February 16, 2000: Apple introduces the “Pismo” PowerBook, the best of its G3 laptops. Within the view of many, it’s among the finest Apple laptops ever.
The Pismo PowerBook is the primary to not embody SCSI or an Apple Desktop Bus connector. As an alternative, it makes use of USB and Apple’s Emmy Award-winning FireWire. Elective AirPort wi-fi assist, large battery life and a stunning, curvy design simply make it higher.
Pismo PowerBook packs a punch
Apple first confirmed off the Pismo PowerBook at Macworld Expo Tokyo. The laptop computer adopted the rugged “Wallstreet” G3 PowerBook, launched in 1998. Priced at $3,499 for the top-end 500MHz mannequin, the Pismo PowerBook wasn’t low cost. Nonetheless, it supplied nice worth in comparison with the 292MHz Wallstreet laptop computer, which price $5,600.
There was a lot to like in regards to the Pismo PowerBook. Regardless of coming after co-founder Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, it retained a lot of the expandability the corporate introduced to Macs during his absence.
An impressively expandable Apple laptop computer
Additionally, working counter to Apple’s later obsession with limiting expandability and ditching ports each time doable, the Pismo PowerBook got here with a PC Card slot, two FireWire and USB slots, S-video out and extra. The laptop computer additionally supported loads of extra reminiscence and a quicker processor.
Plus, the potential of putting in twin batteries made it doable to get 12 to 16 hours of real-world utilization from the highly effective laptop computer.
Very similar to the sooner Wallstreet model, the Pismo PowerBook got here in a troublesome package deal that resisted harm. It sported a polycarbonate plastic case, which makes it look considerably dated in comparison with the aluminum laptops of right this moment. Nonetheless, this materials gave it much less of an austere really feel. Add within the curvaceous design, and the completed product proved pleasingly tactile.
Oh, and this sturdy laptop computer got here with each a tappable trackpad and one helluva nice keyboard.
Apple Pismo PowerBook: A real multimedia laptop computer
The Pismo PowerBook lived as much as Apple’s popularity as an organization that constructed machines for creatives. When it got here to video modifying, this was the absolute best choice obtainable in 2000. With 400MHz and 500MHz configurations, as much as 1GB of RAM and a formidable 1MB CPU cache, it dealt with just about something you might throw at it.
The significance of FireWire can’t be overstated, both. Apple engineers developed the know-how again in 1986, however it wasn’t till Jobs’ return that it grew to become an necessary Mac function. FireWire boasted astonishing data-transfer charges of as much as 400Mbps — round 30 occasions the bandwidth of the favored USB peripheral commonplace.
Throw in the potential of burning your individual DVDs, and rare-at-the-time wi-fi connectivity, and this laptop computer might impress even essentially the most anti-Mac Home windows customers.
Do you keep in mind the Pismo PowerBook? Depart your feedback under.
