Macopinion

The Road Warrior Mailbag - October 29, 2007

Various questions for you or your readers
Collectable Portables.
Can't seem to locate your Compleat Guide article
The Compleat Buyer's And User's Guide To Low-End Macintosh Laptops 2007 Edition Part One [Originally published June 14, 2007]




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Various questions for you or your readers

From Peter

Hi Charles,

Question 1: I’m sure this question reveals my ignorance. I want to upgrade the memory in my 15” PB that uses DDR PC2700. Can I use PC2-5300 667MHz 200-pin DDR2 SODIMM? I’m only asking because the latter is on sale at buy.com for $21.

Question 2: My original Pismo battery lasted over 3 years. The succeeding replacements lasted less than half that time. My 15” aluminum battery was going strong until recalled. The Apple replacement lasted about 3 months. Since I never returned the original battery, I used it for another year without any problems. Now that it is on its last legs, what is the best battery for this computer in terms of charge and longevity?

Question 3: I need database help. I was very satisfied using ACT! on DOS, Windows and OS 9. I’ve been using Entourage, a poor substitute, since moving to OS X six years ago. Now I need to coordinate databases in a Mac/PC environment so that they can be accessed online by many users. Do you or your readers have any suggestions on where to look for help?

You’re always a great help. I appreciate your service to the Mac community.
Thanks,

Pete

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Hi Pete;

1. To the best of my knowledge, PC2700 is the only type of RAM supported by the 15" PowerBook. These days, both software and hardware are so picky about RAM, I wouldn't recommend experimenting with unapproved types.

2. In my experience, battery life is an imponderable. The original battery in our Wallstreet, now just short of nine years old, is still going strong - well, relatively, It still gives up to an hour runtime. The original batteries in my G3 iBook (five years) and G4 PowerBook (built in late 2003; refurbished in July, 2005) are both still in fine fettle. The original battery in my Pismo (October, 2000) died in 2003. Replaced it with a used one, which croaked after a few months. I now have both FastMac TruePower and Newer Technology extended life batteries for the Pismo and they're both great at 1.5 and 2 years old roughly. I figure I've had generally good luck with battery life. I just keep the 'Books plugged in most of the time with the batteries in situ.

3. As for serious databases, my ignorance is fairly encyclopedic, so I'll have to refer that one to readerlsnd. FileMaker Pro?

Charles






Collectable Portables.

From Marion

If I remember correctly one plus for the PB150, which as you point out has a some minuses is that it uses an IDE drive and not a SCSI drive internally. Since the latter are more difficult to come by and mostly lower capacity, this is something to be considered.

Marion

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Hi Marion;

Yes and no. As I recall, somewhat hazily, the PowerBook 150 used an oddball sort of IDE drive rather than a standard IDE drive.

I'm doubtful about the current availability of these drives.

Charles






Can't seem to locate your Compleat Guide article

From Jerry Kuchera

Hello Charles,

I'm the happy owner of an upgraded G4 Pismo bought as a refurb in 2001--still going strong with Tiger. An amazing machine. I'm doing Photoshop Elements and Keynote presentations on it. It's great!

Thanks to you, I've upgraded the processor, hard drive and DVD to a DVD superdrive.

Another friend was interested in a Pismo and I wanted to send him some of your articles about it.. Then I discovered you had written "The Compleat Buyer's And User's Guide To Low-End Macintosh Laptops" in which one part described the Pismo.

But I can't seem to locate the entire article that mentions the Pismo. After an hour, I'm about to give up. Could you give me a good link to follow?

Regards,

Jerry Kuchera

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Hi Gerry;

There seems to be a problem with the links to that article, and I've been unable to fix the issue.

Since this is a light mailbag week, I'm republishing the column below.

Charles






The Compleat Buyer's And User's Guide To Low-End Macintosh Laptops 2007 Edition Part One [Originally published June 14, 2007]

Sub-$1,000 Mac Portable Workhorses - Paris Clamshell iBooks and PowerBook Pismo Through Titanium PowerBook Onyx - New on The Road Warrior

This is the second installment of "A Compleat Buyer's And User's Guide To Macintosh Laptops 2007 Edition." Last week we looked at the current crop of high-end Apple notebooks. To check it out, click here.

This time we're covering low-end ($1,000 and less) Mac PowerBooks and iBooks.

To check it out, click here.

The announcement of the 13" MacBook starting at $1,100 last year accelerated downward pressure on used and refurbished Apple laptop prices, and for the 2006 Compleat Guides I adjusted the threshold between "low-end" and "high end" back up to $1,000 from $900, which puts refurbished Revision A Core Duo MacBooks, (and even Apple Certified Refurbished 1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo models) in the low end category, which illustrates how much prices have compressed in the sub-$1,000 range.

Four years ago I shifted all pre-WallStreet PowerBooks to the "Antique And Collectible Macintosh Laptops" category. Last year, I also consigned the WallStreet and Lombard G3 Series PowerBooks, and all but the last, "Paris" revision of the original Clamshell iBooks, to that status as well. While many of these machines are still giving their owners excellent service, it's arguable that even a low-end laptop should be able to run the current version of OS X, and the WallStreet has not been officially supported since OS X 10.3 Panther's release in 2003, while the Lombard and early Clamshells were dropped from current OS X support with the release of OS 10.4 Tiger more than two years ago. With the help of Ryan Rempel's XPostFacto installer hack, you can get Tiger to run on them, but that's not quite the same thing.

This year I haven't dropped any models from the low-end class, although if OS 10.5 Leopard had been released by now I probably would have, although I'm not making any prognostications about what the official minimum hardware for Leopard will be. I'm hoping that G3s will still be supported.

Moving along, in my estimation, the current 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook is the greatest performance for dollar-spent that Apple has ever offered a portable (the base, 1.83 GHz unit is a good deal too, but not as spectacular a value as the 2.0 GHz model with its gigabyte of standard RAM and SuperDrive optical drive for $200 more), and if your budget can handle it, I encourage you to consider that option. On the other hand, if you still need Mac OS Classic Mode support, the G4 PowerBooks and iBooks are the ultimate machines that offer it, and I'm still happily using a 1.33 GHz G4 PowerBook as my main production machine.

So without further preamble, here is our revised Compleat Guide to Low End PowerBooks and iBooks for 2007, covering 'Books that (should) cost less than our arbitrary low/high end watershed of $1,000, but are still powerful enough to put in a good day's work without too many compromises, and serve as one's "only" computer if that's desirable.

The Paris Clamshell iBooks (September, 2000)

By September, 2000, speed bumps to 366 MHz and 466 MHz for the basic iBook and the iBook SE respectively, were overdue, especially for the lower-end machine whose previous 300 MHz chip had been barely marginal for running some newer software.

I'm feeling some equivocation about not shifting these last-revision clamshells to the "Antique And Collectible Macintosh Laptops" category, but they are still officially supported by OS X 10.4 Tiger, and are tough, likeable machines if you can live with an 800 x 600 resolution display.

The MacWorld Expo Paris iBooks came with IBM's new PowerPC 750cx processor. The 750CX (G3e) used less power than the 750 G3, about 4W at 400 MHz vs. 7W. The 750CX also has an integrated 256 KB level 2 (L2) cache, albeit the size of cache was reduced from the old iBook's 512K cache.

It was great to finally see FireWire a port and an AV video-out port on the iBook, and a new composite video port resembled a conventional 1/8" audio jack, but output video to TV through a special cable. Gamers and multimedia types were delighted to have the impressive ATI Rage Mobility 128 video card with its 8 MB of VRAM in the iBook, although the 12.1 in., 800 x 600 monitor was still small for multimedia work.

The bigger 10 GB hard drives (and optional 20 GB units) quieted complaints in that quarter, and those who wanted to watch DVD movies on their iBook could now do so with the iBook SE's DVD-ROM drive.

The iBook SE's Graphite livery, was continued, and the Indigo base model was at least as attractive as its Blueberry predecessor. However, the new "Key Lime" color, which was offered on both models, proved to be more controversial.

However, Apple addressed most of the objections users had to the original iBook, added a lot of value, and held the price point. The remaining really substantial iBook deficiencies were the small, low resolution screen, and the lack of VGA-out and sound-in ports. The lack of analog sound-in support had been mitigated somewhat by the availability of USB microphones.

However, the new 500 MHz, May 2001 iBook is superior in specification and performance to the Revision A through C machines, unless you happen to be enamored of the original versions style and colors.

iBook 366 MHz (September 2000)
Active-matrix 12.1" color display (800 x 600)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 6 hours use)
tappable trackpad
built-in mono speaker
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
16-bit stereo sound output
24x CD-ROM drive
10 GB HD
One USB port
One FireWire port
Maximum RAM 576 MB (64 MB standard)
PowerPC 750cx (G3) 366 MHz
66 MHz System Bus
256k on chip cache
ATI RAGE Mobility 128 graphics accelerator with 8MB of SDRAM
Optional Airport wireless networking
Carrying handle
Weight: 6.7 pounds

iBook 466 MHz (September 2000)
Active-matrix 12.1" color display (800 x 600)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 6 hours use)
tappable trackpad
built-in mono speaker
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
16-bit stereo sound output
6x DVD-ROM drive
10 GB HD (20 GB optional)
One USB port
One FireWire port
Maximum RAM 576 MB (64 MB standard)
PowerPC 750cx (G3) 466 MHz
66 MHz System Bus
256k on chip cache
ATI RAGE Mobility 128 graphics accelerator with 8MB of SDRAM
Optional Airport wireless networking
Carrying handle
Weight: 6.7 pounds

Recommendation: The "Paris 2000" iBook models with FireWire and 366 or 466 MHz processors are the most desirable clamshell iBooks,and are the slowest Apple portables supported by OS X 10.4 Tiger. I question their value as a work machine at anything over $250, with a whole gaggle of Dual USB G3 iBooks models available from that price point. The 466 MHz SE should run Tiger decently, however. These iBooks are now near-collectables if in top condition, and their market value could begin to increase on that basis soon.

Dual-USB 500 MHz iBook (May 2001)

When Steve Jobs introduced the second generation iBook in May, 2001, he described it as "amazing." I have to agree. I'm still blown away by how they were able to pack all that good PowerBook stuff into a package with about one-third less volume than the PowerBooks 5300 and 1400, and then sell it for $999.

This machine had (almost) a full slate of PowerBook bells and whistles, Apple upgraded the 12.1 in. spec. from the previous generation iBook's 800 x 600 (Super VGA) resolution to the recent PowerBook standard of 1024 x 768 (XGA). This supports a display of millions of colors, and allows you to pack more content onto the screen, but at the cost of making stuff appear awfully small, especially standard 12 point text and the already tiny toolbar (etc.) icons in some programs. This is less of an issue with OS X, which uses a larger fonts and easily resizable Finder/Dock icons, but it may be a bit of a problem for those of us with aging eyes running the classic Mac OS.

iBook 500 MHz (May 2001)
Active-matrix 12.1" color display (1024 x 768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 6 hours use)
tappable trackpad
built-in microphone and stereo speakers
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
16-bit stereo sound output
24x CD-ROM, 8x DVD-ROM or 8x4x24 CD-RW drive, or optional Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive
10 GB HD (20 GB optional)
One USB port
One FireWire port
Maximum RAM 576 or 640 MB (64 MB standard)
PowerPC 750cx (G3) 500 MHz
66 MHz System Bus
256k on chip cache
ATI RAGE Mobility 128 graphics accelerator with 8MB of SDRAM
Optional Airport wireless networking
VGA and composite video output;
Weight: 4.8 pounds

There were four separate original 500 MHz iBook models, distinguished by their RAM and removable media drive configurations:

• iBook 500 MHz with 64 MB SCRAM, 256K level 2 cache, 10GB Ultra ATA hard drive, 24x-speed CD-ROM drive, USB and FireWire, built-in 56K modem, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet

• iBook 500 MHz with 128MB SDRAM, 256K level 2 cache, 10GB Ultra ATA hard drive, 8x-speed DVD-ROM drive, USB and FireWire, built-in 56K modem, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet

• iBook 500 MHz with 128MB SDRAM, 256K level 2 cache, 10GB Ultra ATA hard drive, CD-RW drive, USB and FireWire, built-in 56K modem, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet. The drive is capable of writing CD-R media at 8x speed and CD-RW media at 4x speed. It can read CD-ROM media at 24x speed (CAV).

• iBook 500 MHz with 128MB SDRAM, 256K level 2 cache, 10GB Ultra ATA hard drive, Combination DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, USB and FireWire, built-in 56K modem, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet. The drive can read DVD media and read and write CD media, and also provides DVD-Video playback with DVD MPEG2 decode.

The CD drives are all tray loading, and the upper right key on the keyboard is the eject button. By offering the choice of a CD, DVD or CD-RW, Apple should have everybody's tastes in drives covered. I prefer the drive loading from the right hand side instead of the front as on the TiBook.

Base RAM is soldered directly onto the motherboard, with 64 MB soldered in on the base model, and 128MB on the other three configurations. This means it can't be replaced or upgraded in the future, making the maximum amount of RAM supported the base configuration plus a 512MB SO-DIMM in a single 1.25 standard PC100 144-pin SO-DIMM slot, ie: 576 or 640MB.

The original dual-USB iBook uses a Rage Mobility 128 video card with 8 MB of VRAM, and AGP 2X support for 3D graphics-- the same setup that the Pismo and first generation Titanium PowerBooks used.

Used 500 MHz iBooks should sell in the $150 - $250 range.

Dual-USB 500/600 MHz iBook (October, 2001)

On October 16, 2001 Apple enhanced its iBook line with faster G3 processors up to 600 MHz, a new system bus running up to 100 MHz, larger hard drives up to 20GB and 128MB of RAM standard across the line, while holding the entry level price line with a 500 MHz, 15GB HD, 66 MHz system bus, CD-ROM equipped unit at $1,299, and with the top-of-the-line model featuring a DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive newly priced $100 lower at $1,699. The new iBooks also came with both the new Mac OS X version 10.1 and Mac OS 9.2.1 pre-installed. The iBook's 1024 x 768 (XGA) display supports millions of colors.

iBook 500 MHz (October 2001)
Active-matrix 12.1" color display (1024 x 768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 6 hours use)
tappable trackpad
built-in microphone and stereo speakers
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
16-bit stereo sound output
24x CD-ROM
15 GB HD
Two USB ports
One FireWire port
Maximum RAM 576 or 640 MB
PowerPC 750cx (G3) 500 MHz
66 MHz System Bus
256k on chip cache
ATI RAGE Mobility 128 graphics accelerator with 8MB of SDRAM
Optional Airport wireless networking
VGA and composite video output;
A new small, lightweight power adapter
Weight: 4.8 pounds

iBook 600 MHz (October 2001)
Active-matrix 12.1" color display (1024 x 768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 6 hours use)
tappable trackpad
built-in microphone and stereo speakers
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
16-bit stereo sound output
24x CD-ROM, 8x DVD-ROM or 8x4x24 CD-RW drive, or optional Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive
20 GB HD
Two USB ports
One FireWire port
Maximum RAM 640 MB
PowerPC 750cx (G3) 600 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
256k on chip cache
ATI RAGE Mobility 128 graphics accelerator with 8MB of SDRAM
Optional Airport wireless networking
A new small, lightweight power adapter
VGA and composite video output;
Weight: 4.8 pounds

Base RAM was 128 MB soldered in, which means it can't be replaced or upgraded in the future, making the maximum amount of RAM supported the base configuration plus a 512MB SO-DIMM in a single 1.25 standard PC100 144-pin SO-DIMM slot 640MB.

This October, 2001 dual-USB iBook uses a Rage Mobility 128 video card with 8 MB of VRAM, and AGP 2X support for 3D graphics- the same setup that the Pismo and first generation Titanium PowerBooks used, so it won't support Quartz Extreme.

There are two different video-out ports on these iBooks, each requiring an adapter cable. The RGB output port supports VGA monitors and video mirroring but not monitor spanning. You can connect to regular monitors as well as RGB devices like projectors. However, if you want to use the AV out (Composite/RCA video) jack for connecting to a TV or VCR through an adapter cable or use your headphones in the same port (not simultaneously), you'll have to purchase an adapter from Apple. The jack accepts a special mini-plug with an additional contact ring that carries the composite video output signal. An adapter cable with separate RCA-type connectors for stereo audio and composite video outputs is available. The RGB video output cable is included. Display resolutions supported are 640 by 480, 800 by 600, and 1024 by 768 pixels.

The iBook doesn't have a PC Card slot or an infrared port. There is, however, now a built-in omnidirectional microphone, and two stereo speakers instead of a mono one. Battery life under normal use is up to 6 hours.

Recommendation: the October, 2001 (and January 2002 - see below) 12.1" iBooks should sell in the $175 - $250 range depending on processor speed, optical drive, and RAM configuration.

Dual-USB 500/600 MHz iBook (January, 2002)

The big news for the iBook at MacWorld Expo in January, 2002, was the introduction of the "Son of Pismo" model. For nearly a year, rumors had been circulating that Apple would introduce a mid-range "Son of Pismo" PowerBook slotted between the high-end TiBooks and the iBook.

The new 14-inch iBook more or less fit that category. The new model featured a 14-inch active-matrix display, 256MB RAM, a Combo drive and battery life of up to 6 hours for $1,799

The 12.1" iBook was also made more affordable, starting at $1,199 with CD-ROM drive. An iBook with a 12.1-inch display and the Combo drive was $1,499, completing the lineup. Mac OS X version 10.1.2 came pre-installed as the default OS, as well as Classic Mac OS 9.2.2. Most everything else was carried over from the October, 2001 machines.

iBook 600 MHz 14.1" (January 2002)
Active-matrix 14.1" color display (1024 x 768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 6 hours use)
256MB RAM
tappable trackpad
built-in microphone and stereo speakers
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
16-bit stereo sound output
Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive
20 GB HD
Two USB ports
One FireWire port
Maximum 640 MB
PowerPC 750cx (G3) 600 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
256k on chip cache
ATI RAGE Mobility 128 graphics accelerator with 8MB of SDRAM
Optional Airport wireless networking
A new small, lightweight power adapter
VGA and composite video output;
Weight: 5.9 pounds

The three standard configurations were now:

The 600 MHz iBook at $1,799 included:
• a 14.1-inch (diagonal) active-matrix TFT display;
• 256MB SDRAM;
• a 20GB Ultra ATA hard drive;
• a 6 hour battery life; and
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo optical drive.

The 600 MHz iBook at $1,499 included:
• a 12.1-inch (diagonal) active-matrix TFT display;
• 128MB SDRAM;
• a 20GB Ultra ATA hard drive;
• a 5 hour battery life; and
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo optical drive.

The 500 MHz iBook at $1,199 included:
• a 12.1-inch (diagonal) active-matrix TFT display;
• 128MB SDRAM;
• a 15GB Ultra ATA hard drive;
• a 5 hour battery life; and
• CD-ROM optical drive.

Price -- $200 - $300 depending on optical drive and screen size.

Dual-USB 600/700 MHz iBook (May, 2002)

On May 20, 2002 Apple updated the iBook with faster PowerPC G3 processors of at up to 700 MHz, double the on-chip level 2 cache, a more powerful ATI Mobility Radeon graphics processor and larger hard drives, making them the oldest iBooks that will support Quartz Extreme in OS X.

These iBooks ran up to 35 percent faster than previous models in CPU performance tests and features a new video-out port that supports VGA output, as well as S-video and composite video with optional adapter.

The entry level iBook now had a 600 MHz processor, a 20 GB hard drive, and a 100 MHz system bus.

iBook 600 MHz (May 2002)
Active-matrix 12.1" color display (1024 x 768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 6 hours use)
tappable trackpad
built-in microphone and stereo speakers
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
16-bit stereo sound output
CD-ROM optical drive
20 GB HD
Two USB ports
One FireWire port
Maximum RAM 640 MB (128 MB standard)
PowerPC 750FX (G3) 600 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
256k on chip cache
ATI Mobility Radeon graphics controller with 16MB RAM and AGP 2X
Optional Airport wireless networking
A new small, lightweight power adapter
VGA and composite video output;
Weight: 4.8 pounds

iBook 700 MHz (May 2002)
Active-matrix 12.1" or 14.1" color display (1024 x 768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 6 hours use)
128 MB or 256MB RAM
tappable trackpad
built-in microphone and stereo speakers
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
16-bit stereo sound output
CD-ROM optical drive or DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo optical drive
20 GB or 30 GB HD
Two USB ports
One FireWire port
Maximum 640 MB RAM
PowerPC 750FX (G3) 700 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
256k on chip cache
ATI Mobility Radeon graphics controller with 16MB RAM and AGP 2X
Optional Airport wireless networking
A new small, lightweight power adapter
VGA and composite video output;
Weight: 5.9 pounds

Prices: In the $200 - $300 range for 12 inchers; Up to $350 for a 14 incher.

PowerBook (FireWire) - "Pismo" (February 2000)

With its UMA motherboard, 400 or 500 MHz G3 processors and 1 MB of L2 cache, Pismo is substantially more than just a speed-bumped Lombard with FireWire substituted for SCSI and AirPort wireless support added.

The UMA mobo features a 100 MHz system bus makes the 400 MHz Pismo roughly 30% faster than a 400 MHz Lombard, thanks to the faster bus plus faster RAM and hard drives. As with iBook, Pismo's sleep light pulses rather than blinks.

Pismo has two 400 Mbps bus-powered FireWire ports, and SCSI is history, so Apple has introduced FireWire Target Disk Mode as a substitute for the old SCSI Disk Mode. When the PowerBook is in Target Disk Mode and connected to another Macintosh computer by a FireWire cable, the PowerBook operates like a FireWire mass storage device with the SBP-2 (Serial Bus Protocol) standard.

Pismo also has two 12 Mbps USB ports with UTA USB implementation and independent busses each USB port. The sound system for Pismo supports 44.1 KHz 16-bit stereo sound output and input, available simultaneously. Pismo is available with hard drives of 6, 12, or 18 GB capacity, and supports PC100-compliant SO-DIMM modules, and supports up to 512 MB of RAM. or even 1024 MB in two 512 MB modules, although there are some minor limitations that inhere with 1 Gig of RAM installed. Pismo has 8MB of SDRAM video memory that can support millions of colors on external displays up to 21 inches.

All this in a package that sold for about the same price as a PowerBook 1400 did two years earlier, but is roughly 10 times faster.

The Pismo has been given a new lease on life with the release of 500 and 550 MHz G4 7410 upgrade products by Daystar, FastMac, Newer Technology (500 MHz only) and Wegener Media (Allegro). FastMac and MCE offer SuperDrive expansion bay modules, and MCE offers a MultiDrive that includes DVD-RAM support as well. Fastmac even offers a Blu-Ray optical drive module for the Pismo, and high-capacity batteries are available from Fastmac and Other World Computing.

PowerBook G3 Pismo 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
6x DVD-ROM drive
6 GB HD (10 GB on later models)
Two FireWire Ports
Two USB ports
Maximum RAM 1 GB (64 MB standard)
PowerPC 750 (G3) 400 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
1 MB Level 2 cache
ATI RAGE Mobility 128 graphics controller with 8 MB of video SDRAM
16-bit CD-quality stereo input/output Sound
Weight: 6.1 pounds

PowerBook G3 Pismo 500 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
6x DVD-ROM drive
12 GB HD (18 or 20 GB optional)
Two FireWire Ports
Two USB ports
Maximum RAM 1 GB (128 MB standard)
PowerPC 750 (G3) 500 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
1 MB Level 2 cache
ATI RAGE Mobility 128 graphics controller with 8 MB of video SDRAM
16-bit CD-quality stereo input/output Sound
Weight: 6.1 pounds

Pismo can support up to 63 daisy-chained FireWire devices so long as they are self-powered, but just one bus powered FireWire device.

Pismo also has 12 Mbps USB ports with UTA USB implementation and independent busses each USB port. The sound system for Pismo supports 44.1 KHz 16-bit stereo sound output and input, available simultaneously. Pismo shipped with the iBook's yo-yo-shaped power adapter cord reel.

The S-video port was continued, allowing you to connect the PowerBook to any standard television or VCR. For presentations, you can continue to look at the screen on your PowerBook while your audience focuses on the larger TV screen. You can also use the S-Video port to watch DVD or VCD movies on your TV screen. Like Lombard, Pismo has 8MB of SDRAM video memory that can support millions of colors on external displays up to 21 inches.

The Pismo is a very fine PowerBook that offers certain advantages its Titanium successor lacks -- an expansion bay, a second FireWire port, and an analog sound-in port, notably. For non-Altivec optimized software -- which is most software, the 500 MHz Pismo will give the first generation TiBook a run for its money performance-wise as well, and some folks prefer the traditional G3 Series styling and form factor.

The Pismo is a rugged and solid machine that has no significant faults or reliability problems, and is still a very powerful, versatile, expandable, and upgradable laptop.

Recommendation: somewhere between $250 and $350 for a 400 MHz unit and $300 - $425 for a 500 MHz Pismo.

iBook Dual-USB 700 MHz "Opaque" (November, 2002)

In the November, 2002 iBook revision, Apple put a bit more distance between the base 12.1" CD-ROM model and its pricier combo drive siblings, giving it a pure white opaque polycarbonate plastic case instead of the "crystal" case all Dual USB iBooks had come with up to then. The price dropped to $999, making the 700 MHz Opaque iBook the first brand new Apple low end portable since some discounted end of line PowerBook 100s and 150s way back when.

The Opaque model got the 700 MHz 750fx chip from the preceding high end models, but also got the ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 with 16 MB of VRAM and 2x AGP support from the previous generation Titanium PowerBooks which provides full Quartz Extreme support at the standard 1024 x 768 screen resolution. The 700 MHz Opaque iBook came with a 20 GB HD.

iBook 700 MHz (November, 2002)
Active-matrix 12.1 color display (1024 x 768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 6 hours use)
128 MB
tappable trackpad
built-in microphone and stereo speakers
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
16-bit stereo sound output
CD-ROM optical drive
20 GB HD
Two USB ports
One FireWire port
Maximum 640 MB RAM
PowerPC 750FX (G3) 700 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
256k on chip cache
ATI Radeon 7500 graphics controller with 16MB RAM and AGP 2X
Optional Airport wireless networking
VGA and composite video output;
Weight: 5.9 pounds

I've owned one of these since January, 2003, and it has been a virtually flawless performer. It's currently running OS 10.4.8 very nicely.

Price Used/refurb.: $250 - $350

iBook Dual-USB 700 MHz 14" (May, 2002)

Another borderline threshold machine for high-end status is the May, 2002, 14" 600 MHz iBook. With that revision, the high end 12.1 machine and the 14 model got faster 700 MHz PowerPC G3 750fx processors with 512k of L2 onboard cache, making these models up to 35 percent faster than previous units in CPU performance tests.

Also new on all models was the more powerful ATI Mobility Radeon graphics controller from the Onyx TiBooks with 16MB RAM and AGP 2X, providing minimum support for Quartz Extreme graphics acceleration in OS X 10.2 Jaguar. Also new was a different video connector. These machines will just barely support Quartz Extreme in OS X 10.2.

iBook 700 MHz (May 2002)
Active-matrix or 14.1" color display (1024 x 768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 6 hours use)
256MB RAM
tappable trackpad
built-in microphone and stereo speakers
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
16-bit stereo sound output
DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo optical drive
30 GB HD
Two USB ports
One FireWire port
Maximum 640 MB RAM
PowerPC 750FX (G3) 700 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
256k on chip cache
ATI Mobility Radeon graphics controller with 16MB RAM and AGP 2X
Optional Airport wireless networking
A new small, lightweight power adapter
VGA and composite video output;
Weight: 5.9 pounds

Recommendation: If you can find a 700 MHz 14" iBook for $275 - $375 it's a reasonable deal.

Titanium PowerBook G4 400/500 MHz (January 2001 - Mercury)

The Titanium G4 PowerBook early iterations are becoming quite affordable -- the lowest-priced G4 powered low-end 'Books. The original TiBook's 15.2" display unit's native resolution is 1152 x 768, as compared with the biggest iBook's 14.1 incher at 1024 x 768. VRAM remained at the 8 MB PowerBooks had since the introduction of Lombard in 1999.

No expansion bay, but happily, there's still a PC card slot in Ti, so that expansion avenue is still open. Compared with Pismo, Ti has also dropped from two to one FireWire ports.

PowerBook G4 Titanium 400 MHz (January 2001)
Active-matrix 15.2" color display (1152-by-768)
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
6x DVD-ROM drive
10 GB HD (20 GB optional)
One FireWire Port
Two USB ports
Maximum RAM 1 GB (128 MB standard)
PowerPC 7410 (G4) 400 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
1 MB Level 2 cache
ATI RAGE Mobility 128 graphics controller with 8 MB of video SDRAM
16-bit CD-quality stereo input/output Sound
Weight: 5.3 pounds

PowerBook G4 Titanium 500 MHz (January 2001)
Active-matrix 15.2" color display (1152-by-768)
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
6x DVD-ROM drive
20 GB HD (30 GB optional)
One FireWire Port
Two USB ports
Maximum RAM 1 GB (256 MB standard)
PowerPC 7410 (G4) 400 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
1 MB Level 2 cache
ATI RAGE Mobility 128 graphics controller with 8 MB of video SDRAM
16-bit CD-quality stereo input/output Sound
Weight: 5.3 pounds

These Tis came with 128 MB of standard SDRAM on the low-end model, and 256 megabytes on the high-end machine. Ti uses PC 100 RAM but supports only up to 1.5" low-profile DIMMs, and ships with a 1.25" DIMM installed.

The low-end machine's 10 gigabyte hard drive is a bit stingy by current standards, only matching the iBook which sold for half the price. Ti offers the same 10, 20, or 30 GB, 4200 RPM hard drive options as Pismo, and supports drives up to 12.7 mm in thickness.

The original Ti's slot-loading DVD-ROM drive also functions as a 24x CD-ROM or 6x DVD-ROM, and is capable of reading both DVD-RAM and DVD-R.

The computer has two USB ports, and an IrDA infrared link capable of transferring data at up to 4Mbits per second. An AirPort Card wireless LAN module is available as a configure-to-order option or as a user-installable upgrade.

The first Ti's internal bus speed remained at 100 MHz. Ti has a new pipelined system bus that is more efficient than the system bus on the PowerPC G3 microprocessors. The new bus design, called MaxBus, allows for much greater efficiency of bus utilization than was possible with the previous design.

Ti uses the Motorola MPC7410 ("Nitro") G4 microprocessor, running at 400 and 500 MHz, and "detuned" for lower power consumption. The MPC7410 supports up to 2MB of external L2 cache.

The early Tis have no analog (PlainTalk) audio-in port, and depend on digital audio input via the USB or FireWire ports, meaning a much narrower choice of potential microphone choices. There are built-in stereo speakers.

Ti has an autosensing 10/100 Base-T, PHY interface IC/Auto-MDIX Ethernet port that will switch from straight to crossover when it is plugged into another Mac likewise equipped. To connect with older Macs, a crossover cable will still be required.

Ti has a single battery bay. The battery uses lithium ion cells and provides 50 Watt-hours at 16.6V (full charge).

Recommendation: Prices for 400/500 MHz Tis should be in the $300 - $400 range.

iBook 800 MHz "Opaque" (April 2003)

The April 2003 iBook revision bumped the base "Opaque" CD-ROM model to 800 MHz, doubled its video RAM to 32 MB on the Radeon 7500 graphics card, and increased the standard hard drive capacity to 30 MB.

iBook 800 MHz (April, 2003)
Active-matrix 12.1 color display (1024 x 768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 6 hours use)
128 MB
tappable trackpad
built-in microphone and stereo speakers
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
16-bit stereo sound output
CD-ROM optical drive
30 GB HD
Two USB ports
One FireWire port
Maximum 640 MB RAM
PowerPC 750FX (G3) 800 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
256k on chip cache
ATI Radeon 7500 graphics controller with 32MB VRAM and AGP 2X
Optional Airport wireless networking
VGA and composite video output;
Weight: 5.9 pounds

Price $300 - $400

iBook Dual-USB 800 MHz 12" and 14" (November, 2002)

The November, 2002 800 MHz iBook models retained the Crystal case, got a 100 MHz speed bump from their predecessors, retained the 16x8x24x CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo drive, 30 GB hard drives, and got ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics accelerators 32 MB with VRAM and 2x AGP for full Quartz Extreme support.

iBook 800 MHz (November 2002)
Active-matrix 12.1" or 14.1" color display (1024 x 768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 6 hours use)
128 MB or 256MB RAM
tappable trackpad
built-in microphone and stereo speakers
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
16-bit stereo sound output
DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo optical drive
30 GB HD
Two USB ports
One FireWire port
Maximum 640 MB RAM
PowerPC 750FX (G3) 800 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
256k on chip cache
ATI Radeon 7500 graphics controller with 32 MB RAM and AGP 2X
Optional Airport wireless networking
VGA and composite video output;
Weight: 4.9 - 5.9 pounds

Prices used or refurbished should be in the crowded $300 - $450 range

iBook 900 MHz (April 2003)

The high end iBooks got another 100 MHz clock speed bump to 900 MHz in April, 2003, making them nominally a bit faster (for non Altivec optimized tasks) than the contemporary 12 G4 PowerBook. They also got a 40 GB standard hard drive. Otherwise, specifications remained the same as with the November, 2002 models.

iBook 900 MHz (April 2003)
Active-matrix 12.1" or 14.1" color display (1024 x 768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 6 hours use)
128 MB or 256MB RAM
tappable trackpad
built-in microphone and stereo speakers
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
16-bit stereo sound output
DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo optical drive
40 GB HD
Two USB ports
One FireWire port
Maximum 640 MB RAM
PowerPC 750FX (G3) 900 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
256k on chip cache
ATI Radeon 7500 graphics controller with 32 MB RAM and AGP 2X
Optional Airport wireless networking
VGA and composite video output;
Weight: 4.9 - 5.9 pounds

Price ranges:
12" - +/- $400 - $450
14" - $475 - $550

Titanium PowerBook G4 (October 2001 - Onyx)

On October 16, 2001, Apple upgraded its line of Titanium PowerBook G4 notebooks with faster processors, high speed graphics and larger hard drives with PowerPC G4 processors up to 667 MHz, a new system bus running up to 133 MHz, speedy new ATI Mobility Radeon AGP 4X graphics and built-in Gigabit Ethernet networking-the first time ever in a portable.

The entry level model was bumped to 550 MHz, with a 100 MHz system bus retained. Both models provide advanced graphics and fast 3D rendering with the ATI Mobility Radeon graphics processor with AGP 4X support and 16MB of fast DDR video memory. The new 667 MHz PowerBook G4 came standard with both Gigabit Ethernet and AirPort wireless networking pre-installed. The new 550 MHz PowerBook G4 also included Gigabit Ethernet and the ability to add AirPort wireless networking as an option.

PowerBook G4 Titanium 550 MHz (October 2001)
Active-matrix 15.2" color display (1152-by-768)
Lithium Ion battery (up to 5 hours use)
tappable trackpad
2 built-in speakers and microphone
1 PC card slot
10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet
Built-in 56k Fax/Modem
infrared support and S-video-out
16-bit stereo sound input/output
slot-loading DVD-ROM drive or new slot-loading CD-RW drive option
20 GB HD (30 GB optional)
One FireWire Port
Two USB ports
Maximum RAM 1 GB (128 MB standard)
PowerPC 7410 (G4) 550 MHz
100 MHz System Bus
1 MB Level 2 cache
ATI Mobility Radeon graphics processor with AGP 4X support and 16MB of fast DDR video memory
16-bit CD-quality stereo input/output Sound
a new small, lightweight power adapter
Weight: 5.3 pounds

PowerBook G4 Titanium 667 MHz (October 2001)
Active-matrix 15.2" color display (1152-by-768)
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
slot-loading DVD-ROM drive or new slot-loading CD-RW drive option
30GB Ultra ATA/66 hard drive standard, with drives up to 48GB optional
One FireWire Port
Two USB ports
Maximum RAM 1 GB (256 MB standard)
PowerPC (G4) 667 MHz
133 MHz System Bus
1 MB Level 2 cache
ATI Mobility Radeon graphics processor with AGP 4X support and 16MB of fast DDR video memory
16-bit CD-quality stereo input/output Sound
AirPort wireless networking pre-installed
a new small, lightweight power adapter
Weight: 5.3 pounds

The 550 MHz PowerBook G4, for $2,199, included:
• 128MB SDRAM, expandable to 1GB;
• a 20GB Ultra ATA/66 hard drive; and
• AirPort ready with integrated antennas and card slot.

The 667 MHz PowerBook G4, for $2,999 (US), included:
• 256MB SDRAM, expandable to 1GB;
• a 30GB Ultra ATA/66 hard drive; and
• AirPort enabled with integrated antennas and pre-installed AirPort Card.

Note: In mid- December, 2001, the Onyx models were upgraded with standard slot-loading Combo CD-RW drives, and the 550 MHz machine's price was bumped to $2,299.

Recommendation: These machines should be selling for $350 - $475 these days. Note that they are the oldest TiBooks that have (limited) support for OS X 10.4 Tiger Quartz Extreme.

Note on spelling and usage:

Since the first edition of this feature was posted in 1999, I have occasionally received emails politely "correcting" the spelling of the title . Actually, "Compleat" is not a misspelling (check your Webster's or OED), but rather a classical English spelling - viz. "The Compleat Angler" -- a book on fishing by Izaak Walton (1653). Road & Track Magazine also used to use the "compleat" spelling in similar contexts back in the '60s when the late John Bond was still editor/publisher. According to a reader, There was alsoa Beatles anthology called The Compleat Beatles, and I've seen it used fairly frequently around the Mac Web.

CM


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cmoore@macopinion.com


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