Tag: 1999

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PowerBook G3 400 (MHz) (“Lombard,” 1999)

The PowerBook G3/400 had a distinctive translucent bronze-colored keyboard and was often referred to by its codename, “Lombard.” The codename was a reference to its curvy case design reminiscent of the curvy Lombard Street in San Francisco. 

The bronze-keyboard PowerBook featured a 400 MHz PowerPC 750 (G3) processor, 64 MB of RAM, and a 6.0 GB hard drive, and a tray-loading 2X DVD-ROM drive. The screen was a 14.1-inch TFT active-matrix color display.

The PowerBook G3 bronze keyboard systems were approximately 20% thinner than earlier PowerBook G3 models, had a longer battery life, weighed substantially less, and added dual-display support. This was also the first “professional” PowerBook to drop the ADB and Mac serial ports for dual USB ports. However, the laptop retained the old SCSI port. 

Source: EveryMac.com

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iBook G3/300 (original, tangerine, 1999)

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.

Source: EveryMac.com

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iBook G3/300 (original, blueberry, 1999)

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.

Source: EveryMac.com

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iMac G3/333 (blueberry, 1999)

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.

Source: EveryMac.com