The Power to Be Your Best

Macintosh Portable - Systems 6.0.8 - 7.1 - 7.5.5
The Mac Portable - aka "Mac Luggable" - was Apple's answer to the growing cry for a portable Mac in the late 1980s. Essentially an SE in a suitcase, the Portable had a great keyboard, backlit screen, a built-in trackball and vintage Apple styling. Heavy and expensive, it was not a big seller in its day but attained a strong cult following over time. Today the Portable and its lead-acid rechargeable batteries are still being rebuilt and sold on eBay.

This Mac Portable utilizes the System Picker application to choose between three startup choices: System 6.0.8, 7.1 or 7.5.5.

PowerBook 170 - System 7.5.5
The PowerBook 100 Series replaced the Macintosh Portable with a truly portable system, and was the first incarnation of the PowerBook name and battleship grey color. The form-follows-function design was rugged and popular, lasting several generations. The 170 hit the market with a powerful 68030 CPU, built-in modem, laptop sized hard drive and an active matrix screen, making it a favorite for business users, writers and students alike. This form factor lasted for several generations, topping off with the color model 180c.

Personally, I remember having my first case of PowerBook Envy at about this time...

PowerBook 540c - MacOS 8.1
Radical in its day, the PowerBook 500 "Blackbird" series took the Quadra on the road in style. The 540c offered an active matrix color screen, 68040 CPU, a trackpad, dual battery bays, 16 bit stereo sound and built-in ethernet, along with a bold new case style that influenced PowerBook models all the way through to the PowerBook G3 "Pismo" years later. Like the 840AV on the desktop, the 540c represented the pinnacle of 68k PowerBook design.

The 540c has served a vital role on the VMM network, capable of mounting 3.5" floppy disks as well as accessing AppleShare volumes from MacOS versions 7, 8, 9 and X for inter-generational filesharing.

PowerBook 3400c - MacOS 8.6
The early PowerPC era wasn't kind to Apple, and PowerBooks were hit hardest. After a disastrous experience with the lackluster, sometimes flammable 5300 line, Apple released the x400 series of portables (1400, 2400, 3400). The 3400c was built for speed with a 240MHz PowerPC 603ev (low power) processor, which Apple claimed at the time was the fastest portable computer in the world . An expansion bay supported CD-ROM and floppy drives, and an active matrix screen made this a useable if somewhat beefy portable. The 1400c was a budget model with a nice keyboard, and the 2400c was a fantastic subnotebook (think Duo, but better) that was scarce in the US but very popular in Japan.

PowerBook G3 "Wallstreet" - MacOS 9.2.2
With the G3-based Wallstreet, the PowerPC PowerBook finally hit its stride. Sporting a striking jet-black Batman'esque case, 14" active matrix screen, 2 PC card slots and dual expansion bays with lots of options (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Floppy, Zip, SuperDisk and later CD-RW drives), the Wallstreet (Apple's internal project name) was built like a tank and a pleasure to use. SCSI, ADB and serial ports gave full compatibility with existing peripherals for desktop machines, and it was a big seller. Like many early G3 systems it was underpowered for MacOSX but makes a very good MacOS9 system.

At the VMM a Wallstreet currently serves a vital role as a file transfer machine, since it can bridge the worlds of floppy disks, SCSI drives, and Ethernet. This model was a tank and is still a pleasure to use.

PowerBook G3 "Pismo" - MacOSX 10.3.9
Two generations after the Wallstreet, Apple introduced the Pismo, the first "New World" portable. An ultra-refined and minimalist design, many Mac users (this writer included) consider this to be one of Apple's most attractive laptops. The Pismo (officially the PowerBook G3 "FireWire") dropped ADB & SCSI in favor of USB & FireWire, but retained the dual battery/expansion bays and curvy styling first introduced with the 540c. A good dual-bootable MacOS9/MacOSX system, the Pismo was Apple's last black computer until the Intel-based MacBook (Steve hates black). It remained popular for years and still retains decent resale value.

This Pismo currently provides wireless internet access in the bedroom and other important locations...

PowerBook G4 "Titanium" - MacOSX
How do you make a product smaller and larger at the same time? If you're Apple, you make the case thinner and the screen wider. Add a processor upgrade and another stunning new design (often imitated, never duplicated) and you've got the PowerBook G4 Titanium. The "TiBook" needed a few iterations to get the bugs worked out and it didn't include any expansion bays, but was slim, lightweight and the PowerBook to have among Apple cognoscenti. Shortcomings included an easily scratched exterior, poor WiFi reception (a metal case will do that) and a weak hinge design, all of which were improved in the PowerBook G4 Aluminum series a few years later. (Planned Addition)

PowerBook G4 "Aluminum" - MacOSX
Citing changing usage trends, Apple declared 2003 the "Year of the Laptop" and revamped the PowerBook line to include a variety of sizes. The G4 Aluminum came in 12", 15" and 17" sizes, was sturdier, more scratch resistant and had better wireless reception. The formerly removable keyboard was now permanent, resulting in a notable typing improvement, and like most Apple products had superb fit and finish. The 15" and 17" were reused in the Intel-based MacBook Pros; the popular 12" form factor, Apple's smallest-ever laptop, was discontinued. G4 Aluminum systems are the last portables to use the venerable PowerBook name.

Currently a compact but powerful 12" PowerBook G4 serves as Oakbog's living-room laptop.

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