Tag: tray loading

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iMac (original, Bondi blue, 1998)

The original iMac was introduced on May 6, 1998, and shipped August 15, 1998. It featured a 233 MHz PowerPC 750 (G3) processor, 32 MB of RAM, a 4.0 GB EIDE hard drive, and a tray loading CD-ROM drive. Its screen was a 15-inch CRT display.

The original iMac was available in one color called “Bondi blue,” named for the blue-green color of the water at Bondi Beach near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. “Bondi” is an [Australian] Aboriginal word meaning “water breaking over rocks.”

This was the first consumer computer product released after Steve Jobs returned to Apple as interim CEO. The iMac was primarily credited with returning Apple to profitability and re-establishing Apple’s commitment to simplicity and design, but at the time was criticized for dropping the floppy disk drive and adopting the emerging USB standard.

The “i” in “iMac” has been described by Apple to represent “Internet,” but Steve Jobs also specified the “i” to mean internet, individual, instruct, inform, and inspire in a presentation in 1998.

Although the original iMac was not meant to be user-upgradable, it did contain what was referred to at the time as a “mysterious” slot behind the hinged side door called the “Mezzanine” slot. Inside the iMac was a Mezzanine connector soldered on to the motherboard. Officially, Apple never explained its purpose, but a few developers created expansion products that used the slot and/or port. I installed one such port in a few iMac computers in 1999, namely the Griffin iPort that added an Apple serial port and video-out port. Although the Griffin iPort didn’t use the Mezzanine internal connector, it did use the Mezzanine slot to make the ports available.

The Revision A iMac (M6709LL/A) and Revision B iMac (M6709LL/B) are identical with the exception of graphics systems. Revision A (August 15, 1998) had an ATI Rage IIc graphics with 2 MB of VRAM, and Revision B (October 26, 1998) had an ATI Rage Pro Turbo graphics with 6 MB of VRAM.

Source: EveryMac.com, LowEndMac.com, Wikipedia, and Business Insider

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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 G3/366 (indigo, 2000)

The iBook G3/366 is similar to the original iBook G3/300 in design, but adds two new colors, a single FireWire port, and several internal upgrades.

The iBook G3/366 featured a 366 MHz G3 processor, 64 MB RAM, a 10.0 GB hard drive, a 24X tray-loading CD-ROM drive, and a 12.1-inch display at 800×600. This example is in indigo, a color Apple selected likely due to the popularity of the indigo iMac at the time. It also introduced a new hybrid A/V port that allowed composite audio/video out capabilities using a proprietary cable.

I remember when this laptop was released and it quickly became my “go to” device for portable video creation in iMovie for its faster processor and FireWire capabilities. It was among the first consumer-level laptops that began to feel like it had similar capabilities to the desktops at the time.

Source: EveryMac.com

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iBook G3/366 (key lime, 2000)

The iBook G3/366 is similar to the original iBook G3/300 in design, but adds two new colors, a single FireWire port, and several internal upgrades.

The iBook G3/366 featured a 366 MHz G3 processor, 64 MB RAM, a 10.0 GB hard drive, a 24X tray-loading CD-ROM drive, and a 12.1-inch display at 800×600. This iBook is in key lime, an extremely vibrant shade of neon green.

Source: EveryMac.com