![]() ![]() The wide variety of build-to-order options made keeping parts in stock difficult, and supporting the vast number of possible configurations frustrating. It was big, heavy, expensive, and prone to overheating. Its removable processor card, user replaceable parts, and wide array of ports made it the most upgradable Macintosh Portable ever constructed. ![]() The PowerBook G3 Series was a no-compromise machine built with all of the expandability and build-to-order customizability of a desktop computer. ![]() Although the PowerBook G3 Series had no built-in WiFi to speak of, but it did have an optional 56K Modem, and HDI-30 SCSI connector for fast 5 megabit connections ! (USB, FireWire, Bluetooth, and WiFi were all available upgrade options via the Wallstreet’s two CardBus slots.) 10BASE-T Ethernet, ADB, Serial, VGA, S-Video, Infrared, and Audio in and Out were all standard. In addition to two CardBus slots, and two hot swappable bays, the PowerBook G3 Series shipped with an extensive array of ports. A maximum of 4 MBs of graphics memory limited the PowerBook G3 Series’ 3D performance, but an optional PCMCIA hardware controller made the Wallstreet the first Apple portable capable of DVD playback. A small internal nickel-cadmium battery allowed swapping of the main batteries while the computer was asleep, and with two batteries installed at the same time the PowerBook G3 Series could last up to seven hours on a single charge. The right hand bay was larger and could accommodate all of the above plus a full size 5.25″ optical drive. The left hand bay could accommodate a battery, a 3.5″ floppy disk, a Iomega Zip drive, a third-party magnetic optical drive, or even a secondary hard drive. The PowerBook G3 Series included two hot swappable docking bays on either side. In addition to all of the available built-to-order options, the Wallstreet also offered an impressive array of expandability. In September of 1998, Apple streamlined the production of PowerBook G3 Series by standardizing the bus speed at 66 MHz, and dropping the number of display options down to a single 14.1″ configuration. The abundance of configurations gave customers a greater amount of choice, but all of the available options were causing havoc for Apple’s supply lines. Early PowerBook G3 Series computers had the option of two different system bus speeds depending on processor frequency, and three different screen sizes using either Passive or Active Matrix TFT technology. ![]() The PowerBook G3 Series initially came with one of three different processor configurations, 233, 250, and 292 MHz with a fourth 300 MHz configuration added later that year. Ĭompared to the svelte lines of a wedge-shaped MacBook Air, the Wallstreet more closely resembles the bulky profile of a New York City paving stone. Codenamed “Wallstreet” the PowerBook G3 Series was the second line of Macintosh portable computers to include a PowerPC G3 processor, and the oldest portable Macintosh capable of running Mac OS X. The PowerBook G3 Series was Apple’s most upgradable portable computer ever! It weighed 7.8 pounds, and cost anywhere between $2,299 to $7,000 fully loaded. This is a guest post written by my friend and Newton aficionado Thomas Brand. ![]()
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