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“Kanga;” The Forgotten Original G3 PowerBook

Last Saturday marked the tenth anniversary of the release of the original G3 PowerBook, which was one of the all-time major watersheds in the evolution and development of Apple notebook computers.

On November 10, 1997, Apple Computer, already purveyor of the fastest laptop computer in the world with their PowerBook 3400c/240, radically upped the speedstakes ante with the introduction of a machine more than twice as fast as the 3400c -- the original PowerBook G3.

With its 250 MHz third generation ("G3") PowerPC 750 processor, the original PowerBook G3, code named "Kanga" or "3500," scored 747 on the then-current MacBench 4 processor test, versus the 3400c/240's score of 337 (the 250 MHz PowerBook G3 Series (a.k.a. WallStreet) scored 881, the disparity being attributable to the WallStreet having double the amount of cache and a faster, 66 MHz frontside bus), which calculates out to the Kanga being 150% faster than the PowerBook 3400 whose POwerPC 603e processor was nominally only 10 MHz slower - a prima facie illustration of why raw clock speed is a fairly useless criterion for performance comparisons outside of the same processor family. The PowerBook 3500 also has the dubious distinction of being the only Apple G3 model was never officially supported by 0S X. At a modest 250 MHz with a 160 MB RAM ceiling, that is not a tragedy - X wouldn't perform very well on it anyway, and there is no processor upgrade path.

However, when I first heard the news from the Apple Evangelist (anyone else remember that?) it was almost unbelievable. Here I had been hankering after a speedy 3400, and now here was this new machine that could blow the 3400, as well as every PC laptop, into the weeds without breaking a proverbial sweat. The Kanga really raised the bar in laptop performance six months after the 3400's introduction. A stopgap model, the Kanga was essentially a G3 motherboard stuffed into a 3400 case, but it offered performance bettered only by Apple's own G3 desktop machines of the day.

The 3500 (I shall henceforth refer to the Original PowerBook G3 250 in this article mainly as the 3500 -- Apple went to the well too many times with the "PowerBook G3" nomenclature) had a mighty impressive specification over and above its lightning-fast processing chip.

The 3500 sported an internal bus speed of 50 MHz and a level 2 cache of 512k, with 32 MB of RAM soldered to the motherboard, expandable up to 160 MB maximum. Its 5 GB hard drive was a major step up from the 3 GB unit in the 3400c/240.

However, 3500 buyers willing to lay down the hefty hunk of cash Apple asked for the hot new machine got no shot of new model cachet in the looks department -- the 3500 was visually identical to the 3400 series, which in turn owed a great deal in the plastics department to 1995's PowerBook 5300.

This was a mixed blessing. Even though I own a PowerBook G3 Series II WallStreet machine, I have to confess that I've never been terribly smitten with the WallStreet's looks (its best aspect by my lights being from the back, which reminds me of the business end of a spaceship one might see on Star Trek, but I digress), and I actually prefer the more businesslike, albeit angular, lines of the 5300/3400/3500. I expect that I'm in a distinct minority on that score.

The 3500 had a 20x-speed CD drive - up from the 3400's 12x unit, and continued the 3400's PCI architecture, built-in 10BASE-T Ethernet and 33.6 kbps modem with a special RJ-45 connector that would accept either an Ethernet connector or modem cord, as well as support for the 3400's hot-swappable expansion bay modules (including a standard floppy drive; expansion bay modules from the 5300/190 series would also fit), and a four speaker sound system with its misnamed "subwoofers" that resulted in these models' bulging screen lid. The 3400's standard 1 Mbps IrDA wireless information transfer support, and two PC Card slots (non-CardBus -- two Type II or one Type III) were also continued unchanged. One upgrade from 3400 specs. was a higher-capacity 47-watt/hour Lithium ion battery, and 2MB of VRAM supporting 24-bit video out and millions of colors on an external monitor.

Eighteen-bit color was supported on the 3500's 800 x 600 dpi 12.1" active-matrix TFT display (same as the 3400, the LE WallStreet, and the iBook) but an upgrade from 3400 specs. was an enhanced Chips and Technology 65554 PCI video controller that supported hardware acceleration for faster graphics, allowing the 3500 to upgrade its screen image 74 percent faster than the 3400. Also included were 16-bit stereo in/out, Zoomed Video support and software-based MPEG-1 decompression.

Some caveats were that the 3500's PC Card slots do not support the CardBus protocol, so CardBus based USB, FireWire, and wireless networking adapters did not work. Speed-wise, the 3500 is about the same or a bit slower than the 233 MHz WallStreet Series II (with 512k cache), due to the WallStreet's faster internal bus, and substantially slower than the WallStreet Series I 250, which has a 1 MB L2 cache and an even faster internal bus. As noted above, the WallStreet has a much better keyboard, and also incorporates a 56 Kbps internal modem as opposed to the 3500's 33.6 Kbps unit.

The 3500's 76-key keyboard with 12 function keys represented one of the machine's weaker points, being identical to the unit the 3400 inherited from the PowerBook 5300, which in turn was pretty much the same as the keyboard introduced on the 500 series PowerBooks. It was serviceable, but much inferior to the beautiful keyboard on the PowerBook 1400 series, and the silky-smooth scissors-action keyboards of the tiny PowerBook 2400c that preceded it and the G3 Series 'Books that were to follow. The 3400's "tappable" trackpad was also carried over unchanged, and I personally like the positive and light clicking action of the 5300/3400/3500 trackpad button much better than that of the big, stiff, "bow-tie' buttons on the WallStreets, Lombards and Pismos.

The 3500 was no lightweight, tipping the scales at the same 7.7 pounds as the 3400 (and the WallStreet). It is 1/2 inch thicker than a WallStreet (due to that "subwoofer" bulge), but actually more compact than either WallStreet and Lombard in width and depth dimensions.

Although obviously a transitional model designed to hold the fort until the WallStreet Series was ready to ship, the 3500 was a powerful and comprehensively equipped laptop. Unfortunately one thing that wasn't transitional was the price - a whopping $5,695, cheaper than the 3400c/240's astronomical introductory price of $6,400, but still more than enough to make you suck in your breath. Makes the current prices for Lombard PowerBooks -- to say nothing of the iBook, seem like fire sale bargains.

The 3500 had a production life of only about five months, making it, despite its historical importance, one of the rarer PowerBook models. A year after its announcement, refurbished 3500s were selling for $2,100. There are not a whole lot of them available, and consequently, this one is definitely a collectable PowerBook.


Original PowerBook G3 G3 250 (November 10 1997)
CPU: 250 MHz PPC 750 ( G3)
Frontside bus: 50 MHz
ROM: 4 MB
Maximum RAM 160 MB (32MB soldered) expandable using a single EDO RAM DIMM
Level 2 cache: 512 KB backside cache running at 100 MHz
VRAM: 2 MB
Display: 12.1" 16-bit 800x600 color active matrix also supports millions of colors on external displays
Lithium Ion battery ( roughly 3-4 hours use)
tappable trackpad
4 built-in speakers (including "sub-woofers") with active crossover and microphone
2 PC card slots
10Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 33.6 Fax/Modem
ADB port for keyboard and mouse
DIN-8 serial port on back of computer
1Mbps IrDA
infrared support and video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
20x CD-ROM drive
5GB ATA IDE drive
supports SCSI Disk mode
internal slot for 8-bit video or Ethernet card
Weight: 7.9 pounds
Dimensions: 11.5" x 9.4" x 2.4"
MacBench (Processor) Score - 747
Requires System 7.6 or later
Bundled Software: Mac OS 8, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3, Apple Internet Connection Kit, Apple Remote Access, PC Exchange, Macintosh Easy Open, MacLinkPlus translators (for Macintosh Easy Open) with DataViz, PowerBook File Assistant, Apple Location Manager

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Appendix - Apple Canada's Original PowerBook G3 Press Release

Apple Designs Different: Extends Leadership in Notebooks with PowerBook G3

Apple Introduces World's Fastest Notebook for People Who Think Creatively
MARKHAM, Ontario - Nov. 10, 1997 -- Targeting the needs of creative "road warriors" who require the most in performance and advanced multimedia capabilities from a notebook computer, Apple Computer, Inc. today introduced the Macintosh® PowerBook®G3. PowerBook G3 is based on the third generation PowerPC G3 processor, a high-performance microprocessor optimized for the Mac® OS.

"The PowerBook G3 combines next generation processor technology with the latest in Mac OS system software to provide creative professionals with a new standard in mobile computing," said Phil Schiller, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "There is more of everything for Macintosh customers with the PowerBook G3¬more speed, more memory, more storage. This is high- end desktop performance in a mobile Macintosh."

The PowerBook G3 builds upon the innovative feature set of the fast PowerBook 3400 series, previously the world's fastest notebook, by adding the high-performance PowerPC G3 processor running at 250Mhz, with a 512K L2 cache and a 50MHz system and memory bus. A host of other innovative features, such as a 5GB hard disk, 20x-speed CD drive, built-in ethernet/modem, hot swappable expansion bay modules, Apple® Location Manager and four speaker sound system, provide Mac OS customers with the fastest notebook for creating, presenting, sending and receiving media rich information anytime, anywhere.

"Apple continues to demonstrate the ability to develop PowerBooks with industry leading performance," said J. Gerry Purdy, Ph.D., president of Mobile Insights in Mountain View, Calif. "The customer who is using a Macintosh desktop can be assured that the PowerBook G3 will provide them with true Power Macintosh performance in a portable."

Performance
The PowerBook G3 delivers high-end desktop performance in a mobile solution. The product is based on the PowerPC G3, the third generation PowerPC G3 processor from Motorola and IBM and the first processor specifically designed to optimize the Mac OS and associated applications. System enhancements include a 50MHz system bus (25 percent faster than previous PowerBook models), 32MB of EDO RAM expandable to 160MB, and a 5GB ATA IDE hard disk drive. The notebook also boasts 512K level 2 backside cache and 64K on-chip level 1 cache. The new backside cache design boosts performance significantly by allowing the processor and level 2 cache to communicate at much higher speeds than previously possible. A 20x-speed CD drive provides fast access to CD-based information.

Although higher-performance components are used in the PowerBook G3, the low-power consumption of the new PowerPC processor combined with a higher-capacity 47-watt/hour Lithium ion battery enables customers to enjoy two to four hour battery life.

"Apple and Motorola have delivered the fastest processor available to mobile customers," said Bud Broeker, corporate vice present and general manager of Motorola's Personal Computing Division. "This latest PowerPC design combines performance with minimal power requirements, which eliminates the necessity of choosing either top-end performance or portability."

Multimedia
The PowerBook G3 is designed for creative professionals and authors in all markets who demand desktop performance yet need mobility. Enhanced multimedia features include 2MB of VRAM which supports 24-bit video out, enabling millions of colors on an external monitor; 18-bit color is supported on the notebook's 12.1" (diagonal) active-matrix SVGA color display. The PowerBook G3 also provides an enhanced Chips and Technology 65554 PCI video controller that supports hardware acceleration for faster graphics.

The PowerBook G3 has a unique four speaker sound system, PCI video controller with hardware acceleration, industry standard VGA connector for 24-bit video out, 16-bit stereo in/out, Zoomed Video support and software-based MPEG-1 decompression. All of these features combined provide users with one of the most robust systems available today and the key elements they need to create and present multimedia rich information.

"I do everything on the PowerBook G3. It has become an indispensable piece of equipment in my camera bag that lets me create what I see in my head, wherever I am, quickly and easily in a manner I had never dreamed would be possible when I used my first PowerBook," said Carlan Tapp of Tapp Studio, based in Seattle, Wash." In the beginning, the thought of doing serious PhotoShop work was still limited to the desktop Macs in the studio, but with the PowerBook G3, PhotoShop runs very quickly and is the total answer to do VR authoring. No more stitching on our current desktop systems. The PowerBook G3 outruns and finishes on an average VR pano up to six minutes faster than our 8500."

Communications
The PowerBook G3 features a number of communications capabilities including built-in 10Mbps Ethernet and 33.6Kbps modem, in addition to an RJ-45 connector that can accept either Ethernet or telephone cable. Other communications capabilities include built-in 1MB industry standard IrDA for transferring information wirelessly to other infrared capable devices. In addition, PowerBook users will have access through the serial port to GeoPort technology for ISDN and analog modems.

Expansion
A flexible expansion bay on the PowerBook G3 accepts a variety of modules including a floppy drive, CD-ROM drive, additional hard drive, magneto-optical drive, and internal AC adapter; a Zip[TM] drive from VST Technologies, Inc. is also expected to be available. In addition, expansion bay modules from the PowerBook 3400, 5300, and 190 series can be used with the PowerBook G3. For more expansion options, two PC Card slots are provided to support two Type II or one Type III card. The PowerBook G3 allows users to "hot swap" modules while the system is running unlike other notebook systems that require a user to shut down or sleep their system prior to the removal of an expansion bay module.

Software
The PowerBook G3 comes configured with Mac OS 8 and a variety of productivity, communications, and compatibility software applications to provide a complete, mobile computing solution right out of the box. Productivity software includes Now Software Inc.'s Now Up-To-Date and Now Contact. Communications software provided includes Internet tools such as Mac® OS 8 Internet Assistant, Netscape Navigator 3.0, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 and ForeFront Group's WebWhacker 3.0 for browsing the Internet off line.

The PowerBook G3 also ships with Apple Location Manager, a software utility which allows users to save system settings that are location dependent including networking, printer, time zone, file sharing and sound. Once a defined location is set up, a user simply selects that location and the system automatically reconfigures to reflect the chosen environment. Apple® Remote Access is also included for easily connecting to a desktop or network from a remote location. Compatibility software includes Macintosh PC Exchange for reading and writing PC-formatted floppy disks, Macintosh Easy Open and MacLinkPlus from Dataviz for reading and translating PC-formatted files.

Availability, Pricing, and Configuration
The PowerBook G3 is available immediately in the United States with an estimated retail price of $8,199 CDN. Additionally, the PowerBook G3 is expected to be available in Europe in late November, and Japan and other countries in December; pricing may vary per region. The PowerBook G3 will be sold in one configuration: 250MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 512K level 2 backside cache, 32MB EDO RAM, internal 5GB IDE hard drive module, 12.1" (diagonal) active-matrix SVGA color display, built-in 1.4MB Apple SuperDrive floppy disk drive, and internal 20x-speed CD-ROM drive module.

Apple Computer, Inc. ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II, and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is now recommitted to its original mission - to bring the best personal computing products and support to students, educators, designers, scientists, engineers, business persons and consumers in over 140 countries around the world.




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cmoore@macopinion.com


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