PowerBook G3
A "Pismo" PowerBook | |
| Developer | Apple Computer |
|---|---|
| Product family | PowerBook |
| Type | Laptop |
| Generation | G3 |
| Release date | November 1997 |
| Introductory price | Kanga US$5,700 (equivalent to $11,165 in 2024) Wallstreet I US$2,299 (equivalent to $4,435 in 2024)-US$3,499 (equivalent to $6,750 in 2024) PDQ US$2,799 (equivalent to $5,400 in 2024) Lombard US$2,499 (equivalent to $4,717 in 2024) Pismo US$2,499 (equivalent to $4,563 in 2024) |
| Discontinued | January 2001 |
| Operating system | Mac OS 9 & Mac OS X up to 10.4.11 |
| CPU | PowerPC G3, 233–500 MHz |
| Predecessor | PowerBook 1400c PowerBook 2400c PowerBook 3400c |
| Successor | PowerBook G4 |
The PowerBook G3 is a series of laptop Macintosh personal computers that was designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Computer from 1997 to 2001. It was the first laptop to use the PowerPC G3 (PPC740/750) series of microprocessors, and was marketed as the fastest laptop in the world for its entire production run. The PowerBook G3 was succeeded by the PowerBook G4.
The G3 was the first black Apple laptop, and was succeeded in this by the black MacBook in 2006. Previous PowerBooks were dark gray.
The Wallstreet, Lombard, and Pismo models were praised for their straightforward upgrade options, not only for accessible drives and memory but also for their CPU daughtercards that could be detached from the logic boards. This encouraged the aftermarket, including Sonnet, Powerlogix, Wegener Media, and others, to offer G3 CPU upgrades across various series. In some instances, they even provided G4 upgrades, allowing these machines to rival or exceed the performance of Apple's contemporary 'G4 Titanium' PowerBooks of that era.