According to Apple, this AirPort Extreme (Generation 3) provided “simultaneous dual-band wireless 802.11n networking. When you set up your AirPort Extreme Base Station, it creates two high-speed Wi-Fi networks.”
The AirPort Extreme Generation 3 had 5 ports:
1 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet Wide Area Network (WAN) port (for DSL/cable modem)
3 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet Local Area Network (LAN) (for Ethernet devices, such as printers or computers)
1 USB port (for a USB printer, hard disk, or hub)
This device is packaged as an Apple Service part and does not include the retail packaging. The box, labeled Part Number 661-4908, contains the three parts needed to repair or replace the device including a power adapter, a power plug (North America), and a base station.
This AirPort Extreme model was available for less than 8 months before it was replaced by the Generation 4 model. It measured 6.5 x 6.5 inches square and was 1.3 inches tall. It weighed 1.66 pounds.
The MacBook Pro 13-inch (Late 2011) used the Intel Core i5 “Sandy Bridge” 2.4 GHz processor with two cores. It had a 500 GB Serial ATA (5400 RPM) hard drive, a SuperDrive, an Intel HD Graphics 3000 graphics processor, and an integrated FaceTime HD webcam. Its display used an LED-backlit 13.3-inch widescreen TFT active-matrix glossy display (at 1280×800 resolution).
Wireless connectivity included AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1. Wired ports included Gigabit Ethernet, one Firewire 800 port, two USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out, an SDXC card slot, and a Thunderbolt port.
According to EveryMac, this laptop was identical to its predecessor, the MacBook Pro 13-inch (Early 2011) except for the faster processor. In fact, EveryMac indicated that this Late 2011 model was “quietly unveiled without a press release.”
This laptop was 0.95 inch high, 12.78 inches wide, 8.94 inches deep, and weighed 4.5 pounds. It originally shipped with OS X Lion.
The Titanium PowerBook G4 with DVD burning SuperDrive was introduced on November 6, 2002. The laptop had the industry’s first slot-loading SuperDrive optical drive that allowed reading and burning both CDs and DVDs. It included integrated 802.11 wireless networking and the fastest mobile graphics processor until that time (ATI Mobility Radeon 9000). It weighed 5.4 pounds in a 1-inch-thick Titanium enclosure with a widescreen 15.2-inch display.
Apple touted the Titanium PowerBook G4’s speed as equal to or faster than desktop computers of the time:
“Combined with the power of Apple’s UNIX-based Mac OS X version 10.2 ‘Jaguar,’ the new PowerBook G4 runs professional applications including Adobe Photoshop up to 44 percent faster than a 2.2 GHz Pentium 4-based notebook. The fastest PowerBook ever now offers even more incredible 3D graphics performance with the ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 graphics processor featuring up to 64MB of dedicated Double Data Rate (DDR) video SDRAM and advanced capabilities such as programmable pixel and vertex shading for lighting and shadow effects, photorealistic 3D performance and cinematic-quality video.”
This laptop version included a 867MHz G4 processor, 512MB RAM, a 40GB hard drive, 56K modem, and AirPort wireless networking. The Apple model number is A1025. When released, it was “aggressively priced at only $2,299.”
A LoweEndMac review noted that this PowerBook now offered “Closed Lid Mode,” and described the feature:
“TiBooks support ‘lid closed’ (or clamshell) mode, which leaves the built-in display off and dedicates all video RAM to an external display.” The same website indicates that this laptop was also nicknamed the “TiBook,” short for “Titanium PowerBook.”
Since the first Mac mini was released in 2005, all models have been compact, shipped without a display, keyboard, and mouse, and all have been relatively inexpensive.
The Mac mini (Late 2012) was described by EveryMac: “Compared to its predecessor, this model looks identical, but it has a faster internal architecture with a faster processor, faster graphics, faster RAM, and USB 3.0 ports.”
Its primarily aluminum case has a plastic bottom and measures 1.4 inches (3.6 cm) tall, 7.7 inches x 7.7 inches (19.7 cm) square, and weighs 2.7 pounds (1.22 kg).
The Mac mini (Late 2012) was offered with a 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 or 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor. It shipped with a 500GB or 1TB (5400-rpm) hard drive.
For a compact case, it had many physical plug options: Thunderbolt, FireWire 800 port, 4 USB 3 ports, HDMI, SDXC card slot, gigabit ethernet port, and audio in/out. Its 3 wireless interfaces included 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and an IR receiver.
In January 2001, Steve Jobs announced “the most revolutionary portable computer ever created”—the Titanium PowerBook G4. At the time, this laptop had Apple’s largest display and fastest processor. Apple stated that a “mega-wide display and blazingly fast PowerPC G4 processors make it the ultimate system for portable video editing using Apple’s iMovie…or Apple’s award-winning Final Cut Pro professional video editing, effects, and compositing software.” The display was a 15.2-inch TFT widescreen display.
The PowerBook G4 Titanium was given the unofficial nickname of “TiBook.” This particular PowerBook G4 Titanium model was released in December 2001 and was referred to as the “Gigabit TiBook” referring to its ultra-fast Gigabit (1000BASE-T) ethernet port (an upgrade from the previous model’s 100BASE-T ethernet port).
The PowerBook G4 Gigabit used a 667 MHz PowerPC 7440 G4 processor and was available with 256 MB or 512 MB SDRAM, and 30 GB hard drive. A slot-loading 6X DVD-ROM drive was located below and to the right of the trackpad on the front of the case. Overall, the PowerBook G4 Titanium was 1.1 inches thick, 13.4 inches wide, 9.5 inches deep, and weighed an average of 5.3 pounds.
Along with the original Titanium PowerBook G4, this model was known for its sometimes problematic hinge assembly that resulted in a broken hinge and/or display problems due to the video cable running through the left hinge. These quality issues were resolved in the third “DVI” iteration of this laptop.
Upon release, the design of the Titanium PowerBook G4 was a major departure from previous Apple laptops. Although its “Titanium” moniker referred to its internal chassis, the laptop’s exterior used two shades of silver metal—a design never repeated in an Apple laptop. Its mega-wide screen (at 1152×768 pixels) had a bezel smaller than current pro Mac laptops. Also, this was the first Apple laptop to feature an Apple logo that was “right way up” when the laptop lid was open—a design met with cheers from the Macworld audience when the laptop was first shown on stage.
This PowerBook G4 in my collection functions, but has a major dent in its trackpad and several cosmetic issues due to wear and tear.
The AirPort Extreme was a wireless base station that combined the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, Network-Attached Storage (NAS), and other features.
The AirPort Extreme Base Station Generation 4 (model A1354) was released in 2009 with a white, rounded-rectangle design that was similar to the look of the first-generation Mac mini and original Apple TV. AirPort Extreme Base Station Generations 1–5 shared the same design until a tower-like design was used for the final Generation 6 model.
The AirPort Extreme Base Station measured 6.5 inches square, 1.3 inches tall, and weighed 1.66 pounds. It supported 802.11a/b/g/n wireless network protocols.
The AirPort Extreme Base Station Generation 4 had the follwing interfaces:
One Gigabit Ethernet WAN port for connecting a DSL or cable modem
Three Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports for connecting computers or network devices
USB 2.0 port for connecting a USB printer or USB external hard drive
