PowerBook G3

PowerBook G3
A "Pismo" PowerBook
DeveloperApple Computer
Product familyPowerBook
TypeLaptop
GenerationG3
Release dateNovember 1997 (1997-11)
Introductory priceKanga US$5,700 (equivalent to $10,819 in 2023)
Wallstreet I US$2,299 (equivalent to $4,298 in 2023)-US$3,499 (equivalent to $6,541 in 2023)
PQD US$2,799 (equivalent to $5,232 in 2023)
Lombard US$2,499 (equivalent to $4,571 in 2023)
Pismo US$2,499 (equivalent to $4,421 in 2023)
DiscontinuedJanuary 2001 (2001-01)
Operating systemMac OS 9 & Mac OS X up to 10.4.11
CPUPowerPC G3, 233–500 MHz
PredecessorPowerBook 1400c
PowerBook 2400c
PowerBook 3400c
SuccessorPowerBook G4

The PowerBook G3 is a series of laptop Macintosh personal computers 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 & Pismo models were hailed for their easy upgradability not only in accessible drives and memory but in their CPU daughtercards being separable from their logic boards. This led to the aftermarket (including Sonnet, Powerlogix, Wegener Media and more) to offer not only G3 CPU upgrades for these machines for each of the G3 series but in several cases, G4 upgrades that could make these machines as fast as (and in later cases, faster than) the contemporary 'G4 Titanium' PowerBooks offered by Apple at the time.


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