PowerBook
From AudioLexic
The PowerBook is a line of Apple Mac laptop computers that was designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1991 to 2006. During its lifetime, the PowerBook went through several major revisions and redesigns, often being the first to incorporate features that would later become standard in competing laptops. The PowerBook line was targeted at the professional market, and received numerous awards, especially in the second half of its life, such as the 2001 Industrial Design Excellence Awards "Gold" status, and Engadget's 2005 "Laptop of the Year".
Prior to the PowerBook's introduction, Apple produced the Macintosh Portable. Third-party portables that ran Macintosh software were also available, such as the Outbound Laptop.
In 2006, the line was discontinued, its replacements being the Intel-based MacBook and MacBook Pro, the latter retaining much of the visual design of the last generation of PowerBook.
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[edit] Early PowerBooks
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. These machines caused a stir in the industry with their compact dark grey cases, use of a trackball, and the clever positioning of the keyboard which left room for palmrests. Portable PC computers at the time tended to have the keyboard forward towards the user, with empty space behind it, so this was a surprising innovation. The PowerBook 140 and 170 were original designs, while the PowerBook 100 had an interesting pedigree: Apple had sent the schematics of the Mac Portable to Sony, who miniaturised the components. Hence the PowerBook 100's design does not match those of the rest of the series. The PowerBook 100 did not sell well until Apple dropped the price substantially.
In 1992 Apple released a hybrid portable/desktop computer, the PowerBook Duo. This was a very thin and lightweight laptop with a minimum of features, which could be inserted into a docking station to provide the system with extra video memory, storage space, connectors, and could be connected to a monitor. The model did not sell as well as expected, although several companies have since adopted the design.
The first series of PowerBooks were hugely successful: capturing 40% of all laptop sales, a fact that Apple did not capitalize on. The original team left to work at Compaq, setting back updated versions for some time. When increasing processing power, Apple was hampered by the overheating problems of the 68040; this resulted in the 100-series PowerBook being stuck with the aging 68030 which could not compete with newer-generation Intel 80486-based PC laptops introduced in 1994. For several years, new PowerBook and PowerBook Duo computers were introduced which featured incremental improvements, including color screens, but by mid-decade, most other companies had copied the majority of the PowerBook's features, and Apple was unable to regain their lead.
The original PowerBook 100, 140, and 170 were replaced by the 145 (updated to the 145B in 1993), 160, and 180 in 1992, with the 160 and 180 having video output allowing them to drive an external monitor. The PowerBook 180 had a superb-for-the-time active-matrix grayscale display, making it popular. In 1993, the PowerBook 165c was the first PowerBook with a color screen, later followed by the 180c. The last true member of the 100-series was the PowerBook 150, targeted at value-minded consumers and students, in 1994. (The PowerBook 190, released in 1995, bears no resemblance to the rest of the PowerBook 100 series, and is in fact simply a Motorola 68LC040-based version of the 5300, and the last PowerBook model to be manufactured using a Motorola 68k-family processor.)
In February 2005, Mobile PC magazine named the PowerBook 100 its choice as the "#1 gadget of all time."
[edit] The PowerBook 500 series
Apple's PowerBook product line declined during this time period. 1994 saw the introduction of the PowerBook 500 series, code-named Blackbird. These models of PowerBooks were much sleeker and faster than the 100 series. The 500 series featured DSTN (520) or active-matrix LCD displays (540 and 550), stereo speakers, and was the first computer to use a trackpad (although a similar technology had been included on the pioneering Gavilan SC eleven years earlier); it was also the first portable computer to offer built-in Ethernet networking. The PowerBook 500 series was the mainstay of the product line until the disastrous PowerBook 5300. The 500 series was the first PowerBook to feature PCMCIA slots, although this was an optional feature which required the user to sacrifice one of the two available battery slots to house the PCMCIA expansion cage.
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 daughterboard containing a 100 MHz 603e processor and 8 MiB of RAM (which snapped into a slot containing the previous 25 or 33 MHz 68040 processor and the 4 MiB of RAM on the previous daughterboard). At the same time Newer Technology offered an Apple-authorized 117 MHz daughterboard, which was more popular than the Apple product, and optionally came without any RAM. The company later offered 167 MHz and 183 MHz upgrades containing more memory and onboard cache memory to improve performance. However, the internal architecture of the 500 series meant that the speed increase provided by the 100 and 117 MHz upgrades was, for most users, relatively small.
[edit] The PowerPC era
The PowerBook 5300, while highly anticipated as one of the first PowerPC-based PowerBooks (along with the PowerBook Duo 2300c, both released on the same day), had numerous problems. The 5300 series is widely considered Apple's worst product of the 1995-1996 time period. In its 5300ce incarnation with a TFT of 800x600 pixels, Apple offered a 117 MHz PPC, 32 MiB of on-board RAM, and a hot-swappable drive bay. With all of these features, though, the 5300ce was quite ahead of other laptop models at the time. Multiple problems with reliability, stability and safety (by some, the model was referred as the "HindenBook" because the lithium ion batteries used actually burst into flame in Apple tests, necessitating a recall and downgrade to nickel metal hydride batteries) were present in the early 5300s. These drawbacks by far failed to meet the quality standard expected for the price. After Apple offered an Extended Repair Program, the series turned into a remarkably attractive machine, but never lost its bad reputation.
Apple recovered from the 5300 debacle in 1996 and 1997 by introducing three new PowerBooks: the PowerBook 1400, intended to replace the 5300 as a general-purpose PowerBook; the PowerBook 2400, intended as a slim, sleek sub-notebook to replace the PowerBook Duo; and the luxury model PowerBook 3400. The PowerBook 1400 and 3400 were in fact the first PowerBooks ever to include an internal CD drive, and were introduced in a time when laptops rarely had one. This eventually became the norm throughout the industry after the PowerBook's adoption. Late in 1997, the PowerBook 3400 was adapted into the first PowerBook G3, codenamed the Kanga. This series was the last PowerBook model to employ a "real" keyboard with 1 cm high keys; all later models have flat keys.
[edit] 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 one became the personal computer of Carrie Bradshaw in the long-running Sex and the City television show. Debuting at roughly the same time as the iMac, the "WallStreet/Mainstreet" series comprised of models with varying features, such as different processing speeds (from 233 to 300 MHz) and the choice of 12", 13", or 14" screens. They all included dual drive bays capable of accommodating floppy drives, CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drives, hard drives, or even extra batteries. A second PowerBook G3 Series code-named "PDQ" was introduced later in 1998, with minor changes in configuration options, notably the inclusion of L2 cache in even the lowest-priced 233 MHz model, which helped overall performance.
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 USB and SCSI built in and was a New World ROM Mac, and then the "Pismo" in 2000, which replaced the single SCSI port with two FireWire ports, updated the PowerBook line to AGP graphics, a 100 MHz bus speed, and DVD-ROM optical drives standard, in addition to dropping the "G3" from the PowerBook name. The Pismo revision also brought AirPort wireless networking capability (802.11b), which had debuted in Apple's iBook in July 1999. CPU upgrade cards are available for both Lombard and Pismo models.
[edit] 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" wide-aspect screen suitable for watching widescreen movies. Built on the power of the PowerPC G4 processor, it was billed as "the first supercomputer you can actually take with you on an airplane."[1] 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 (a pun on "titanium" and "iBook"), became a fashion item. They were especially popular in the entertainment business, where they adorned many desks in Hollywood. They made some inroads into the desktop market as well, thanks to their large screen. Many other laptop manufacturers followed suit and imitated aspects of the design, especially the wide screen, and sometimes also the silvery metallic casing.
The Titanium PowerBooks were released in configurations of 400 MHz, 500 MHz, 550 MHz, 667 MHz, 800 MHz, 867 MHz, and 1 GHz.
In 2003, Apple launched both the largest-screen laptop in the world and Apple's smallest full-featured notebook computer. Both machines are made of anodized aluminium (coining the new nickname AlBook), feature DVD-burning capabilities, AirPort Extreme networking, Bluetooth, and 12.1" or 17" LCD displays. The 17" model included a fiber optic-illuminated keyboard, which eventually became standard on all 15" and 17" PowerBooks. Two ambient light sensors, located under each speaker grille, adjust the brightness of the backlit keyboard and the display according to the light level.
The 12" PowerBook's screen does not use the same panel as that used on the 12" iBook, while the 17" PowerBook uses the same screen as that used on the 17" flat-panel iMac, but with a thinner backlight.
Later in 2003, the 15" PowerBooks were redesigned and now feature the same aluminium body style as their smaller and larger siblings, with the same feature set as the 17" model (including the backlit keyboard).
In April, 2004, the aluminium PowerBooks were upgraded. The SuperDrive was upgraded to 4x 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 MiB of video memory. A third built-in speaker was added to the 12" 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 aluminium 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" and all 17" versions, while the lower specification 15" model and the 12" unit saw an increase in speed to 1.5 GHz. Optical audio output was added to the 17" version. Memory and hard drive defaults were increased to 512 MiB and 5400 rpm, respectively, with a new storage maximum of 100 GB on the 17" model. Each model also received an enhanced trackpad with scrolling capabilities, a revised Bluetooth module supporting BT 2.0+EDR, and a new feature which parks the drive heads when sudden motion is detected by an internal sensor. Support for the 30" Apple Cinema display was also introduced in the new 17" model and is optional in the 15" model via a build-to-order upgrade to the computer's video hardware. The SuperDrive now included DVD+R capability.
In October, 2005, the two higher-end PowerBooks were upgraded once again, with higher-resolution displays (1440x960 on the 15" model, and 1680x1050 on the 17" 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" 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" PowerBook. The 12" model with SuperDrive remained unchanged in this respect, although each new PowerBook boasted a longer battery life.
[edit] Product recall of PowerBook G4 units by Consumer Product Safety Commission
On May 20, 2005, the Consumer Product Safety Commission ordered a recall of some Apple PowerBook G4 batteries. The official CPSC recall notice states that an internal short can cause the battery cells to overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. The defective batteries can be returned to Apple for replacement. Approximately 128,000 defective units were sold.
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[edit] Discontinuation
At the 2006 Macworld Conference & Expo, the MacBook Pro was announced. The new notebooks, however, only came in 15.4" models and the 12" and 17" PowerBooks were still available for sale at Apple retailers. However the 15" was still sold for a while after while supplies lasted. On April 24 2006 the 17" PowerBook G4 was replaced by a 17" MacBook Pro variant. The 12" PowerBook G4 remained available until May 16 2006, when the new MacBook was introduced. This made the 12" PowerBook 1.5 GHz the final official model of the PowerBook line, ending over 14.5 years of continuous production. The 12" PowerBook remains the smallest Macintosh notebook yet produced, as the MacBook that replaced it is heavier and sports larger dimensions.
[edit] External links
- Apple's PowerBook specifications - Specifications for G3 and later PowerBooks.
- Apple-History
- Apple press release announcing January 2005 PowerBook revisions
- MacTracker (freeware Mac specifications database)
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