G4 Powerbook Replacement Battery

[helentroy]

Hi. I'm in UK and would be grateful to know where I can get a replacement battery for my old 12" Aluminium Powerbook G4, Model no: A1079. The battery installed will no-longer charge and I can only use/boot if plugged into the mains. Any suggestions appreciated. HT

[DeltaMac]

There's several different sources at Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/APPLE-M9572G-L.../dp/B00025DZNM

[trevor]

I also recommend OWC: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Apple/Laptop/Batteries

They're not located in the UK, but I believe that they will happily ship there.

Trevor

[vanakaru]

Quote: Originally Posted by trevor I also recommend OWC: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Apple/Laptop/Batteries They're not located in the UK, but I believe that they will happily ship there. Trevor

I had an impossible experience with OWC few years ago when trying to buy something while in Europe. I had a US credit card(I am an american) that they refused to accept before I provided copy of my passport. utility bills and Social Security and what not. Since all my bills were handled electronically I was not able to comply and could not buy anything from them. Their customer service was one of the most arrogant I ever seen. And to give all that information to one company is pretty dangerous in my opinion.
So be aware.

[agentx]

I agree buy from UK you are protected by Sale of Goods act as well.

[aubreyapple]

I had good luck with Ebay batteries. They are Chinese knock offs and are not an exact perfect fit but have lasted quite a while. My son and I have both gone that route without regrets (so far). Considering the value of an old G4 (that is what I have too), spending >$100 for a battery seems inappropriate. That said, if you want a reliable, guaranteed source, Ebay is not the place.

[helentroy]

Thanks to all for your replies and comments to my question. This is one of the problems with batteries/consumables for old macs. It's frustrating as there doesn't seem to be a problem with the G4 save for the battery situation and it's still proving invaluable as it can read and edit saved material that is no longer compatible with current systems (PowerBookG4: Tiger). However, it looks like the cost of buying/shipping from US (and considering previous comment from vanakaru) it doesn't save that much if at all from buying direct within UK from a UK OWC reseller at just short of £100. If there are problems I'd rather deal with UK supplier and I'd would be prepared to outlay if I was confident that the battery was genuinely reliable/good quality etc rather then think to save a bit and have more problems that cost more in the long term.

[benwiggy]

Quote: Originally Posted by helentroy It's frustrating as there doesn't seem to be a problem with the G4 save for the battery situation and it's still proving invaluable as it can read and edit saved material that is no longer compatible with current systems (PowerBookG4: Tiger).

What format/software is this data? If it can't be read on a new computer, I would recommend that you export it to another format, which you can read on a new Mac, while you still have the G4.
The G4 will not last forever. Eventually, something will break and you will have to get a new computer. It's probably getting on for 10 years old. You don't want to rely on ageing hardware as the sole support for your data. What will you do WHEN the G4 dies?

Storing data long-term means regularly transferring to new hardware, and if necessary, to new data formats. However, there are very few formats of old that can't be read in some app today.

There was a post here recently about a guy trying to get data from floppy disks using his 20-year-old Mac SE. No network or internet capabilities on the SE; no floppy disks on an iMac. If he had moved to another machine ten years ago, he would be in better shape to migrate his data now.

[helentroy]

Yes- I am on it bewiggy but it takes time to check through everything etc. etc. All my software was for PowerPC and not Intel and I can't afford at this time new upgrade for everything. That's why I want this PowerBookG4 to run as long as it's possible with a new battery from a reputable source while I try to sort things out.

[trevor]

Apple includes a PPC emulator in all versions of OS X that run on Intel processors, up to and including Snow Leopard OS X 10.6.x. This PPC emulator is called Rosetta. Versions of OS X starting with Lion (OS X 10.7.x) do not include Rosetta. So if you buy a Mac with an Intel processor that runs Snow Leopard or earlier, your ancient software will still work.

Also, most software has been updated in the time between when it was first released and today, and includes code to run on Intel processors natively, meaning that Rosetta isn't even needed.

The fear that software will stop working if you have a Mac with an Intel processor is largely misplaced, although there will be some specific instances where it may be true--these specific instances are very rare, where software hasn't been updated in a LONG time and will never be updated, and doesn't run under Rosetta/newer versions of OS X for some reason.

Trevor

[helentroy]

Thanks trevor- I will look into that. I'd been thinking of importing Lion but hadn't got around to it yet so maybe that's a good thing if it means I can continue using my older software for a little longer.

[onceagain]

You might be better off in terms of expense just buying a used PBG4 from someone. It sucks, but sometimes that is how it goes.

I Sold my PBG4-12" for $100 last summer.

[ricede]

If this is the right one - it looks promising & the price is good http://www.amazon.co.uk/Battery-Appl.../dp/B002XD3KG8