PowerBook G3
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Developer | Apple Computer |
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Product family | PowerBook |
Type | Laptop |
Generation | G3 |
Release date | November 1997 |
Introductory price | Kanga US$5,700 (equivalent to $10,819 in 2023) Wallstreet I US$2,299 (equivalent to $4,298 in 2023)-US$3,499 (equivalent to $6,541 in 2023) PQD US$2,799 (equivalent to $5,232 in 2023) Lombard US$2,499 (equivalent to $4,571 in 2023) Pismo US$2,499 (equivalent to $4,421 in 2023) |
Discontinued | January 2001 |
PowerPC G3, 233–500 MHz | |
Predecessor | PowerBook 1400c PowerBook 2400c PowerBook 3400c |
Successor | PowerBook G4 |
The PowerBook G3 is a series of laptop
The G3 was the first black Apple laptop, and was succeeded in this by the
The Wallstreet, Lombard & Pismo models were hailed for their easy upgradability not only in accessible drives and memory but in their CPU daughtercards being separable from their logic boards. This led to the aftermarket (including Sonnet, Powerlogix, Wegener Media and more) to offer not only G3 CPU upgrades for these machines for each of the G3 series but in several cases, G4 upgrades that could make these machines as fast as (and in later cases, faster than) the contemporary 'G4 Titanium' PowerBooks offered by Apple at the time.
Macintosh PowerBook G3 (Kanga)
The first Macintosh PowerBook G3, code-named "Kanga," was introduced in November 1997. At the time of its introduction, the PowerBook G3 was advertised as the fastest notebook computer available (a title formerly held by its predecessor, the 240 MHz PPC-603ev-based PowerBook 3400c). This model was based on the PowerBook 3400c, and was unofficially known as the PowerBook 3500. It used the same case as the 3400c, and a very similar motherboard. The motherboard was upclocked from 40 MHz to 50 MHz, resulting in some incompatibility with older 3400 RAM modules. Other changes to the motherboard included doubling the on-board RAM from 16 MB to 32 MB, and a faster version of the on-board Chips and Technologies graphics controller. The G3 made the Kanga more than twice as fast as a 3400c,[1] and the improved graphics controller allowed it to refresh the screen 74 percent faster.[2]
This first PowerBook G3 shipped with a 250 MHz G3 processor and a 12.1" TFT
PowerBook G3 Series (Wallstreet I)
The second generation of PowerBook G3s, now called the PowerBook G3 Series, was introduced in May 1998. The machine was completely redesigned with a new case that was lighter and more rounded than the previous PowerBook G3; however, it was still an
PowerBook G3 Series (Wallstreet II, PDQ - "Pretty Darn Quick")
The Wallstreet design was updated in August 1998 (Wallstreet-II). It featured a 14.1" display on 266 MHz and 300 MHz models. The 233 MHz machine was now equipped with a vastly improved TFT panel (compared to the passive matrix of the 12.1" Wallstreet I series), as well as a 512 KB backside cache allowing for far superior performance at the same 233 MHz, though it was equipped with 2 MB onboard VRAM compared to the 4 MB on the faster 14.1" models. The 13.3" display was removed from the line, owing to both the falling production costs of the larger TFT and the near-guaranteed failure of the 13.3" models' ribbon cable through the hinge; it was produced slightly too short, and many failed soon after purchase. Processor speeds were bumped on the faster two models, resulting in 233 MHz, 266 MHz, and 300 MHz models. The case contained two docking bays, one on each side. The left-hand bay could accommodate a
Of note; the 12.1" and 13.3" Wallstreet I and PDQ series shared a more curved top case at all corners; the lid and its corners were flattened and squared off for the larger LCD of the 14.1" model resulting in a bulkier appearance. Many press releases and visual media at the time relied on the more 'attractive' curvature of the case on those smaller-display models, regardless of the 14.1" model's superior and more upmarket display.
PowerBook G3 Bronze Keyboard (Lombard)
The third generation of PowerBook G3 (Lombard) was introduced in May 1999. It was much slimmer and lighter than its predecessor and was the first New World ROM PowerBook. It had longer battery life, and as with the Wallstreet II the user could double the duration to 10 hours by substituting a second battery for the optical drive in the expansion bay. The keyboard was also improved and now featured translucent bronze-tinted plastics, which is the origin of the "bronze keyboard" nickname. It was also the first Apple laptop with a backlit Apple logo on the rear of the display.[3]
Internal hard drives for the Pismo, Lombard, and Wallstreet II can be used interchangeably. The expansion bay drives (DVD, CD, floppy, battery) are interchangeable on the Pismo and Lombard, but not on the Wallstreet. A DVD drive was optional on the 333 MHz model and standard on the 400 MHz version. The 400 MHz model included a hardware MPEG-2 decoder for DVD playback, while the 333 MHz model was left without (except for the PC card one used by Wallstreet). Further DVD playback optimizations enabled both models to play back DVDs without use of hardware assistance. This model introduced USB ports to the PowerBook line while retaining SCSI support and eliminating ADB entirely (although the keyboard and touchpad still used an ADB interface internally). Graphics were provided by an ATi Rage LT Pro chipset on the PCI bus, to drive its 14.1-inch LCD at a maximum resolution of 1024×768.
Mac OS 8.6–10.3.9 are supported by Apple, but 10.4 is not, although OS X will not install (except for 10.0) if both RAM slots are not occupied with identical size RAM. The use of XPostFacto 4 allows users to upgrade to Tiger, and it runs quite well for an unsupported machine.[citation needed] More RAM (up to 512 MB), a greater hard drive (up to 128 GB), and CPU upgrades (up to a 433 MHz G4) are available for these PowerBooks.
PowerBook G3 FireWire (Pismo)
The fourth generation of PowerBook G3 (Pismo), was introduced in February 2000. It was code named "Pismo" after the City of Pismo Beach, California. For this generation Apple dropped "G3" from the name.
The original Pismo was rumored to be a latchless design, akin to the
The left expansion bay, like the Lombard, could take only a battery, but the right bay was able to accommodate a tray-loading or slot-loading
Versions of Mac OS from 9.0.2 through 10.4.11 are officially supported. For some time, G3 (750FX) CPU upgrades at speeds of up to 900 MHz and G4 (7410LE) upgrades up to 550 MHz were available. These upgrades are now out of production and must be purchased secondhand.
The Pismo PowerBook was the last of the G3 line. It was succeeded by the PowerBook G4 Titanium models.
Technical specifications
According to Apple, all of these models are obsolete.[a][5]
PowerBook G3[6] | Formal name | Macintosh Powerbook G3[7] | PowerBook G3 Series (1st Series)[8] | PowerBook G3 Series (2nd Series) | PowerBook G3 Series Bronze Keyboard | PowerBook G3 FireWire | ||||||||||
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Code name | "Original", "Kanga", "PowerBook 3500" | PowerBook G3/233 "Wallstreet" aka "Mainstreet" |
PowerBook G3/250 "Wallstreet" | PowerBook G3/292 "Wallstreet" | PowerBook G3/233 Late 1998 "PDQ" ("Pretty Darn Quick"), "Wallstreet II" |
PowerBook G3/266 Late 1998 "PDQ" ("Pretty Darn Quick"), "Wallstreet II" |
PowerBook G3/300 Late 1998 "PDQ" ("Pretty Darn Quick"), "Wallstreet II" |
"Lombard", "101" | "Pismo" | |||||||
Timetable | Introduction | November 10, 1997 | May 6, 1998 | September 1, 1998 | October 1, 1998 | May 10, 1999 | February 16, 2000 | |||||||||
Discontinuation | March 14, 1998 | September 1, 1998 | May 10, 1999 | February 16, 2000 | January 9, 2001 | |||||||||||
Model | Model number | M3553 | M4753 | M5343 | M7572 | |||||||||||
Model identifier | N/A (Gestalt ID 313) | N/A (Gestalt ID 314) | N/A (Gestalt ID 312) | N/A (Gestalt ID 406, however this is shared by many other models) | PowerBook 1,1 | PowerBook 3,1 | ||||||||||
Order number | M5993 | M6477 (modem and floppy) M6359LL/A (no modem or floppy) |
M6481 (modem and floppy) | M6484 (modem and floppy) | M6357 | M6541 | M7109 | M7110 | M7111 | M7310 | M7304 | M7308 | M7630 | M7633 | ||
Display | Size | 12.1" | 13.3" | 14.1" | 13.3" | 14.1" | ||||||||||
Type | TFT | STN Passive matrix
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TFT | |||||||||||||
Resolution | 16-bit 800×600 | 24-bit 800×600 | 1024×768 | 24-bit 1024×768 | ||||||||||||
Performance | Processor | PowerPC 750 "G3"
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Clock speed
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250 MHz | 233 MHz | 250 MHz | 292 MHz | 233 MHz | 266 MHz | 300 MHz | 333 MHz | 400 MHz | 500 MHz | ||||||
L1 Cache | 64k | |||||||||||||||
L2 Cache | 512k on a 100 MHz backside bus | N/A | 1 MB on a 125 MHz backside bus | 1 MB level on a 146 MHz backside bus | 512k on a 116 MHz backside bus | 1 MB on a 133 MHz backside bus | 1 MB on a 150 MHz backside bus | 512k on a 133 MHz backside bus | 1 MB on a 160 MHz backside bus | 1 MB on a 200 MHz backside bus | ||||||
Memory | 32 MB 60 ns EDO DIMM Expandable to 160 MB |
32 MB PC100 SDRAM Expandable to 192 MB |
64 MB PC100 SDRAM Expandable to 192 MB |
32 MB PC100 SDRAM Expandable to 192 MB (Apple) or 512 MB |
64 MB PC100 SDRAM Expandable to 192 MB (Apple) or 512 MB |
64 MB of PC100 SDRAM Expandable to 384 MB (Apple) or 512 MB |
64 or 128 MB of PC100 SDRAM Expandable to 512 MB (Apple) or 1 GB | |||||||||
Graphics | 2 MB of SGRAM | ATI Rage LT with 2 MB or 4 MB of SGRAM | ATI Rage LT with 4 MB of SGRAM | ATI Rage Pro LT with 4 MB of SGRAM | ATI Rage Pro LT with 8 MB of SDRAM | ATI Rage 128 with 8 MB of SDRAM | ||||||||||
Storage | Hard drive
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5 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB | 8 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB | 8 GB | 4 GB | 6 GB | 4–6 GB | 6–18 GB | ||||
Optical drive
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20× CD-ROM | 20× CD-ROM Optional 1× DVD-ROM |
1× DVD-ROM | 20× CD-ROM | 24× CD-ROM or 2× DVD-ROM | 6× DVD-ROM | ||||||||||
Connections | Connectivity | 33.6k modem
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56k modem
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10/ 56k modem
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10/ 56k modem 802.11b
Optional AirPort | |||||||||||
Peripherals | 1x ADB 1x Serial GeoPort 2x PC Card II (1x PC Card III) 1x HDI-30 SCSI Audio out mini-jack |
2x USB 1.1 2x PC Card II (1x PC Card III) (333 MHz) or 1x PC Card II (400 MHz) 1x HDI-30 SCSI Audio out mini-jack |
2x USB 1.1 2x FireWire 4001x PC Card I/II Audio out mini-jack | |||||||||||||
Video out | VGA | VGA and S-Video | ||||||||||||||
Battery | 47-watt-hour removable lithium-ion | 49-watt-hour removable lithium-ion (1 or 2) | 50-watt-hour removable lithium-ion (1 or 2) | |||||||||||||
Maximum Operating System
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Mac OS 9.1 and Mac OS X Server 1.2 Unofficially can run Mac OS 9.2.2 with OS9Helper. |
Mac OS X 10.5.8 if a G4 processor upgrade is also installed.[10]
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Mac OS X 10.3.9 "Panther" and Mac OS 9.2.2 Unofficially can run Mac OS X 10.4.11 "Tiger" with XPostFacto, or Mac OS X 10.5.8 "Leopard" if a G4 processor upgrade is also installed.[10] |
Mac OS X 10.4.11 "Tiger" and Mac OS 9.2.2 Unofficially can run Mac OS X 10.5.8 "Leopard" with third-party software and a G4 processor upgrade. | ||||||||||||
Dimensions | Weigh | 7.5 lb (3.4 kg). | 7.2 lb (3.3 kg) | 7.6 lb (3.4 kg) | 7.8 lb (3.5 kg) | 6.1 lb (2.8 kg) | ||||||||||
Volume | 2.4×11.5×9.5 in (6.1×29.2×24.1 cm) | 2.0×12.7×10.4 in (5.1×32.3×26.4 cm) | 1.7×12.7×10.4 in (4.3×32.3×26.4 cm) |
Supported Mac OS releases
Supported Mac OS releases | |||||
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OS release | 1997 (Kanga) | Early 1998 (Wallstreet) | Late 1998 (PDQ) | 1999 (Lombard) | 2000 (Pismo) |
Mac OS 8 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.6 | ||
Mac OS 9 | 9.0.2 | ||||
10.0 Cheetah | |||||
10.1 Puma | |||||
10.2 Jaguar | |||||
10.3 Panther | patch | ||||
10.4 Tiger | patch | ||||
10.5 Leopard | patch, requires processor upgrade |
In popular culture
The PowerBook G3 was featured in many facets of popular culture from the late 1990s to the mid 2000s, including .
Timeline
Timeline of portable Macintoshes |
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Notes
- ^ Apple products that were discontinued 7 years ago and no longer receive hardware support nor spare parts
References
- ^ "Macintosh Performance Comparisons – Prototypes". macspeedzone.com.
- ^ Charles W. Moore. "PowerBook 1400, Kanga, and WallStreet Reflections". lowendmac.com.
- ^ Rossignol, Joe. "New MacBook Pros Don't Include Backlit Apple Logo or Power Extension Cable". www.macrumors.com. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ "Pismo PowerBook". Low End Mac. February 9, 2000.
- ^ "Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty". support.apple.com. March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ "Mac Systems: Apple: PowerBook G3". EveryMac. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ PowerBook G3 250 (Original/Kanga/3500) Specs (Original/Kanga, M5993LL/A, N/A*, M3553, None): EveryMac.com, retrieved July 24, 2022
- ^ PowerBook G3 233 (Wallstreet) Specs (G3 Series/Wallstreet, M6477LL/A*, N/A*, M4753, None): EveryMac.com, retrieved July 24, 2022
- ^ "Other World Computing: OS 9 Forever". Other World Computing. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "Other World Computing: OS X for Legacy Macs". Other World Computing. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ^ "Carrie Bradshaw's PowerBook". freeip.org.
External links
- Apple Support
- "PowerBook G3 - Technical Specifications". Apple Inc. July 26, 2017. (Original / Kanga)
- "PowerBook G3 Series - Technical Specifications". Apple Inc. July 26, 2017.
- "PowerBook G3 Series (Bronze Keyboard) - Technical Specifications". Apple Inc. July 26, 2017.
- How to Identify Different Models Archived March 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine at Apple.com
- Portable Mac index via Lowendmac
- Pictures of Pismo internals, via pbfixit.com
- Powerbook G3 PDQ, Powerbook Pismo 500mHz via Forevermac.com