Mac portables have inner beauty

From...

May 18, 2000
Web posted at: 9:26 a.m. EDT (1326 GMT)

by Frith Breitzer

(IDG) -- Ever since Steve Jobs returned to Apple, we've come to expect drama when the company introduces new products, whether they're colorful and cuddly iMacs or shocking-blue Power Macs. But sometimes the most-dramatic changes don't have to do with a flashy appearance -- they're all about what's inside.

That's certainly the case with the latest updates to Apple's line of portable Macs, the PowerBook and the iBook, announced at Macworld Expo Japan in February. The PowerBook, whose name has been officially truncated from the previous Macintosh PowerBook G3, hasn't been redesigned into a translucent, fruit-flavored gadget -- it's a dead ringer for last year's model, right down to the bronze-colored keyboard. But in truth, this PowerBook is dramatically different, with a blistering G3 processor, FireWire connectivity, AirPort support, and much more.

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In contrast, the new iBook Special Edition adds a third color to Apple's line of consumer portables, but beneath the skin it's largely the same iBook Apple announced last fall (see "iBook gets brawny," link below).

That's the funny thing about appearances -- they can be deceiving. When it comes to actually using your Mac, the real substance is on the inside, and that's where Apple's new PowerBook really shines.

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The first thing you'll notice about the new PowerBooks is that their prices haven't changed -- still $2,499 to $3,997.

The familiar expansion bays are still there, and they work with batteries and expansion drives from last year's PowerBook. The PC Card slot hasn't disappeared either; it still supports the same cards as the old machine, including Type I and Type II PC Cards and Zoomed Video PC Cards.

Lift the new PowerBook, and you'll find it a little lighter than the previous version. It weighs in at 6.1 poundsö5.7 pounds with only the battery and a weight-saving module (essentially a hollow battery case) in the second slotöcompared with the 6.2 pounds of the older high-end system.

Open the PowerBook, and you'll see the same bronze keyboard and bright 14.1-inch active-matrix LCD panel. Even battery life remains the same: Apple estimates that you'll get five hours of life out of each charge (or double that with a second battery installed).

Close inspection

Take a closer look and you'll notice some subtle differences. The blinking sleep-indicator light has been replaced by a gently pulsing one. And the old, solid-black accessories have been replaced by snazzier onesöthe PowerBook comes with a round, silver power-cord holder and an AC adapter similar to that of the iBook. Even the VGA adapter has an "ice" color scheme. Under the display, the moniker reads simply "PowerBook," reflecting Apple's current minimalist approach to naming its systems.

It's when you turn the new PowerBook around and open the rear port door, however, that you begin to realize that the real story behind the latest PowerBook is on the inside.

Fire when ready

When it comes to connecting other devices to this PowerBook, you'll be glad to find that most of the ports you're used to are still there. Instead of the SCSI port, however, there are two FireWire ports.

The new FireWire ports operate on a single bus and are powered. That means the peripherals you attach to them can draw their power from the PowerBooköthough that will drain your battery faster -ö without needing a separate power supply (see "Where's the Fire?" link below) The FireWire ports can support a combined total of 63 peripherals, including additional hard drives and digital video cameras (see "Mobile moviemaking?" link below).

Also gone is the SCSI Disk Mode option, which let you hook up the PowerBook to your desktop Mac via SCSI so that one machine's hard drive appeared on the other's desktop. It's been replaced by FireWire Target Disk mode. Even better, the new PowerBook can boot up from an external FireWire hard drive.

The 2000 PowerBook also offers the same two independently powered USB ports included in the previous line, allowing you to connect a total of 127 hot-swappable USB devices.

Speed demon

Moving deeper inside, you'll discover that the new PowerBooks are available in 400MHz and 500MHz G3 PowerPC configurations. If you're hoping for a G4 notebook, though, you still have to wait: the current G4's high power consumption and resulting heat continue to preclude it from being used in portable Macs.

On the other hand, you can expect to experience CPU performance levels nearing those of the latest G4 computers on applications that don't take advantage of the G4's Velocity Engine (for details about this technology, see "Fantastic four," link below). The G3 PowerBook steps up its system bus speed to 100MHz (from 66MHz), bringing it up to par with the Power Mac G4s. In addition, all new PowerBooks standardize on a 1MB Level 2 backside cache, resulting in increased speed and stability.

Great graphics

Graphics professionals and gamers should be pleased with the PowerBook's graphics performance. It ships with the speedy ATI Rage Mobility 128 graphics chip set with AGP 2x support for 2-D and 3-D graphics, and 8MB of SDRAM video memory. Though not as powerful as the graphics card on the G4 desktop, the card should offer impressive portable graphics performanceömeaning higher frame rates in your favorite scoot-and-shoot games and increased responsiveness in graphics-intensive applications. You'll also be able to see those gory games (or your presentations and designs for work) in living color. The monitor supports millions of colors at a resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels and scales down to 800 by 600 or 640 by 480.

I want my DVD

To showcase that graphics power, all 2000 PowerBook models ship with a 6x DVD-ROM drive (only high-end models included DVD in 1999). The new DVD drive can read DVD-ROM, DVD-Video (movies), andöa first for PowerBooksö2.6GB DVD-RAM media. The drive can also read CD-ROMs at up to 24x.

Getting air

It's no secret that Apple has been striving to include AirPort compatibility in all its models so that all Mac users can enjoy this new wireless way to surf the Internet and network multiple Macs. With the new PowerBooks, the company can cross that item off its to-do list. Lift up the keyboard and you'll discover a slot for an optional $99 AirPort networking card, which enables the PowerBook's built-in AirPort antenna. In addition, you'll find access to the hard drive and RAM expansion bay.

The 2000 PowerBook also includes the latest AirPort 1.1 software, which allows you to use any AirPort-equipped Mac as a base station. You'll avoid the $299 cost of a hardware base station, but you'll need to keep your PowerBook hardwired to your network, and this will affect its portability.

AirPort 1.1 also improves compatibility for users who had trouble connecting their AirPorts to their Internet service providers (although connecting to America Online via AirPort was still not possible at press time). An active roaming feature allows the AirPort connection to seamlessly transfer to the closest AirPort Base Station if you're in an environment that has more than one, such as an office or school.

The last word

Regardless of where you choose to use your new PowerBook, you'll have three configurations to consider.

For $3,499, you'll get a 500MHz G3 processor, 128MB of RAM, a 12GB hard drive, and a DVD-ROM drive. The $3,997 system pumps up the hard drive to 18GB and includes a second battery (normally $129) and an extra AC adapter (normally $69). You can also specify your own built-to-order configurations with up to 18GB of hard-drive space and 512MB of RAM by visiting the Apple Store.

But the low-end configuration is the most impressive. It offers a 400MHz processor, 64MB of SDRAM, a 6GB hard drive, and a DVD-ROM drive for $2,499. If that's still too steep, you might also consider a revamped iBook, which now features more memory and a bigger hard drive than its predecessor, as well as a new color.

With the introduction of the new PowerBook, Apple now offers a completely integrated product line. All systems feature AirPort compatibility, and mostöwith the exception of the iBook and low-end iMacöinclude FireWire ports and DVD drives to take advantage of desktop video capabilities. The best news about the 2000 PowerBook is that it takes what was superb about the PowerBook and makes it even better.

Aqua: New Mac interface is cool, refreshing
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Color-coordinated drives due for iMac
January 5, 2000
If it looks like an iMac...
August 9, 1999

Apple refreshes product lineup
January 6, 1999

iBook gets brawny
(Macworld)
Where's the Fire?
(Macworld)
Mobile moviemaking?
(Macworld)
Fantastic four
(Macworld)
Updated PowerBook surfs without wires
(Macworld)
Tips for your iBook
(Macworld)
Apple investigates iBook corruption
(Macworld U.K.)
iBook memory trouble
(Macworld U.K.)

The Apple Store
Apple Computer Corp.

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