The Apple Macintosh PowerBook 180 featured a 33 MHz 68030 processor, 4 MB of RAM, either an 80 MB or 120 MB hard drive, and an internal 1.44 MB floppy drive. The screen was a 9.8-inch grayscale active-matrix display.
The PowerBook 180 supported 4-bit grayscale on the the built-in display, and it allowed 8-bit color when plugged into an external monitor.
Because the laptop supported an external color screen, included a fast processor for the time, and supported a 120 MB hard drive, this PowerBook was the first Macintosh laptop that could replace a desktop with no compromises. In fact, the PowerBook 180 was equivalent in performance to the Macintosh LC III+, also available at the time.
The PowerBook 165c was the third in a series of PowerBook 160 laptops (160, 165, and 165c). The laptop featured a 33 MHz 68030 processor, 4 MB of RAM, either an 80 MB or 160 MB hard drive, and an internal 1.44 MB floppy drive.
The screen was an 8.9-inch color passive-matrix display. The “c” in the PowerBook 165c name referred to the color screen that supported 8-bit color on both the internal display and on an external monitor. The laptop could support a dual or mirrored display, the first PowerBook to offer this capability.
The PowerBook 165c was among the first, but not the first color Macintosh laptop. The PowerBook Duo 210 and 230 were the first color Macintosh laptops that were released four months before the PowerBook 165c.
The PowerBook 140 was released along with the PowerBook 100, 140, and 170—three new Macintosh laptop models that were mobile in addition to being portable. The lineup replaced the Macintosh Portable, a very bulky device that weighed in at 16 pounds and was 4 inches thick.
The PowerBook 140 featured a 16 MHz 68030 processor, 2 MB or 4 MB of RAM, a 20 MB or a 40 MB hard drive, and an internal 1.44 MB floppy drive. The screen measured 9.8 inches in a monochrome passive-matrix display.
Unlike Macintosh computers at the time that were controlled by a mouse, the built-in input device on the PowerBook 100-family laptops was a trackball with an upper and lower button. Each button had the same function and two were provided for the benefit of ergonomics for the user to select which to use.
The introductory price for this laptop was $3,199.
The iBook G3/366 Special Edition (SE) shares the same Apple model number as the original “clamshell” iBook, but has a few upgraded internal specifications. The iBook SE increased the processor power to 366 MHz and shipped with 64 MB of RAM and a 6.0 GB hard drive.
The SE was also offered in a more conservative case color that Apple referred to as “graphite and ice.”
The iBook G3/366 is similar to the original iBook G3/300 in design, but adds two new colors, a single FireWire port, and several internal upgrades.
The iBook G3/366 featured a 366 MHz G3 processor, 64 MB RAM, a 10.0 GB hard drive, a 24X tray-loading CD-ROM drive, and a 12.1-inch display at 800×600. This example is in indigo, a color Apple selected likely due to the popularity of the indigo iMac at the time. It also introduced a new hybrid A/V port that allowed composite audio/video out capabilities using a proprietary cable.
I remember when this laptop was released and it quickly became my “go to” device for portable video creation in iMovie for its faster processor and FireWire capabilities. It was among the first consumer-level laptops that began to feel like it had similar capabilities to the desktops at the time.
The iBook G3/366 is similar to the original iBook G3/300 in design, but adds two new colors, a single FireWire port, and several internal upgrades.
The iBook G3/366 featured a 366 MHz G3 processor, 64 MB RAM, a 10.0 GB hard drive, a 24X tray-loading CD-ROM drive, and a 12.1-inch display at 800×600. This iBook is in key lime, an extremely vibrant shade of neon green.
The iBook G3/300 was released as a relatively low-cost portable Mac for consumers. Its radical design was available in blueberry and tangerine, two of the five colors available for iMac at the time. The design is sometimes referred to as the “clamshell.”
The iBook shipped with 32 MB or 64 MB of RAM, a 3.2 GB or 6.0 GB hard drive, and a 12.1-inch TFT active matrix display at 800×600. The case featured a handle on the back that folded out when in use and sprang back into place.
Although portable Mac options were not new at the time with years of PowerBook models that preceded the iBook, Wi-Fi was still not common in 1999. The iBook was available with an optional AirPort wireless networking card. Many consumers who purchased an iBook also likely needed an AirPort Base Station to plug into their modem to set up their first home wireless network.
This example is a tangerine iBook, complete with an internal AirPort wireless networking card.
Following the success of the original iMac, the iBook G3/300 was released as portable Mac for consumers with a radical design. The original iBook was available in blueberry and tangerine, two of the five colors available for iMac at the time. The design is sometimes referred to as the “clamshell.”
The iBook shipped with 32 MB or 64 MB of RAM, a 3.2 GB or 6.0 GB hard drive, and a 12.1-inch TFT active matrix display at 800×600. The case featured a handle on the back that folded out when in use and sprang back into place.
Although portable Mac options were not new at the time with years of PowerBook models that preceded the iBook, Wi-Fi was still not common in 1999. The iBook was available with an optional AirPort wireless networking card. Many consumers who purchased an iBook also likely needed an AirPort Base Station to plug into their modem to set up their first home wireless network.
My first full-time technology director position in a school district is where I first encountered the iBook and AirPort Base Station. The Director of Special Education had purchased an iBook for each Special Education teacher to assist in supporting students with Individualized Educational Plans and deal with the extensive paperwork that is required. Although it is fairly commonplace now for teacher and students to have a technology device assigned to them, in 1999–2000 this practice was considered quite innovative.
This example is a blueberry iBook, complete with an internal AirPort wireless networking card. In my experience, schools in my area tended to purchase the blueberry iBook over the tangerine option.
After the original iMac which was available only in “Bondi” blue, a second and third generation of CRT iMac using the same basic design became available in five colors. While the original Bondi blue Mac was a greenish blue and named after a popular Australian surfing beach, the second and third generation were named for fruit colors: lime, strawberry, blueberry, grape, and tangerine. Although the colors were named for fruits, the shades were arguably unfruitlike. Like the original iMac, the case was translucent, rather than completely transparent.
This blueberry iMac example is a G3/333MHz model very similar to the 266 MHz “Revision B” iMac that preceded it in the same year (1999). This iMac G3/333 had a larger hard drive and lacked the “Mezzanine” port.
Also note that this iteration of iMac included a matching Apple USB Keyboard (M2452) and Apple USB Mouse (M4848). The mouse was often criticized for its circular, “hockey puck” shape with critics claiming it was difficult to locate the top button since the shape was a circle. In this revision, Apple added a dimple to the top of the mouse to help address this issue.
Apple originally released the MacBook in 2006 as a followup to the iBook line of laptops. The MacBook was the first laptop to use the MagSafe connector, a power connector that attached to the laptop with a magnet that easily broke free to prevent the power cord from pulling the laptop off a table or a lap.
I own both a black and white version of the first-generation MacBook. White MacBook laptops have two finishes: the outer case is glossy and prone to light scratches; the inside is a flatter and has a less reflective white finish.
