PowerBook G3
When Apple introduced the original beige Power Mac G3s in late 1997 they also announced the G3-based PowerBook. The machine looked and was even based upon its predecessor, the PowerBook 3400c but used IBMs 3rd Generation 32-bit processor, dubbed the G3 by Apple. This model is usually referred to by its codename, Kanga. It was Apple's fastest portable at the time, which is why users of the machine were surprised when Mac OS X 10.0 "Cheetah" was released and the Kanga was the only G3-based machine not supported by it. The Kanga only came in one clock speed, 250MHz.
The Kanga was replaced by the well-known PowerBook G3 Series. The first machine in the line, the "Wallstreet" model, was introduced in early 1998. It introduced a new design and 3 screen sizes, 12", 13.3", and 14.1". The 13.3 and 14.1" displays are both TFT displays, while the 12" was a passive-matrix display, the last machine in the PowerBook line to use one. It also introduced a lower and higher clocked processor models, 233MHz and 292MHz. The 233MHz model only had a 64KB L1 cache, while the 250 and 292MHz models had an additional 1MB L2 cache.
The Kanga was replaced by the well-known PowerBook G3 Series. The first machine in the line, the "Wallstreet" model, was introduced in early 1998. It introduced a new design and 3 screen sizes, 12", 13.3", and 14.1". The 13.3 and 14.1" displays are both TFT displays, while the 12" was a passive-matrix display, the last machine in the PowerBook line to use one. It also introduced a lower and higher clocked processor models, 233MHz and 292MHz. The 233MHz model only had a 64KB L1 cache, while the 250 and 292MHz models had an additional 1MB L2 cache.
Pismo Model Pictured
The Wallstreet was replaced in late 1998 with the PDQ or "Pretty Damn Quick" model. It dropped the 12" and 13.3" display for a 14.1" display standard. The 233MHz gained a 512KB L2 cache, the 250 and 292MHz processors were dropped in favor of faster 266 and 300MHz chips. The PDQ was the last Old-World ROM Apple machine introduced. It was the last PowerBook to also have dual expansion slots where you could have different combos of drives, for instance a Floppy drive and CD-ROM drive however the battery would have to be removed. 2 batteries could be installed for up to 7 hours of usage.
The PowerBook line didn't become a New World ROM machine until mid 1999 when the Bronze Keyboard model came out. Named after is bronze colored keyboard, it also brought USB (then version 1.1) to the PowerBook line. It introduced a thiner profile and lighter weight compared to the last PowerBook. However, as a consequence, the left bay could only be used for batteries and the right one could be used for a DVD, Floppy or ZIP drive. The processor speed was increased to 333 and 400MHz, however the 333MHz model was slower then the 300MHz PDQ because it had half the L2 cache. The Bronze Keyboard was the last Apple portable to have HDI-30 SCSI, a feature the PowerBook line had from the beginning.
The G3 series received its last update in Early 2000 when Apple introduced the FireWire model, also called by its code name Pismo. Being the fastest G3 PowerBook and only G3 PowerBook to have FireWire, the machine is highly sought after by collectors. It came in 400MHz and 500MHz models, both sporting a 1MB L2 cache. It was also the only PowerBook G3 to support up to 1GB of RAM.
In January 2001, the PowerBook G3 Series was replaced by the Titanium PowerBook G4.
The PowerBook line didn't become a New World ROM machine until mid 1999 when the Bronze Keyboard model came out. Named after is bronze colored keyboard, it also brought USB (then version 1.1) to the PowerBook line. It introduced a thiner profile and lighter weight compared to the last PowerBook. However, as a consequence, the left bay could only be used for batteries and the right one could be used for a DVD, Floppy or ZIP drive. The processor speed was increased to 333 and 400MHz, however the 333MHz model was slower then the 300MHz PDQ because it had half the L2 cache. The Bronze Keyboard was the last Apple portable to have HDI-30 SCSI, a feature the PowerBook line had from the beginning.
The G3 series received its last update in Early 2000 when Apple introduced the FireWire model, also called by its code name Pismo. Being the fastest G3 PowerBook and only G3 PowerBook to have FireWire, the machine is highly sought after by collectors. It came in 400MHz and 500MHz models, both sporting a 1MB L2 cache. It was also the only PowerBook G3 to support up to 1GB of RAM.
In January 2001, the PowerBook G3 Series was replaced by the Titanium PowerBook G4.
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