Tag: PowerBook

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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 1400c/117 (1996)

The PowerBook 1400c/117 featured a 117 MHz PowerPC 603e processor, 16 MB of RAM, and a 750 MB or 1.0 GB hard drive. The color active-matrix display measured 11.3 inches. The PowerBook 1400c/117 display supported 16-bit color for the built-in display, but could also support up to 8-bit color on an external monitor with an optional video card.

The PowerBook 1400 series was the first PowerBook to use an internal CD-ROM drive and stackable memory modules. This PowerBook also offered a clear cover on the outer case and shipped with preprinted “BookCovers” to customize the look of each PowerBook.

I used a PowerBook 1400c for several years and regularly designed and printed my own BookCovers. At the time, I used this laptop for several music arranging and composition applications. Using the Passport Encore music notation software, I plugged my PowerBook 1400c into a MIDI interface and it controlled my ProteusFX sound module.

Source: EveryMac.com


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PowerBook 520 (1994)

The PowerBook 520 featured a 25 MHz 68LC040 processor, 4 MB or 12 MB of RAM, and a 160 MB or 240 MB hard drive. The screen was a 9.5-inch grayscale passive-matrix display. 

The PowerBook 500 series laptops introduced the “trackpad” to the Macintosh: the cursor followed the movement of your finger on a pad rather than spinning a plastic trackball with your finger. The trackpad has proven to be a revolutionary input device and has been used since in most notebooks. The PowerBook 500 series also introduced the idea of dual-swappable bays that could be used to hold either one battery and a PCMCIA adapter or two batteries.

Source: EveryMac.com

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PowerBook 520c (1994)

The Macintosh PowerBook 520c featured a 25 MHz 68LC040 processor, 4 MB or 12 MB of RAM, and a 160 MB, 240 MB, or 320 MB hard drive. The screen was a 9.5-inch color dual-scan display.

The PowerBook 500 series laptops introduced the “trackpad” to the Macintosh: the cursor followed the movement of your finger on a pad rather than spinning a plastic trackball with your finger. The trackpad has proven to be a revolutionary input device and has been used since in most notebooks. The PowerBook 500 series also introduced the idea of dual-swappable bays that could be used to hold either one battery and a PCMCIA adapter or two batteries.

Source: EveryMac.com

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PowerBook 540 (1994)

The PowerBook 500 series laptops introduced the “trackpad” to the Macintosh: the cursor followed the movement of your finger on a pad rather than spinning a plastic trackball with your finger. The trackpad has proven to be a revolutionary input device and has been used since in most notebooks. The PowerBook 500 series also introduced the idea of dual-swappable bays that could be used to hold either one battery and a PCMCIA adapter or two batteries.

The Macintosh PowerBook 540 featured a 33 MHz 68LC040 processor, 8 MB or 12 MB of RAM, and a 240 MB hard drive. The screen was a 9.5-inch grayscale active-matrix display.

The PowerBook 540 was similar to the PowerBook 520 that was being offered at the same time, but the PowerBook 540 had a faster processor and a higher quality active-matrix display.

Source: EveryMac.com

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PowerBook G4 1.33 12-inch (2004)

The PowerBook G4 12-inch featured a 1.33 GHz PowerPC 7447a (G4) processor, 256 MB of DDR SDRAM, a 60 GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive (4200 RPM), a slot-loading 8X Combo drive or a 4X SuperDrive, and Bluetooth 1.1/AirPort Extreme (802.11g). The case was made of an aluminum alloy. The 12.1-inch TFT XGA display was 1024×768 pixels. The small size offered considerable computing power in a highly mobile package.

The PowerBook G4 1.33 was similar to its predecessor (PowerBook G4/1.0 12-inch), but had a new logic board design and faster performance.

Source: EveryMac.com

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PowerBook G4 1.33 17-inch (2003)

The PowerBook G4/1.33 17-inch was among the first aluminum PowerBook laptops. The PowerBook G4/1.33 17-inch featured a 1.33 GHz PowerPC 7447 (G4) processor, 512 MB of RAM, an 80 GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive, a slot-loading 2X SuperDrive, a FireWire 800 port, built-in Bluetooth 1.1 and AirPort Extreme (802.11g), and an ambient light sensor keyboard. The 17-inch widescreen TFT display had 1440×900 resolution, a very large display for a laptop then and now.

The previous version of the PowerBook G4 17-inch laptop had a slightly slower processor (1.0 GHz), a smaller hard drive, and a lower resolution graphics card. This PowerBook G4/1.33 17-inch upgraded the USB ports to the USB 2.0 standard.

This and all 17-inch PowerBook laptops at the time were near-perfect portable solutions for graphic artists and filmmakers. The high performance of these laptops allowed them to run the most recent versions of Adobe Photoshop and Apple Final Cut Pro, allowing creatives to flexibility to work anywhere with the same power available on desktop computers at the time with a very large display.

The internal photos were added in November 2020 when I made a slight repair to the internal hinges to allow the magnetic clasps to keep the lid closed. This example has a structural problem that was likely sustained due to a drop, but it still functions.

Source: EveryMac.com


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PowerBook 1400cs/133 (1997)

The Macintosh PowerBook 1400cs/133 featured a 133 MHz PowerPC 603e processor, 16 MB of RAM, a 1.3 GB hard drive and an 8X CD-ROM drive. The color dual-scan display measured 11.3 inches. The PowerBook 1400cs was similar to the PowerBook 1400c, but the “s” in “cs” indicated a higher quality active-matrix display. 

The PowerBook 1400 series was the first PowerBook to use an internal CD-ROM drive and stackable memory modules. This PowerBook also included a clear cover on the outer case and shipped with preprinted “BookCovers” to customize the look of each PowerBook.

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

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PowerBook 180 (1992)

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.

Source: EveryMac.com