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The Compleat Buyer’s And User’s Guide To Antique And Collectable Mac Notebooks 2007 Edition Part 2

Part 2 - PowerBook 1400 to Clamshell iBook SE

PowerBook 1400
PowerBook 2400c
PowerBook 3400 Series
Original PowerBook G3 G3 250
PowerBook G3 Series I (WallStreet and PDQ)
PowerBook G3 Series III ("Bronze Keyboard; "Lombard" - May 1999)
Original Clamshell iBooks (July, 1999)
iBook "Revision B" and iBook SE (February 2000)

Back in the spring I posted my 2007 "Compleat Guides" to Low End and High End Apple notebooks. Determining the cutoff threshold between high end and low end is always shooting at a moving target, and especially with the proliferation of iBook and more recently MacBook models, the ranks of mid to even high performance sub -$1,000 low-end machines have swollen substantially, with the early to middle aluminum PowerBooks and refurbished MacBooks currently spanning the threshold.

With the base, 2.0.GHz MacBook selling for $1,099, and handily outperforming all Power PC Mac portables save you can buy a brand new, very powerful 'Book, for not that much above our arbitrary $1,000 "low end" mark, and then there are a bunch of Apple Certified Refurbished MacBooks selling for well-under $1,000. This is one of the biggest changes since the original Compleat Guides were first published in 1999, at which time the cheapest new PowerBook you could buy was the 233 MHz WallStreet LE for $2,195.

I thought about dropping the borderline between low end and high end to $800 for these editions, but I've decided to stick with a threshold of $1,000 for continuity, and because it is a nice, round number. Instead, I introduced a third category in 2002: " Antique And Collectable Macintosh Laptops." These are Apple portables that are no longer up to snuff as work machines, and with the release of OS 10.5 Leopard their ranks are about to swell substantially

For serious work I would no longer recommend any of the pre-G3 Macintosh portables unless your computing needs are _really_ rudimentary, or you are a collector, and the WallStreet and early clamshell iBooks are not really up to more than the most basic wordprocessing/email/surfing tasks nowadays either, and the Lombard is marginal as well uinless it has Daystar's 433 NHz G4 processor upgrade installed. Which makes the PowerBook G3 2000 Pismo, a 466 MHz FireWire or 500 MHz dual-USB iBook probably the minimum practical Mac portable for doing any sort of production work on or using as an only computer - the Pismo preferably with a 550 MHz G4 processor upgrade and the RAM maxed out at 1 GB. Thus, the latter machines are now the basement of "low-end", with a caveat that none of them will be officially supported by Leopard, which requires a minimum 867 MHz G4 processor.

The Lombard and early clamshells now fall into the "Antique And Collectable Macintosh Laptops" category - Apple portables that are no longer really up to snuff as front-line work machines (although if a WallStreet or Lombard or clamshell still will do the job you need it to do, more power to you, so to speak).

However, the older 'Books are still interesting machines, an important part of Macintosh history, and some of the rarer models especially should increase in value with time.

Yesterday, Part I covered the Mac Portable to the PowerBook Duo 2300. Now here is Part II of this two-part series.

___

PowerBook 1400

Sonnet Technologies still offers a 466 MHz G3 processor upgrade product for the PowerBook 1400. However, swapping in a 466 MHz G3 processor will not turn your 1400 into the near-equivalent of a 500 MHz Pismo or iBook. The 1400 design is 6 years old, and it wasn't exactly cutting-edge even in 1996. Even with 466 MHz of G3 power, you're still going to be hobbled by:

• A slow, 33 MHz system bus (compared with the Pismo's 100 MHz or the 500 MHz iBook's 66 MHz)
• A RAM upgrade ceiling of 64 MB (CompactFlash cards are a potential workaround fudge, but I have no experience with them)
• Mediocre (16 bit) and non-upgradable video support
• Video out requires optional add-on card
• A 800 X 600, 11.3 in. display -- passive matrix on the 1400cs
• Non-support of SCSI Disk Mode with hard drives over 4 MB
• Non-CardBus PC Card slots
• Ethernet requires either an internal expansion card (which means you can't use the video out card simultaneously) or a PC Card
• No really satisfactory way to add USB or FireWire connectivity
• No OS X support

Because of these limitations, you might well find a used WallStreet or PowerBook 3500 (aka: Kanga; Original G3 PowerBook) a more satisfactory solution (no OS X support on the 3500 either, however).

If you're not deterred by that list of caveats, a 1400 with a 466 MHz G3 and the RAM maxed out to 64 MB it will provide very decent performance using the legacy Mac OS and doing the sort of word processing, Web surfing, email, and other general computing tasks that are all many users want to do with a laptop.

You can pick up a used 1400cs for $100 or less, and an active matrix display 1400c for perhaps $50 - $100 dollars more.

The 133 and 166 MHz 1400s extended the model's production run from Oct. 1996 to May 1998, the longest ever for a PowerBook model until the TiBook.

PowerBook 1400cs 117 (October 1996)
Passive-matrix, dual-scan 11.3" color display (800x600)
NiMH battery ( roughly 2 hours use)
tappable trackpad
built-in microphone
2 PC card slots
6x CD-ROM drive (on all but a few early units)
infrared support and video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
750 MB to 1.3 Gig HD (removable in expansion bay)
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM 64 MB (32MB soldered)
PowerPC 603e 117 MHz
Weight: 7.1 pounds

PowerBook 1400c 117(October 1996)
Active-matrix 11.3" color display (800x600)
NiMH battery ( roughly 2 hours use)
tappable trackpad
built-in microphone
2 PC card slots
6x CD-ROM drive (on all but a few early units)
infrared support and video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
750 MB to 1.3 Gig HD (removable in expansion bay)
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM 64 MB (32MB soldered)
PowerPC 603e 117 MHz
Weight: 7.1 pounds

PowerBook 1400cs 133
Passive-matrix, dual-scan 11.3" color display (800x600)
NiMH battery ( roughly 2 hours use)
tappable trackpad
built-in speaker and microphone
2 PC card slots
6x CD-ROM drive
infrared support and video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
1 Gig to 1.3 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM 64 MB (12MB soldered)
PowerPC 603e 133 MHz
128k Level 2 cache
internal slot for 8-bit video or Ethernet card
Weight: 7.1 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score -142
PowerBook 1400c 133
Active-matrix 11.3" color display (800x600)
NiMH battery ( roughly 2 hours use)
tappable trackpad
built-in speaker and microphone
2 PC card slots
8x CD-ROM drive
infrared support and video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
1 Gig to 1.3 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM 64 MB (12MB soldered)
PowerPC 603e 133 MHz
128k Level 2 cache
internal slot for 8-bit video or Ethernet card
Weight: 7.1 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score -142

PowerBook 1400cs 166 (July 1997)
Passive-matrix, dual-scan 11.3" color display (800x600)
NiMH battery ( roughly 2 hours use)
tappable trackpad
built-in speaker and microphone
2 PC card slots
12x CD-ROM drive
infrared support and video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
1 Gig to 2 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM 64 MB (16MB soldered)
PowerPC 603e 166 MHz
128k Level 2 cache
internal slot for 8-bit video or Ethernet card
Weight: 7.1 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score -154

PowerBook 1400c 166 (July 1997)
Active-matrix 11.3" color display (800x600)
NiMH battery ( roughly 2 hours use)
tappable trackpad
built-in speaker and microphone
2 PC card slots
12x CD-ROM drive
infrared support and video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
1 Gig to 2 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM 64 MB (16MB soldered)
PowerPC 603e 166 MHz
128k Level 2 cache
internal slot for 8-bit video or Ethernet card
Weight: 7.1 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score -154

Recommendation: The big display, rock-solid, easy-to-work-on design, CD-ROM support, and superb keyboard, make these a nice, albeit slow, PowerBook for light-duty use.

Sonnet still offers a 466 MHz G3 with 1MB/186 MHz L2 cache upgrade card for the PowerBook 1400 for $299.95. More information here: http://www.sonnettech.com/product/crescendo_pb.html

PowerBook 2400c

Faced with replacing the Duo 2300, which was becoming painfully slow, in the spring of 1997 Apple subcontracted IBM Japan to produce the PowerBook 2400, a small, sleek, lightweight (for the time) compact laptop computer.

As tiny as it was outside, internally the 2400c was based on the same speedy PCI architecture as the PowerBook 3400/80, which gave it considerably higher performance than the bigger, "full-size" PowerBook 1400.

Also included was the lovely 10.4" active-matrix 800-by-600 resolution screen from the PowerBook 5300ce; two PC card slots; and unlike the Duo, a full complement of PowerBook ports: ADB, serial, video-out, SCSI, and sound in and out. In other words, no mucking about with docks is necessary for 2400 connectivity. Like the Duo, the 2400's tiny form factor left no room for either a CD-ROM drive or an internal floppy drive. An external floppy drive was included, something that was an extra-cost option with the Duo.

The 2400 was originally not intended to be marketed outside Japan (and indeed it never did make it to Canada), and it was designed with much smaller than standard sized keyboard -- even smaller than the Duo's. The good news was that small it may have been, but the 2400's scissors-action keyboard is smooth as silk, and Apple used the same technology for the G3 Series keyboards. Most users report that they get used to the smaller keyboard quickly.

Like the 1400, the 2400 has its processor mounted on a daughtercard, making it upgradable to G3, but no upgrades are currently available.

I have always been puzzled as to why Apple did not keep the 2400 in production longer, even upgrading it to G3 status, since that would have been dirt-simple to do. The lack of a subnotebook was a big, bleeding hole in Apple's product line for over three years until the May 1, 2001 release of the second generation iBook.

PowerBook 2400c 166 (May 1997)
Active-matrix 10.4" color display (800x600)
NiMH battery ( roughly 2 hours use)
tappable trackpad
built-in speaker and microphone
2 PC card slots
infrared support and video-out
Full set of PowerBook ports (unlike the Duo)
16-bit stereo sound input/output
External floppy drive
1.3 Gig to 2 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM 80 MB (16MB soldered)
PowerPC 603e 180 MHz
256k Level 2 cache
internal slot for 8-bit video or Ethernet card
Weight: 4.4 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score - 299

A machine with high collectability potential, as one of Apple's relatively few sub-compact laptop models.

PowerBook 3400 Series

The PowerBook 3400, the mightiest laptop on the planet when it was introduced in 1997, is now a mid-pack low-end machine. It's still a usable workhorse laptop with a lot of features, but unexciting performance by today's standards.

The PowerBook 3400 was widely acclaimed as the first PowerBook that could truly replace a desktop Mac with few if any compromises. Of course the same thing was claimed of the '040 500 Series 'Books in 1995 and of the 5300 Series in 1996, but never mind. With the 3400, it was literally true.

With its fast PCI-based internal architecture, the PowerBook 3400 was fast -- the fastest laptop in the world at the time, handily dusting anything the PC laptop makers could offer.

It was also, big, heavy (7.4 lb.) and less than graceful aesthetically in its stretched 5300 case with a bulge in the cover to accommodate two "subwoofer" (not really) speakers for its 4-speaker stereo system. On the upside, the carryover design meant that expansion bay peripherals designed for the 5300/190 Series fit nicely in the 3400's expansion bay. The 5300 battery fit too, although you couldn't take the 3400's LiIon battery and make it work in a 5300.

The 3400 was the first 'Book to use really big displays -- a 12'1" 800 x 600 TFT unit with a viewing area roughly equivalent to a 14" CRT monitor. A 20x CD -ROM drive combined with the big, bright screen made the 3400 the first no- apologies multimedia PowerBook.

Unlike the 5300, there were no particular quality, reliability, or stability problems with the 3400.

There are three 3400 models are based on 180, 200, or 240 MHz 603e PowerPC processors with a 40 MHz internal bus. The 180 was and is the sleeper bargain of the bunch, commanding a substantially lower price but giving away relatively little performance-wise to its slightly faster siblings. The 200s' and 240s' main advantage is not that they are slightly faster than the 180, but that they come equipped with larger hard drives.

PowerBook 3400c 180 (May 1997)
Active-matrix 12.1" color display (800x600)
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
infrared support and video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
6x to12x CD-ROM drive
1.3 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM 144 MB (16MB soldered)
PowerPC 603e 180 MHz
256k Level 2 cache
1 MB VRAM
internal slot for 8-bit video or Ethernet card
Weight: 7.4 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score - 293

PowerBook 3400c 200 (May 1997)
Active-matrix 12.1" color display (800x600)
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
infrared support and video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
6x to12x CD-ROM drive
2 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM 144 MB (16MB soldered)
PowerPC 603e 180 MHz
256k Level 2 cache
1 MB VRAM
internal slot for 8-bit video or Ethernet card
Weight: 7.4 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score - 308

PowerBook 3400c 240 (May 1997)
Active-matrix 12.1" color display (800x600)
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
infrared support and video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
6x to12x CD-ROM drive
3 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM 144 MB (16MB soldered)
PowerPC 603e 180 MHz
256k Level 2 cache
1 MB VRAM
internal slot for 8-bit video or Ethernet card
Weight: 7.4 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score - 337

These are still nice PowerBooks in the context of their time, which is past.

G3 PowerBooks

Original PowerBook G3 G3 250

The original G3 PowerBook (aka 3500, Kanga) was another uber-'Book in its day that, like the 5300ce and the 3400c 240, sold for more than was really justifiable when it was new. It's still a nice package, and much faster than the identical appearing 3400, but it is also the only Apple G3 model never officially supported by any version of 0S X. At a modest 250 MHz, that is not a tragedy -- X wouldn't perform very well on it anyway, and there is no processor upgrade path.

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. With a 250 MHz processor, 512K level 2 backside cache, and a 50-MHz internal bus, it offered performance second only to Apple's own G3 desktop machines of the day.

All the impressive goodies from the 3400 were there, along with a bigger 5 Gig hard drive, faster video performance and graphic-acceleration hardware to distinguish it from the 3400, and it was nearly twice as fast as the already "fastest-laptop-in-the-world" 3400 240.

Original PowerBook G3 G3 250 (November 1997)
Active-matrix 12.1" color display (800x600)
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
infrared support and video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
20x CD-ROM drive
5 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM 160 MB (32MB soldered)
PowerPC 750 (G3) 250 MHz
512k Level 2 cache
1 MB VRAM
internal slot for 8-bit video or Ethernet card
Weight: 7.9 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score - 747

The Original G3 was only built for five months, and it was monstrously expensive new, so there are not a whole lot of them available in the used- refurb. channels. Consequently, this one is definitely a collectable.

PowerBook G3 Series I (WallStreet and PDQ)

The WallStreet is arguably the most comprehensively complete and expandable PowerBook ever built, with its full set of classic PowerBook ports, two PC card slots allowing upgrades to USB and FireWire, or other things, its expansion bay, the ability to support batteries in both the left and right bays, and the availability of the G3 and G4 processor upgrades to 500 MHz. The WallStreet is also officially supported by OS X up to version 10.2.8, and later versions can be installed using the XPostFacto hack. However, the higest-performance OS for a WallStreet is OS 9.2.2.

The WallStreet keyboard is in my opinion the best ever offered on a notebook computer. These are still lively machines, especially with a processor upgrade installed. However, they won't support (officially) OS versions newer than OS 10.2.8. My wife is still using ours as her emai and web surfing machine, but with OS 9.2.2, which is still satisfyingly quick.

The most controversial G3 Series model is the Series I "Main Street" 233 with the passive-matrix dual-scan screen and no backside cache.

Some have accused this machine as being, quote: "dog slow." In fact, the cache-less 233 MacBenched at 445 in processor performance -- one third faster than the previous "fastest-in-the-world" 3400c 240 (337). Neither was the dual-scan fast supertwist nematic (FSTN) screen as doggy as some reviewers imply. I used one of these machines daily for a couple of months, and found the FSTN screen quite pleasant viewing, albeit not as crisp and speedy as the TFT units.

PowerBook G3 233 Series I (May 1998)
Passive-matrix STN 12.1" color display (800x600) - 13.3 or 14.1" color display (1,024x768) optional
Lithium Ion battery ( roughly 3-4 hours use)
tappable trackpad
2 built-in speakers and microphone
2 PC card slots
10Base-T Ethernet
Optional built-in 56k Fax/Modem
infrared support and video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
20x CD-ROM drive (floppy drive optional)
2 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM - 512 MB (32MB standard)
PowerPC 750 (G3) 233 MHz
No Level 2 cache
2 MB SDRAM
Weight: 7.4 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score - 445

PowerBook G3 250 Series I (May 1998)
Active-matrix STN 13.3" or 14.1" color display (1,024x768)
Lithium Ion battery ( roughly 3-4 hours use)
tappable trackpad
2 built-in speakers and microphone
2 PC card slots
10Base-T Ethernet
Optional built-in 56k Fax/Modem
infrared support and S-video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
20x CD-ROM drive (DVD-ROM optional)
Floppy drive
2 to 8 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM - 512 MB (32MB standard)
PowerPC 750 (G3) 250 MHz
1 MB Level 2 cache
4 MB SDRAM
Weight: 7.4 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score - 881

PowerBook G3 233 Series II L (September 1998)
Active-matrix 12.1" color display (800 x 600)
Lithium Ion battery ( roughly 3-4 hours use)
tappable trackpad
2 built-in speakers and microphone
2 PC card slots
10Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
infrared support and S-video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
20x CD-ROM drive (floppy drive optional)
2 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM - 512 MB (32MB standard)
PowerPC 750 (G3) 233 MHz
512k Level 2 cache
2 MB SDRAM
Weight: 7.4 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score - 764

PowerBook G3 233 Series II (August 1998)
Active-matrix 14.1" color display (1,024x768)
Lithium Ion battery ( roughly 3-4 hours use)
tappable trackpad
2 built-in speakers and microphone
2 PC card slots
10Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
infrared support and S-video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
20x CD-ROM drive (floppy drive optional)
2 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM - 512 MB (32MB standard)
PowerPC 750 (G3) 233 MHz
512k Level 2 cache
4 MB SDRAM
Weight: 7.4 pounds

PowerBook G3 266 Series II (August 1998)
Active-matrix STN 14.1" color display (1,024x768)
Lithium Ion battery ( roughly 3-4 hours use)
tappable trackpad
2 built-in speakers and microphone
2 PC card slots
10Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
infrared support and S-video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
20x CD-ROM drive (DVD-ROM optional)
Floppy drive
4 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM - 512 MB (64MB standard)
PowerPC 750 (G3) 266 MHz
1 MB Level 2 cache
4 MB SDRAM
Weight: 7.4 pounds

PowerBook G3 292 Series I (May 1998)
Active-matrix 13.3" or 14.1" color display (1,024x768)
Lithium Ion battery ( roughly 3-4 hours use)
tappable trackpad
2 built-in speakers and microphone
2 PC card slots
10Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
infrared support and S-video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
20x CD-ROM drive (DVD-ROM optional)
Floppy drive
8 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM 512 MB (32 MB standard)
PowerPC 750 (G3) 292 MHz
83 MHz System Bus
1 MB Level 2 cache
4 MB SDRAM video RAM
Weight: 7.4 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score -1,031

PowerBook G3 300 Series II (August 1998)
Active-matrix 14.1" color display (1,024x768)
Lithium Ion battery ( roughly 3-4 hours use)
tappable trackpad
2 built-in speakers and microphone
2 PC card slots
10Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
infrared support and S-video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
20x CD-ROM drive (DVD-ROM optional)
Floppy drive
8 Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Maximum RAM 512 MB (64 MB standard)
PowerPC 750 (G3) 300 MHz
66 MHz System Bus
1 MB Level 2 cache
4 MB SDRAM video RAM
Weight: 7.4 pounds

Things to watch out for when shopping for a used WallStreet are problems with the screen lid hinge "clutches" -- a potentially expensive repair job, and flaky video with the Series I units equipped with the 13.3 in. screen. There were good reasons why this screen option was dropped with the Series II introduction in August 1998. Another fairly common fault with the WallStreet was bad power manager boards, but these should have been dealt with long since on machines still in use. Series I only get a Rage II video card which is slightly inferior to the later Rage Pro. Both have 4MB VRAM on board except for the 12.1" screen 233 MHz units which have only a paltry 2 MB.

Note also that these units are only officially supported by OS X up to OS 10.2.8, and that because of their "Old World" ROM OS X must be installed on a volume or partition smaller than 8MB.

Daystar XLR8 still offers G3 and G4 processor upgrades for the WallStreet, from 400 MHz and 500 MHz G3 as well as 466 MHz G4 priced from $149.00 to $199.00.
http://daystar-store.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=512

PowerBook G3 Series III ("Bronze Keyboard; "Lombard" - May 1999)

Introduced at the World Wide Developer's Conference in in May, 1999, the new PowerBook named (surprise!) PowerBook G3 Series, turned out to be what had been widely predicted -- a leaned-down but evolutionary development of the highly successful "WallStreet/PDQ" G3 Series I and II PowerBooks, featuring more power, lower weight, and USB support.

While some were disappointed that Lombard did not turn out to be a more radical departure in portable design, the existing PowerBook G3 Series was a very solid design that was perhaps a bit porky for a laptop computer, and that issue was addressed by Lombard's lighter, more svelte form factor.

Apple distinguished the new 'Book as the "bronze keyboard" G3 PowerBook, referring to the new ochre/mocha color of the keyboard and trackpad, but it became better known by its development code name, "Lombard."

PowerBook G3 Lombard 333 MHz
Active-matrix 14.1" color display (1,024x768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 5 hours use)
tappable trackpad
2 built-in speakers and microphone
1 PC card slot
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
infrared support and S-video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
24x CD-ROM drive
4 GB Gig HD (4.6 GB on later built units)
supports SCSI Disk mode
Two USB ports
Maximum RAM 512 MB (64 MB standard)
PowerPC 750 (G3) 333 MHz
66 MHz System Bus
512k Level 2 cache
ATI RAGE LT Pro video controller with 8 MB SDRAM video RAM
16-bit CD-quality stereo input/output Sound
Weight: 5.9 pounds
MacBench (Processor) Score -1,031

PowerBook G3 Lombard 400 MHz
Active-matrix 14.1" color display (1,024x768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 5 hours use)
tappable trackpad
2 built-in speakers and microphone
1 PC card slot
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
infrared support and S-video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
2x DVD-ROM drive
6 GB or 10 GB Gig HD
supports SCSI Disk mode
Two USB ports
Maximum RAM 512 MB (64 MB standard)
PowerPC 750 (G3) 400 MHz
66 MHz System Bus
1 MB Level 2 cache
ATI RAGE LT Pro video controller with 8 MB SDRAM video RAM
MPEG-2 and audio decoder chip on the logic board for DVD support
16-bit CD-quality stereo input/output Sound
Weight: 5.9 pounds

Lombard features:
• PowerPC G3 processors running at 400 MHz (1 MB L2 cache) and 333 MHz (512k L2 cache).
• A thinner and lighter form factor than the Series I and II G3 PowerBooks -- 20% thinner and almost 2 pounds lighter (5.9 pounds) than its predecessor.
• New longer life battery with, get this: up to five hours operation on one battery, and with the new PowerBooks dual-battery capability, you can keep working for up to 10 hours.
• Easy access to RAM expansion and removable hard drive via flip-up keyboard.
• A hot-swappable expansion bay
• Dual-display capability (last seen on the PowerBook 5300) so you can add an external monitor and expand your on-screen workspace, or video mirroring (as on the 1400 to G3 Series II PowerBooks)
• Another returning feature that last appeared on the PowerBook 5300 and 3400 was the Expansion Bay Blank, a light, hollow, plastic media bay insert designed to protect the opening when you don't have an expansion device in the bay.
• A better cooling fan and more efficient ducting with a new exhaust port added on left where the Series I and II modem port resides
• The big, white Apple logo on the lid lights up
• Power Adapter is the same as the WallStreet unit.
• Sound in/out uses the same 1/8" mini-plugs, but they are relocated behind the rear door
• 2 stacked 12-Mbps USB ports - replacing both Serial and ADB

Expansion bay devices from Lombard and WallStreet are not compatible, and Apple did not supply a floppy drive for Lombard's expansion bay. WallStreet's analog Volume and Brightness rocker switches and Mute button were banished from the facia below the display, and these functions moved to faster-acting keyboard commands

Lombard retained the venerable HDI-30 square SCSI port, and was the last Macintosh that shipped with SCSI. The analog reset switch returned with Lombard (keyboard command also works.)

The Lombard is a good choice if you want a modestly speedy PowerBook that will support a collection of SCSI peripherals, and don't need Tiger support.

Things to watch out for in a used Lombard include whining display power inverters in some early production units, loose PRAM battery holders, and display anomalies that plagued some of these machines. Also, the Lombard, along with the Pismo and TiBook, suffers from what I consider a defective design that allows the keyboard to contact the screen surface when the PowerBook is closed. Apple insists that this is a "hygiene problem" resulting from dermal oils deposited on the keys smearing the screen. I beg to differ. My son's Lombard screen has been distinctly scuffed by its spacebar, leaving a mark that would drive me nuts, but which he says doesn't bother him. Personal tolerance applies here, but check it out on any used unit to gauge yours.

DayStar offers a 433 MHz G4 processor upgrade for the Lombard for $299.00. For more information, visit:
http://daystar-store.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=536

However, Lombards are not supported by OS X 10.4 Tiger, and there have been a number of RAM and system issues with these machines, which are now pretty long in the tooth. They are officially supported by OS 10.3 Panther, but there may be certain annoyances to deal with, especially video support.

However, Lombards are not supported by OS X 10.4 Tiger, and there have been a number of RAM and system issues with these machines. The can still run Panther successfully, but there may be certain annoyances to deal with.

Original Clamshell iBooks (July, 1999)

All of the original form factor iBooks are now definitely low-end machines but the kast revision FireWire 366 MHz and 466 MHz SE "Paris" models are supported by OS X 10.4 Tiger.

The original iBook featured an advertised battery life of up to six hours, a 300 MHz PowerPC G3 chip, and introduced Apple's new optional AirPort wireless networking, as well as a radical new laptop form factor available in two bright colors -- Blueberry and Tangerine. A subdued Graphite SE model followed at MacWorld Expo Tokyo 2000..

Other iBook stuff includes a 12.1" TFT display; built-in 56K modem and 10/100BASE-T Ethernet networking; a single USB port, and a built-in 24x CD-ROM drive, and a sleep indicator light that pulsates rather than blinking, and the "Revision B" Tokyo iBooks come with 64 MB of RAM and a 6 Gig hard drive -- up from the not really adequate 32 MB and 3.2 Gig of the original iBook.

One thing the iBook is not is compact. At 13.5 inches wide and 11.6 inches deep, my measuring tape tells me that iBook is nearly an inch wider and over an inch deeper than my WallStreet, which itself is considered a bit of a porker. It's no lightweight either, tipping the scales at 6.7 pounds, which makes it both bigger and heavier than the "full-size" Lombard PowerBook.

New engineering wrinkles in iBook's case design included elimination of a flip down or foldaway door covering the ports, spring-loaded "clamshell" lid hinges instead of a mechanical latch, a yo-yo-shaped power cord reel, and a carrying handle.

There is also quite a lengthy list of features that iBook did NOT have, including:
• No PC Card slots
• No Video out (except on the Sept. 2000, Paris models)
• No Expansion bay
• No SCSI or FireWire ports (the Sept. 2000, Paris models added FireWire)
• Only one USB port
• No Microphone or sound-in port
• No IRDA
• No stereo speakers
• No DVD support (the Sept. 2000, Paris SE models added DVD)

iBook (July 1999)
300-MHz PowerPC G3 processor; 512K backside level 2 cache on processor module 66-MHz system bus
32MB of SDRAM - Upgradable to 288 MB
3.2GB IDE hard drive
24x CD-ROM drive
One 12-Mbps Universal Serial Bus (USB) port
Built-in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet
Built-in 56K modem supporting K56flex and V.90 standards
Optional 11-MBS Air Port wireless networking card
Single built-in mono speaker; 16-bit stereo sound output minijack
4MB of SDRAM video memory
2D/3D graphics acceleration through ATI RAGE Mobility graphics controller with 2X AGP
12.1-inch (diagonal) built-in TFT SVGA active-matrix display, offering 640- by 480-pixel and 800- by 600-pixel resolution with millions of colors
Lithium-ion; 45-watt-hour battery; Up to 6 hours of battery life
full-size keyboard
Solid-state Apple trackpad supports tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
- Width: 13.5 inches (34.4 cm)
- Height: 11.6 inches (29.4 cm)
- Average depth: 1.8 inches (4.6 cm); depth ranges from 1.24 inches (3.15 cm) at the thinnest point to 2.06 inches (5.2 cm) at the thickest point;
Weight: 6.7 pounds (3.0 kg)

The 300 MHz iBook is the slowest Mac officially supported by OS X 10.3 Panther, and is not supported by OS 10.4Tiger.

Price range depends on condition and the collectability issue. Perfoemance-wise, these are $200 - $250 machines, but especially pristine examples could be valued at more as collectables.

iBook "Revision B" and iBook SE (February 2000)

PowerPC G3 microprocessor running at a clock speed of 300 or 366 MHz.
512 KB backside L2 cache
64 MB of SDRAM - expandable up to 320 MB
Hard disk drive with a capacity of 6 GB.
CD-ROM drive with 24X speed
12.1-inch TFT display with SVGA resolution (800 by 600 pixels).
4 MB of video RAM supports millions of colors -- ATI RAGE Mobility graphics controller with 2X AGP
Lithium ion battery - battery life under normal use is up to 6 hours.
One USB port
Built-in modem with 56 Kbps data rate.
Built in Ethernet port for 10Base-T and 100Base-TX
Internal wireless AirPort LAN module available as a build-to-order option or as a user-installable upgrade.
Built-in mono speaker and a stereo headphone jack.
Integrated trackpad includes tap/double tap and drag features.
Weight: 3.0 kg (6.6 pounds) with the battery installed.
34.4 cm (13.5 inches) wide x 29.4 cm (11.6 inches) deep.
Thickness varies from 3.1 to 5.2 cm (1.24 to 2.06 inches); the average thickness is 4.6 cm (1.8 inches).

The 300 MHz iBook is the slowest Mac officially supported by OS X 10.3 Panther, and is not supported by OS 10.4Tiger.

Price range depends on condition and the collectabilkity issue. Perfoemance-wise, these are $200 - $300 machines, but especially pristine examples could be valued at more as collectables.

You can read Part I of this series, Mac Portable to PowerBook Duo 2300, here.

*** Charles W. Moore

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