PowerBook G3 (original, 250 MHz, “Kanga,” 1997)

The PowerBook G3/250 is the first Apple laptop to use the G3 processor. It shipped with a 250 MHz G3 processor; contained 32 MB RAM and 2 MB VRAM; used a 5 GB hard drive; and had an internal 20X tray-loading CD-ROM drive. It included “hot-swappable” drive bays—drives could be swapped while the computer was running without restarting—and dual PC card slots. The display was a 12.1-inch color TFT active-matrix display at 800×600 resolution.

The design of the original PowerBook G3 is nearly identical to the PowerBook 3400 that proceeded it. The laptop included the 3400’s notable four-speaker sound system. It shipped with MacOS 8.0 and could be updated to a maximum of MacOS 9.1. Its average weight was 7.5 pounds.

Because of its G3 (third-generation) PowerPC 750 processor that included a backside level 2 cache, the laptop’s performance exceeded that of some desktop systems at the time. When released, its retail price was $5,700.

Source: EveryMac

PC Card storage module (for PowerBook 5300 series computers, 1995)

According to the Macintosh PowerBook User’s Guide for PowerBook 5300 series computers, this storage solution is called a “PC Card storage module.” This module is shown on page 2 of the manual in one of the labels of an annotated drawing of the PowerBook 5300.

The manual states: “PC Cards (also known as PCMCIA cards) are about the size of a thick credit card and have a 68-pin connector at one end. They come in many varieties, such as fax/modem cards, mass-storage cards, Ethernet connection cards, and wireless communication cards. You can use PC Cards to expand your Macintosh PowerBook’s capabilities.”

Later, the three types of PC Cards are explained: “There are three types of PC Cards. The different types refer to the thickness of the card. A Type I card is 3.3 millimeters (mm) thick, a Type II card is 5 mm thick, and a Type III card is 10.5 mm thick.”

The manual also provides details as to how to use a PC Card to connect to the three Apple online services available at the time when the Internet was just becoming widely used, AppleLink, Apple Remote Access (ARA), and eWorld. All three applications were available on the PowerBook 3400 Macintosh HD.

The PC Card storage module can store up to four Type I or Type II PC cards. It is used by sliding the module into the right or left module bay of the laptop.

Source: Apple

Newton MessagePad 100 (1993)

The Apple Newton MessagePad 100 was the same as the original Newton, but shipped with a newer version of the Newton operating system (Newton OS 1.2). All available Newton models included the MessagePad (Original MessagePad, OMP), followed by the MessagePad 100, 110, 120, 130, 2000, and 2100. In addition, the eMate 300 also ran the Newton OS.

The Newton MessagePad was the first device referred to as a “Personal Digital Assistant” (PDA). The MessagePad 100 was a handheld device with a 336×240 monochrome display that was touch-sensitive. Users could interact with the display with a stylus that came with the Newton stored in a compartment on the right side. The device used a 20 MHz ARM (Acorn RISC Machine) 610 processor and had a total of 604k of storage, although only 150k was usable. This Newton weighed just under 1 pound at 0.9 pounds.

The Newton MessagePad 100 could be plugged in to a Macintosh or Windows computer using a serial port connection, or data could be “beamed” to and from the device through infrared. It also had a PCMCIA card slot (later called a PC Card) accessed from the top to allow other programs to be run or the memory to be expanded.

The Newton was also among the first devices commercially available to use handwriting recognition as part of the operating system. However, this feature did not work well when first released, leading media and popular culture to ridicule and parody the feature. The Newton’s handwriting capabilities were featured on an episode of The Simpsons (“Lisa on Ice”) and in a week-long story of the Doonesbury comic strip by Garry Trudeau.

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1998, the Newton was one of the projects that was cancelled.

I used this Newton MessagePad 100 for 3 years while serving as a band director. This device allowed me to keep all my notes and contacts and I used it along with my Macintosh PowerBook 160. For the record, I did not experience the handwriting recognition issues with this device that were popular to reference at the time. In fact, I believe the Newton OS 1.2 handwriting recognition from around 1995 has the same, or better, accuracy than the “Scribble” text input on the Apple Watch in 2020.

Sources: EveryMac, Wikipedia

AirPort Base Station (original, 1999)

The original AirPort Base Station was released along with the original iBook (blueberry and tangerine) at the 1999 MacWorld conference and expo in New York City. An optional AirPort card was available for the iBook (a repackaged Lucent ORiNOCO Gold Card PC Card adapter) and this graphite AirPort Base Station provided one of the first consumer WiFi base stations that was relatively easy to set up and manage.

The original AirPort system including the AirPort card and AirPort Base Station allowed transfer rates up to 11 Megabits/second.

Soon after MacWorld, Apple began airing a TV commercial for the AirPort Base Station featuring a 1950s-style Sci-Fi soundtrack and the base station flying in like a flying saucer.

Sources: Wikipedia, Museums Victoria (Australia)

AirPort card (original, 1999)

The original AirPort card was a modified PCMCIA card manufactured by Lucent. Lucent’s model was called the WaveLAN/Orinoco Gold PC card. Apple’s AirPort card had no integrated antenna and included a small antenna port along the top edge.

The AirPort card was designed to be installed by a user. It slid into a slot that was easily accessed, and a small cable was plugged into its antenna port. The antenna cable was integrated into the design of the Mac laptop or desktop. In some installations an adapter was required.

The original AirPort card was released along with the original iBook (blueberry and tangerine) and the original AirPort Base Station (graphite). Apple was among the first companies to release a complete wireless system that was accessible to consumers, providing computers designed to easily install wireless cards, the wireless card, a wireless base station, and software that was relatively easy to configure and set up.

According to Apple’s guide, About Your Airport Card:

AirPort Card Specifications
Wireless Data Rate: Up to 11 megabits per second (Mbps)
Range: Up to 150 feet (45 meters) in typical indoor use (varies with building) m Frequency Band: 2.4 gigahertz (GHz)
Radio Output Power: 15 dbm (nominal)
Standards: Compliant with 802.11 Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) 1 and 2 Mbps standard and 802.11HR DSSS 11 Mbps draft standard

Reference: Wikipedia.com, Apple

PowerBook G3 Series 233 (“Wallstreet,” 1998)

The  PowerBook G3 was a member of the “PowerBook G3 Series” family, but more commonly referred to by its “Wallstreet” codename. It featured a 233 MHz PowerPC 740 (G3) processor, 32 MB of RAM, a 2.0 GB hard drive, and a 20X tray-loading CD-ROM drive. Three different screen sizes were available: 12.1-inch STN (passive matrix), 13.3-inch TFT, or 14.1-inch TFT color display.

The Wallstreet PowerBook G3 Series included dual hot-swappable bays that could both hold batteries or expansion modules in a 3.5-inch left bay and a 5.25-inch right bay. It also included dual PC card slots and the 13.3-inch and 14.1-inch models had S-video out.

This Wallstreet PowerBook is one of two examples in my collection. This model has a VST Zip drive in the right bay and a battery in the left bay.

Original pricing for the Wallstreet PowerBook G3 Series was $2,999 to $3,500 with other custom configurations available.

Source: EveryMac.com

PowerBook G3 Series 233 (“Wallstreet,” 1998)

The  PowerBook G3 was a member of the “PowerBook G3 Series” family, but more commonly referred to by its “Wallstreet” codename. It featured a 233 MHz PowerPC 740 (G3) processor, 32 MB of RAM, a 2.0 GB hard drive, and a 20X tray-loading CD-ROM drive. Three different screen sizes were available: 12.1-inch STN (passive matrix), 13.3-inch TFT, or 14.1-inch TFT color display.

The Wallstreet PowerBook G3 Series included dual hot-swappable bays that could hold batteries or expansion modules in a 3.5-inch left bay and a 5.25-inch right bay. It also included dual PC card slots and the 13.3-inch and 14.1-inch models had S-video out.

This Wallstreet PowerBook is one of two examples in my collection. This model has the same drive bays that typically shipped: a CD-ROM drive in one bay and a battery in the other bay.

Original pricing for the Wallstreet PowerBook G3 Series was $2,999 to $3,500 with other custom configurations available.

Source: EveryMac.com