The PowerBook are a series of professional laptops of Apple. Of 1999 with 2006, Apple proposes one second more accessible range of laptops: the IBook.

The first attempt at Apple to make a more transportable computer was the Macintosh Portable, launched in 1989. But in spite of its qualities (screen LCD with Matrice activates, battery ensuring ten hours of autonomy to him), the Macintosh Portable cannot be regarded as a really portable computer (it weighed more than 7 kg). In front of this commercial failure, Apple revised its copy and left to final the PowerBook range in 1991. It was the beginning of a range with great success at Apple, which does not exist any more since the passage to the processors Intel. Its successor is from now on the Macbook Pro.

First PowerBook

In October 1991, the first three PowerBook are marketed: the PowerBook 100, the PowerBook 140 and the high-end PowerBook 170. They caused a shock in industry, with their dark gray case, them Trackball and the position of their keyboard making it possible to put back its wrists on the case. This last detail was an astonishing innovation compared to the PC of the time, which positioned the keyboard on before and left a free space behind. This fitting will quickly be generalized on all the laptops. Whereas the PowerBook 140 and 170 were of a new design, the PowerBook 100 was in fact a Macintosh Portable in much more compact. It will be besides only PowerBook to embark a Processeur Motorola 68000, the PowerBook 140 and 170 and the following using of the Processeur S 68030 and 68040. In 1992, Apple lance a new range of laptops, the PowerBook Duet. Those were hybrid machines portables/de office: very fine and light, they embarked a minimum of equipment and it could be connected to a dock which provided them additional memory and storage space and a broader connector industry. These models, marketed until in 1995 were not discounted success, but the principle nevertheless was taken again later by other manufacturers.

The first series of PowerBook were an immense success and represented up to 40% of the sales of Laptop. Each new model proposed new functionalities, like the color screen for example, which made it possible the sales to be maintained with an high level. But starting from 1995, the competitor manufacturers ended up catching up with PowerBook by equipping their laptops with the same functionalities, and the market shares of Apple on the market of the laptops started to decline.

Many new models supplemented the series PowerBook 100 gradually. The 165c was first Powerbook with a color screen. The 180 was very popular. Last truth member of series 100 was the PowerBook 150, left in 1994. (The PowerBook 190, left in 1995, is of a design different from other PowerBook 1xx: it is right a reduced version, containing Motorola 68040, of the PowerBook 5300.)

In May 1994, Apple introduced the series PowerBook 500, code name Blackbird . Their principal difference compared to PowerBook of series 100 was to embark a processor Motorola 68040, more powerful than the 68030. This series were also the first with being equipped with a trackpad , name given by Apple to the tactile Touchpad or paved . The last one representing PowerBook range containing processors 680x0 was the PowerBook 550c, left in May 1995 and only with the Japan.

PowerBook PowerPC

In August 1995, Apple launches to it PowerBook 5300. It was most powerful by far of PowerBook with its Processeur PowerPC 603 E given rhythm to 100 MHz (most powerful of PowerBook hitherto had a processor 68040 with 33 MHz!). Unfortunately, it was touched by many problems and much had to turn over in SAV. In particular, the very new battery lithium ion made burn several PowerBook 5300 and Apple was constrained to point out all the models sold to replace this battery by a battery with the nickel metal, surer (but which constituted an enormous flashback). At that time, Apple, plunged in large financial problems and about to disappear, had hastened to leave this machine, prematurely. The problems with the PowerBook 5300 were worth at that time with Apple the reputation to sell defective products.

To answer the rout of the 5300, Apple launched in 1996 and 1997 three new PowerBook: the 1400, the 2400c and the 3400c. Left to replace the PowerBook 5300, the 1400 was animated by same the Processeur, but integrated in more one reader CD-ROM. The 2400 was the last portable minis Apple and succeeded the range PowerBook Duo.

PowerBook G3

In November 1997, simultaneously to the Power Macintosh G3, leaves the PowerBook G3. Although having the same case as the PowerBook 3400, it was extremely advances some for the time: it was the first Macintosh to integrate Mémoire hiding place of the backside type. This memory hiding place combined with the processor PowerPC G3 made that, to 250 MHz, its power was equivalent to a Power Macintosh 9600 with 300 MHz and it was almost as fast as most powerful of the Power Macintosh G3. In May 1998, it is replaced by the series PowerBook G3 '' Wall Street '' of a completely new design (the top-of-the-range model had a splendid screen 14" with passive matrix). Only three months later, they are replaced by a new range ('' Lombard ''), with the finer, integral cases a battery more enduring and of the ports USB (the IMac since had passed by there). This succession of new models is to be put in contrast with the small number of PowerBook left the two previous years.

In May 1999, the third range of PowerBook G3 leaves, called '' Pismo ''. It brings the connector industry Firewire as well as the graphics cards AGP. The last revision of PowerBook G3, in February 2000 pushes the processor with 500 MHz and adds compatibility AirPort (wireless networking Wifi), the reader DVD-ROM and the abandonment of SCSI.

PowerBook G4

Launched in 2001, the PowerBook G4 had a completely redrawn design: finished the curves and the plastics of the case of the PowerBook precedents, PowerBook G4 is of a completely purified design and completely in Titane, which gives him a more professional aspect. It was moreover the first Laptop to integrate a screen LCD 15" (with format 16/10). It was much lighter, finer and had a greater autonomy (5 hours) that majority of portables PC, and this thanks to low fuel consumption and with the weak heat emission of the Processeur PowerPC G4. Apple presented it like the first portable Supercalculateur to the world.

Called TiBook, the PowerBook Titanium became an object of mode. It was particularly popular in the business of the leisure, and it decorated many offices with Hollywood. In front of the success of PowerBook G4, other manufacturers have since adoptee for their laptops of the screens 15" and of the cases metallized color. Turning initially at frequencies of 400 and 500 MHz, the last PowerBook Titanium left in November 2002 reached 1 GHz.

beginning 2003, new Apple lance two PowerBook G4 to supplement the range at the sides of the Titanium 15": one is the first Laptop in the world with being equipped with a screen 17" panoramic (for 2,5 cm thickness), the other, equipped with a screen 12" , is presented like the most compact laptop to the world. The two machines are in a new case in anodic Aluminum. Contrary to PowerBook Titanium, this one is not painted, which avoids the principal defect of Titanium: the painting which falls apart. the model 17" includes many very top-of-the-range characteristics, like the automatic retro-lighting of the keys of the keyboard and the adjustment of the luminosity of the screen according to the external luminosity. The screen of the PowerBook 17" is the same one as that used by the IMac G4 with flat panel display (and which will be re-used later for the IMac G5). Running 2003, PowerBook 15" adopt in their turn the case aluminum, as well as the retro-lighting of the keyboard of the PowerBook 17".

An update in January 2005 brought, in addition to a traditional rise to power, two new functionalities in PowerBook G4: new a Trackpad with capacity of run (by using two fingers), and the Sudden Motion Sensor allowing to arrange instantaneously the play-back heads of the hard drive in the event of shock (to avoid the risks of damage of the hard drive and the data which could result from it).

In October 2005 PowerBook G4 were reactualized to answer criticisms on average quality their screens compared with last portables PC. The models 15" and 17" adopted a new flagstone of better quality and offering a better resolution: 1440x960 for the 15" (either more than old the 17") and 1680x1050 for the 17" (either the equivalent on the surface of posting of a screen 20 standard inches). Autonomy was also improved (profit from approximately 1 hour to reach 5 to 6 a.m.). It integrated occasion also consequently memory DDR2 and of the faster disks hard. The model 12 inches remained unchanged.

In their last version, PowerBook G4 existed in the face 12", 15" and 17" and had processors G4 given rhythm to 1,5 or 1,67 GHz. With the passage of its range of professional portables to the Intel Core Duo processor, Apple changed their names into MacBook Pro, removing on the occasion the model 12" replaced by the MacBook color black.

See too

External bonds

  • PowerBook on the site of Apple France
  • Site on the portables Apple

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