PowerBook
Powerbook 150
PowerBook is Apple Computer's brand name for its series of Macintosh professional laptop computers. Since 1999, Apple has a second series of less expensive laptops, aimed at the consumer and education markets, the iBook.
Prior to the release of the PowerBook line, Apple had attempted to build a portable computer in the form of the Macintosh Portable. As its electronics were the same as a Macintosh SE with an LCD, it was better known as a "luggable" due to its unfortunate size and weight. It was the butt of many jokes, and Apple was looking to improve the second time around.
In October 1991 the first three PowerBooks were released: the low-end PowerBook 100, the more powerful PowerBook 140, and the high end PowerBook 170. The machines caused a stir in the industry with their compact dark grey cases, use of a trackball, and the clever arrangement of the keyboard which left room for resting one's wrists on the case. (PC portable computers tended to have the keyboard forward towards the user, with empty space above it.)
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 insterted into a docking station to provide the system with extra 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 picked up the design style.
The first series of PowerBooks were hugely successful and captured 40% of all laptop sales for a time, a fact that Apple seemed to do little to capitalize on. Instead the original team eventually were lured away to work at Compaq, setting back the effort to introduce updated versions for some time. 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.
Apple's PowerBook product line, in fact, declined during this time period. 1994 saw the introduction of the PowerBook 500 series, codename Blackbird. Faster and newer, the PowerBook 500 series continued the product line and held it on until the disastrous PowerBook 5300.
The PowerBook 5300 had numerous problems. While it was the highly anticipated, first PowerPC-based PowerBook, the 5300 was arguably Apple's worst product of the 1995-1996 time period where the company teetered on the brink of death. The 5300 was not competitive with other laptop models at the time. Many models shipped dead on arrival, and a few 5300's used at Apple actually burst into flames due to problems with the batteries (earning the 5300 the nickname "Hindenbook", after the Hindenburg disaster). While no consumer 5300's suffered this fate, Apple was forced to recall the entire product line and delay its availability. Apple's much-publicized PowerBook 5300 product placement in the film Mission Impossible turned to disaster when the PowerBooks were still off store shelves when the movie premiered in theaters.
Apple recovered from the 5300 debacle in 1996 and 1997 by introducing three new PowerBooks: the 1400, intended to replace the 5300 as a general-purpose PowerBook; the 2400, intended as a slim, sleek sub-notebook to replace the PowerBook Duo; and the luxury model PowerBook 3400. The PowerBook 3400 was adapted into the first PowerBook G3, codenamed the Kanga, late in 1997.
The second line of PowerBook G3's, completely redesigned from the Kanga, was released in 1998. Debuting at roughly the same time as the legendary iMac, the Wall Street PowerBook G3 series was comprised of 12", 13", and 14" models which had varying features and processing speeds. They included dual drive bays that could hold floppy drives, CD-ROM drives, or extra batteries. They also included a sleek, black, curved form factor. This form factor continued as Apple standardized on the 14" screen and introduced new revisions: Lombard, a slimmer, curvier, lighter PowerBook with a longer battery life and USB, and Pismo, which brought FireWire to the product line and removed SCSI.
Interim CEO Steve Jobs turned his eye to the redesign of the PowerBook series in 2000. The result was a completely re-designed unit built on a titanium chassis, with a huge 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 notebook in the world. 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 known, 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, such as the silvery metallic casing.
The Titanium Powerbooks were released in configurations of 400 MHz, 500 MHz, 550 MHz, 667 MHz, 800 MHz and 1GHz.
The 17 inch PowerBook G4
In 2003, Apple Computer launched both the largest-screen laptop in the world and Apple's smallest full-featured notebook computer. Both machines are made of anodized aluminum (hence the new nickname AlBook), feature DVD-burning capabilities (built-to-order on the small model), AirPort Extreme networking, Bluetooth, and 12.1" or 17" LCD displays. The 17" model includes an ambient light sensor built into the keyboard which backlights the keys and adjusts the screen brightness when it senses the light is darker.
The 12" PowerBook's screen is the same as that used on the 12" iBook, while the 17" PowerBook uses the same screen as that used on the 17" flat-panel iMac.
Later in 2003, the 15" PowerBooks were redesigned, and now feature the same aluminum body as their smaller and larger siblings.Early PowerBooks
PowerBook G3
PowerBook G4
