PowerBook
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Macintosh | |
Type | Laptop |
---|---|
Release date | October 21, 1991 |
Discontinued | May 16, 2006 |
Operating system |
|
Display | LCD |
Predecessor | Macintosh Portable |
Successor | MacBook Pro |
Related |
The PowerBook (known as Macintosh PowerBook before 1997) is a family of
The PowerBook was replaced by the MacBook Pro in 2006 as part of the Mac transition to Intel processors.
680x0-based models
PowerBook 100 series
In October 1991, Apple released the first three PowerBooks: the low-end PowerBook 100, the more powerful PowerBook 140, and the high end PowerBook 170, the only one with an active matrix display. These machines caused a stir in the industry with their compact dark grey cases, built-in trackball, and the innovative positioning of the keyboard that left room for palmrests on either side of the pointing device. Portable PC computers at the time were still oriented toward DOS, and tended to have the keyboard forward towards the user, with empty space behind it that was often used for function key reference cards. In the early days of Microsoft Windows, many notebooks came with a clip on trackball that fit on the edge of the keyboard molding. As usage of DOS gave way to the graphical user interface, the PowerBook's arrangement became the standard layout all future notebook computers would follow.
The PowerBook 140 and 170 were the original PowerBook designs, while the PowerBook 100 was the result of Apple having sent the schematics of the Mac Portable to Sony, who miniaturized the components. Hence the PowerBook 100's design does not match those of the rest of the series, as it was actually designed after the 140 and 170 and further benefited from improvements learned during their development. The PowerBook 100, however, did not sell well until Apple dropped the price substantially.
The 100 series PowerBooks were intended to tie into the rest of the Apple desktop products utilizing the corporate Snow White design language incorporated into all product designs since 1986. Unlike the Macintosh Portable, however, which was essentially a battery-powered desktop in weight and size, the light colors and decorative recessed lines did not seem appropriate for the scaled-down designs. In addition to adopting the darker grey colour scheme that coordinated with the official corporate look, they also adopted a raised series of ridges mimicking the indented lines on the desktops. The innovative look not only unified their entire product line, but set Apple apart in the marketplace. These early series would be the last to utilize the aging Snow White look, with the 190 adopting a new look along with the introduction of the 500 series.[2]
The first series of PowerBooks were hugely successful, capturing 40% of all laptop sales. Despite this, the original team left to work at
The original PowerBook 100, 140, and 170 were replaced by the
PowerBook Duo
In 1992, Apple released a hybrid portable/desktop computer, the
PowerBook 500 series
Nineteen ninety-four saw the introduction of the
The PowerBook 500 series was released as Apple was already moving its desktop machines to the PowerPC processor range, and a future upgrade was promised from the start. This came in 1995, as an Apple Motherboard containing a 100 MHz 603e processor and 8 MB of RAM (which snapped into a slot containing the previous 25 or 33 MHz 68040 processor and the 4 MB of RAM on the previous daughterboard). At the same time
The 500 series was completely discontinued upon the introduction of its replacement the PPC-based PowerBook 5300, with the PowerBook 190 replacing the 500 as the only 68LC040 PowerBook Apple offered.
PowerPC-based models
The
Apple recovered from the 5300 debacle in 1996 and 1997 by introducing three new PowerBooks: the
PowerBook G3
The first PowerBook G3 Series (completely redesigned from the Kanga) was released in 1998, although it was still an Old World ROM Mac. These new PowerBooks took design cues from the 500 series PowerBook, sporting dramatic curves and a jet-black plastic case. They were so fashionable that various G3 models became the personal computer of
Apple introduced two later G3 PowerBook models, similar in appearance (curved, black plastic case with black rubberized sections) but thinner, lighter and with revised internal systems. The "Lombard" appeared in 1999, (AKA: Bronze Keyboard) a thinner, lighter, and faster (333 or 400 MHz) PowerBook with a longer battery life and had both
PowerBook G4
Interim CEO Steve Jobs turned his eye to the redesign of the PowerBook series in 2000. The result, introduced in January 2001, was a completely re-designed New World PowerBook with a titanium skin and a 15.2-inch wide-aspect screen suitable for watching widescreen movies. Built with the PowerPC G4 processor, it was billed as "the first supercomputer you can actually take with you on an airplane."[5] It was lighter than most PC based laptops, and due to the low power consumption of the PowerPC it outlasted them by hours.
The TiBooks, as they were nicknamed,
The industrial design of the notebooks quickly became a standard that others in the industry would follow, creating a new wave of wide-screened notebook computers.
The Titanium PowerBooks were released in configurations of 400 MHz, 500 MHz, 550 MHz, 667 MHz, 800 MHz, 867 MHz, and 1 GHz. They are the last PowerBooks able to boot Mac OS 9 natively.
In 2003,
The 12-inch PowerBook's screen did not use the same panel as that used on the 12-inch iBook, while the 17-inch PowerBook used the same screen as that used on the 17-inch flat-panel iMac, but with a thinner backlight.
Later in 2003, the 15-inch PowerBooks were redesigned and featured the same aluminum body style as their smaller and larger siblings, and with the same feature set as the 17-inch model (including the backlit keyboard). This basic design would carry through the transition to the Intel-based MacBook Pro, lasting until late 2008.
In April 2004, the aluminum PowerBooks were upgraded. The SuperDrive was upgraded to 4× burning speed for DVDs, the fastest processor available was upgraded to 1.5 GHz, and the graphics cards were replaced with newer models, offering up to 128 MB of video memory. A third built-in speaker was added to the 12-inch model for improved midrange sound. In addition, AirPort Extreme cards became standard for all PowerBooks instead of being offered as an add-on option.
In January 2005, the specifications of the aluminum PowerBooks were revised once more to accompany a price decrease. Processor speeds were increased to a maximum of 1.67 GHz on the higher specification 15-inch and all 17-inch versions, while the lower specification 15-inch model and the 12-inch unit saw an increase in speed to 1.5 GHz. Optical audio output was added to the 17-inch version. Memory and hard drive defaults were increased to 512 MB and 5400
In October 2005, the two higher-end PowerBooks were upgraded once again, with higher-resolution displays (1440 × 960 pixels on the 15-inch model, and 1680 × 1050 pixels on the 17-inch model) and faster 533 MHz DDR2 (PC2-4200) memory. The SuperDrive became standard equipment and included support for dual-layer DVDs on the 15- and 17-inch models. The 17-inch model was updated with a 120 GB standard hard drive, as well as a 7200 rpm, 100 GB build-to-order option. These drives were also options on the 15-inch PowerBook. The 12-inch model with SuperDrive remained unchanged in this respect, although each new PowerBook boasted a longer battery life.
Battery recall
On May 20, 2005, Apple and the
Discontinuation
At the 2006
Timeline
Timeline of portable Macintoshes |
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Legacy
Traditionally, the portable line trailed the desktops in the utilization of the latest processors, with the notable exception of the PowerBook G3, which was released simultaneously with the desktop Power Macintosh G3. PowerBooks would continue to trail behind the desktop Macs, however, never even adopting the
With the introduction of the Intel-based Macs, once again, the MacBook Pro joined the iMac in sharing the new technology simultaneously.
See also
References
- ^ Engadget: 30 years in Apple products: the good, the bad, and the ugly Archived June 6, 2017, at the Wayback Machine – "The PowerBook, in its many, many incarnations, had been a laptop trend-setter since its inception."
- ^ "Kunkel, Paul, AppleDesign: The work of the Apple Industrial Design Group, with photographs by Rick English, New York: Graphis, 1997, p.30
- ^ "Birth of the Powerbook". Low End Mac. July 12, 2016. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "Carrie Bradshaw's PowerBook". Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
- ^ "Apple - PowerBook". May 13, 2001. Archived from the original on May 13, 2001. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ Haddad, Charles (February 28, 2001). "For Apple, a Savior Called TiBook". BusinessWeek. Archived from the original on March 22, 2001.
- ^ "MacSpotting - Macs in the Movies". MacSpotting. April 26, 2010. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ "CPSC, Apple Announce Recall of iBook and PowerBook Computer Batteries". Apple/CPSC press release. May 20, 2005. Archived from the original on July 3, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2007.
- ^ Ryan Block (August 6, 2006). "Another PowerBook violently explodes". Engadget. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2007.
- ^ "Apple Announces Recall of Batteries Used in Previous iBook and PowerBook Computers Due To Fire Hazard". Apple/CSPC press release. August 24, 2006. Archived from the original on June 16, 2007. Retrieved June 2, 2007.
- ^ "The new Mac Pro is Apple's love letter to forgotten die-hard Mac fans". Macworld. June 4, 2019. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
External links
- Apple's PowerBook specifications - Specifications for G3 and later PowerBooks.
- Apple-History
- the greatest powerbook collection
- Apple press release announcing January 2005 PowerBook revisions