Tag: PowerBook G3

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We rewrote the book magazine insert (PowerBook G3, 1998)

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, part of Apple’s print advertising included magazine inserts. These inserts were “mini-magazines” within magazines. They were glued with a pliable rubber cement that could be easily removed.

This early magazine insert example is an advertisement for the Macintosh PowerBook G3 laptop. The images on the front, back, and inside covers are photographed with stunning black backgrounds using shadows and light to reveal interesting aspects of the laptop’s design. The cover reads, “We rewrote the book.”

Open, the 2-panel spread includes the copy: “Presenting the new PowerBook G3. It’s been rethought and reengineered from cover to cover. It’s sleek. It’s intelligent. It’s endlessly adaptable. Oh, and one other thing.”

The insert fully opens to reveal a mini-poster with a white background that shows an open PowerBook G3 with a screen showing a shark with teeth bared and the headline, “It eats Pentium notebooks for lunch.”

The back page lists product specifications with the headers “Good,” “Better,” and “Best” to represent the three configurations available.

Folded, the size of the insert is 7.5 x 10.25 inches. Fully unfolded the mini-poster is 15 x 20.5 inches.

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Mini-brochures collection (2000)

These product mini-brochures were available in Apple Stores and elsewhere in the early 2000s. They measured 3 x 4.5 inches folded, and designs unfolded into different configurations. All of these mini-brochures feature a photo of the product on the front panel, information inside, and specifications on the back panel.

iMac (July 2000)
This iMac mini-brochure featured the graphite and snow iMac DV Special Edition models. It opened to four horizontal panels and featured all iMac colors of the time—ruby, indigo, sage, snow, and graphite. Features described included Internet, playing DVDs, digital video editing with iMovie, optional AirPort wireless capabilities, and AppleCare. iMac Specifications on the back outlined the four available configurations: iMac DV Special Edition, iMac DV+, iMac DV, and iMac.

AirPort (original, July 2000)
The AirPort mini-brochure opens first to a 2-up layout showing Apple’s Wi-Fi-capable devices at the time (iBook, iMac, PowerBook G3, and graphite Power Mac G4 tower). The brochure then opens to a 4-up horizontal layout showing “Three easy steps to a wireless world.”

Apple Displays (July 2000)
The Apple Displays brochure pictures an Apple Studio Display on the cover (17-inch CRT model). The brochure folds into a horizontal 4-up layout that shows all three available display models at the time along with features—Apple Studio Display (17-inch CRT), Apple Studio Display (15-inch LCD), and Apple Cinema Display (22-inch LCD).

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Apple CD media (1999)

My collection of Apple CD and DVD media includes operating systems, applications, software collections that shipped with devices, promotional media, diagnostic tools, and educational content. In general, Apple-branded CD or DVD examples in original packaging have been presented separately, while single discs or collections of discs are presented chronologically.

Apple CDs from 1999 include:

  • Mac OS 8.6 Updater CD (1999)
  • Mac OS 8.6 (Version 8.6, 691-2312-A, 1999)
  • Mac OS 9 (Version 9.0, 691-2386-A, 1999)
  • Macintosh PowerBook G3 Series Software Install (SSW version 9.0, 691-2458-A, 1999)
  • iMac Software Install (SSW version 8.6, CD version 1.1, 691-2376-A, 1999)
  • iMac Software Restore (SSW version 8.6, CD version 1.1, 691-2375-A, 1999)
  • Software Bundle (600-7647-A, 1999)
  • iBook Software Install (SSW version 9.0, 691-2472-A, 1999)
  • Apple Network Assistant (Version 4.0., Z691-2474-A, 1999)
  • SoftRAID For Power Mac G4 and Macintosh Server G4 computers (1999, SSW version 9.0, CD version 2.2.1, 691-2534-A, 1999)
  • AppleCare Service Source For Power Macintosh computers before G3 (includes AppleCare License Booklet, November 691-2508-A, 1999)
  • Mac OS 9, Not for resale
  • A New Take on Digital Video (Final Cut Pro demo)

Apple shipped CD bundles in cardboard envelope packages in 1999. The envelope design shown here is orange with a white Apple logo.

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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

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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

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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

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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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PowerBook G3 500 (MHz) (“Pismo,” 2000)

The PowerBook G3 500 was a member of the PowerBook FireWire family and referred to by its codename, “Pismo.” It featured a 500 MHz PowerPC 750 (G3) processor, 128 MB of RAM, a 12.0 GB or 20.0 GB hard drive, and a tray-loading 6X DVD-ROM drive. The screen was a 14.1-inch TFT active-matrix color display.

Although the PowerBook G3 shares a case that is similar to the “Lombard” PowerBook G3 models that came before them (with a bronze keyboard), the “Pismo” PowerBooks used a faster logic board, a faster hard drive, and faster graphics. Pismo PowerBooks also supported optional AirPort (802.11b), and included dual FireWire ports.

This laptop cost $3,499 when it was released.

Source: EveryMac.com

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PowerBook G3 Series (233 MHz) (“PDQ,” 1998)

The PowerBook G3 Series was Apple’s second PowerBook G3 line. The different PowerBook G3 Series models used internal codenames and this laptop was referred to as “PDQ” (Pretty Darn Quick).

The PowerBook G3/233 (“PDQ,” Late 1998) featured a 233 MHz PowerPC 750 (G3) processor, 32 MB of RAM, 4 MB of SGRAM for video, a 2.0 GB hard drive, and a 20X tray-loading CD-ROM drive. The screen was a 14.1-inch TFT active-matrix color display.

The case was a two-tone black design with both a hard plastic and a rubberized finish. The case was the same as the “Wallstreet” PowerBook that preceded it and included dual hot-swappable bays which could both hold batteries or expansion modules (the left used a a 3.5-inch bay and the right used a 5.25-inch bay). 

While the “PDQ” PowerBook G3 Series had a fast processor and performed well for the time, the “PDQ” moniker described the simplification of its production process by offering one screen size instead of three and, therefore, solved supply issues “Pretty Darn Quick.”

Source: EveryMac.com


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PowerBook 3400c/200 (1997)

The Macintosh PowerBook 3400c/200 included a 200 MHz PowerPC 603e processor, 16 MB of RAM, a 2.0 GB hard drive, and either a 6X or 12X CD-ROM drive. The laptop came in a black case (like the 5300 series that preceded it) and included a 12.1-inch color active matrix display that supported 16-bit color.

Also like the PowerBook 5300 series, the PowerBook 3400c had two “hot swappable” drive bays that allowed the user to insert a battery and/or different types of drives (i.e., CD-ROM, floppy disk, Zip drive) without powering down or putting the computer in sleep mode to swap them. 

The entire series of PowerBook 3400 laptops was among the first full-featured laptop models that could replace a desktop without compromising features. 

The PowerBook 3400 series had several notable features that built upon and improved the design of the 5300 series. The PowerBook 3400 included a larger LCD screen, a curved housing that allowed for the inclusion of a second set of high-quality speakers (for a total of four speakers), and a 1 MB IrDA system that allowed fast wireless computer-to-computer data transfers.

The first generation of G3 PowerBook laptops used the same case design as the PowerBook 3400c.

Source: EveryMac.com