PowerBooks & iBooks

(PowerPC-based PowerBooks)

For older PowerBooks, click here.

PowerBooks

PowerBook G4, Titanium

iBook & PowerBook Links

Guide to G3 PowerBooks
Guide to iBooks
Guide to TiBooks
Rage at being left behind, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2001.12.24. It's official - Apple doesn't plan to support graphics acceleration for any Mac with ATI Rage video. That includes the WallStreet and Lombard.
Hack: Overclocking the iBook (2001), Tycho, Accelerate Your Mac, 08.21. Warranty-voiding mod boost performance 40% by hitting 600-650 MHz on 100 MHz bus.
Recall: PowerBook G3 AC Adapter Exchange Program. Most WallStreet and Lombard AC adapters recalled. See Apple's page for details.
FireWire "flames out" on PowerBooks, Bare Feats, 2001.05.03. "The sustained data transfer speed on the PowerBook and iBook is much lower than any desktop model of Macintosh including iMacs and older Power Macs."
Guide to iBooks. A quick comparison of iBook models past and present.
Profile: New iBook.
OS X graphics speedup with early ATI video, Mac OS X: Optimizing for Earlier ATI Graphics Accelerators, 2001.03.09. PowerBook G3 Series, Lombard faster displaying thousands of colors, not millions.
Shot in the foot again: Firmware update disables RAM, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 3/25. "...we should not be at risk of losing some or all of the memory in our Macs because of a firmware update."
SCSI and FireWire Disk Modes, Paulo Rodrigues, Tangerine Fusion, 2000.11.29. How to use SCSI Disk Mode and FireWire Target Disk Mode for ultrafast file transfers.
Kensington driver disables iBook trackpad, Apple TIL #31268, 2000.11.02.
Analysis: Now there are two, but do processor upgrades for G3 Series PowerBooks make sense?, Charles W. Moore, MacOpinion, 10/24. There is no easy answer.
Benchmarks: 466 MHz FireWire iBook vs. 400 MHz Pismo PowerBook, Bare Feats, 10/23. Real world tests with iMovie, Cinema 4D, and Bryce.
There is an incompatibility between the Kensington Startup ADB extension and the Trackpad control on the iBook with Mac OS 9.0.4. Symptom: trackpad responds during boot, but not later. Solution: disable Kensington Startup ADB extension. This may also apply to other USB portables and versions of the Mac OS.
Hands on the FireWire iBook, Dan Knight, The 'Book Page, 10/9. My wife needed to replace her dead PowerBook. I wanted to benchmark the PowerPC 750CX.
The truth about the new G3, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 10/9. "I have to admit to feeling a bit cheated after running MacBench 5 on my wife's new indigo iBook."
iBook: Japanese site shows PPC 750CX at heart of new iBook, something we noted the day Apple announced the next generation iBook. [Accelerate Your Mac!]
New iBooks a Better Value?, Dan Knight, The 'Book Page, 9/14. The new iBooks are better than the old ones, but how do they stack up for value?
Analysis: New iBook vs. PowerBook: The real deal, Ben Apple, Mac Junkie, 9/14. "What we have here is a genuine knockout, and iBook is the champ."
Opinion: Why buy a $2499 PowerBook 400 MHz over a $1799 iBook 466 MHz?, PowerBook Zone, 9/14. There is no compelling reason - well, just one.
PowerPC 750Cx, the heart of the new iBooks.
Consumer: PowerBook Processor Upgrade SuperGuide, pbcentral, 8/7.
Wide selection of PowerBook drive upgrades, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 8/3. Lots of options available, even for older PowerBooks that use SCSI hard drives.
Hands on: First taste of Newer Tech G3 WallStreet upgrade, PowerBook Zone, 7/27. Beta tester reports improved speed, battery life.
Hands on: Interware 400 MHz G3 for PowerBook 2400c, Jake Juck, 7/17 [PBS]. Almost double the speed of NUpower 240 MHz G3 upgrade and five times faster than original 180 MHz 603e.
Consumer: PowerBook 1400 battery price guide, Martin Trautmann [PBS].
Peek at first PowerBook G3 upgrades from Newer, Go2Mac.com, 7/27/00. 466 MHz card will upgrade almost all WallStreet models, all Lombards.
Solar PowerBooks, Charles Moore, Road Warrior, MacOS Daily, 6/21/00. Running with sunlight.
Accelerate Your Mac! has downloadable color profiles for the iBook and recent PowerBooks that really improve on-screen color.
Recovering a stolen PowerBook, The 'Book Page. One user's experience.
RAM disks and why you should trash your hard drive, Charles Moore, Applelinks, 11/29. "I used to run my PowerBook 5300 off a RAM disk most of the time in blissful silence...."
Got an iBook or want to know more? Join the iBook Talk List.
Why your PowerBook won't go to sleep, Info Alley
PowerBooks email list
PowerBook Duo/2400 List
Black Apple ADB mouse, perfect PowerBook G3 companion (see picture on O'Grady's), $90 from Sun Remarketing | Service Parts | Macintosh TV.
ResetPwrMgr, freeware. Resets the power manager on PowerBooks, which sometimes gets messed up. Forces restart, so quit all apps before using. Only works with PB 1400 and earlier models.
Use a PPC PowerBook? Consider joining the PowerBooks or PowerMacs email list.
RAM Charger from Jump Development ($40) lets you get the most out of your RAM. By launching applications using the minimum amount of memory they need, RAM Charger lets you run more programs. It also works well with RAM Doubler. You can even download a demo.

Some Good PowerBook resources

Be sure to see the list of dealers who buy, sell, or broker used and/or refurbished Macintosh hardware.

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