates and software releases plus the occasional experimenting on active directory network connectivity. I won't be doing extensive photo-editing
I've decided I want to get a used 12" powerbook or ibook because I'm a contractor and I'll need to lug it around wherever I go (in addition to my wintel machine).
My budget: $500-$600 US.
I'll need the following:
G3 or G4 processor
256MB ram minimum
20GB HD min.
DVD-ROM drive (or a combo drive)
Fast Ethernet
Airport (or AP extreme)
USB
Firewire
Must be capable of running Tiger
Preferable: ease in hardware upgrading
Questions:
1. Do you guys think the above configuration is adequate for what I need to do? If not please let me know.
2. Does my minimum hardware requirement listed above sound reasonable for the budget I've made?
3. Can anyone recommend any reputable used mac dealers that won't try to rip me off? Please understand I won't be buying from ebay or other auction sites. (I would definitely consider offers in my local area if someone has one for sale.)
4. Are there any certification exams for mac technicians or service engineers or anything like that? My boss is a certification freak and wasn't very helpful in pointing me in any particular direction.
Thanks for any advice you guys may have for me. Hopefully I can turn it around some day and help you guys with tech support.
