This PowerBook G3 was the first Mac designed around the PowerPC 750 (a.k.a. G3) processor, beating the first G3 Power Macs by less than a week. It was the world’s most powerful notebook computer when it was released in late 1997.
Don’t confuse the original PowerBook G3 (based on the PowerBook 3400c) with the PowerBook G3 Series (a.k.a. WallStreet). Although it bears almost exactly the same name, WallStreet was a whole new computer.
Kanga can only handle up to 160 MB of RAM and is the only G3 PowerBook never officially supported under Mac OS X. It was on the market for just six months.
Kanga shipped with Mac OS 8.0, the first version of the Mac OS with built-in support for the G3 processor. There are rumors that Mac OS 7.6 can run on Kanga; however, the standard installer will not install it, and we have not heard from anyone who is actually running it on a Kanga PowerBook.
CardBus is not supported from the factory but can be enabled with a software patch.
Warning
According to the Road Warrior, the drive controller in G3 PowerBooks is incompatible with some ATA-6/Ultra ATA-100 hard drives. When replacing the internal hard drive, you should be sure to obtain an ATA-5/Ultra ATA-66 compliant drive or an ATA-6 or ATA-7/Ultra ATA-133 drive known to work with Kanga.
Details
- code names: Kanga, 3500
- introduced 1997.11.10 at US$5,699; discontinued 1998.05.04
- requires System 8.0 through 9.1; unsubstatiated rerports that Mac OS 7.6 may work (would probably require software to support the G3 processor); not certified for Mac OS X
- CPU: 250 MHz PPC 750 (a.k.a. G3)
- Performance: 115,385 Whetstones; 747, MacBench 4
- Bus: 50 MHz
- ROM: 4 MB
- RAM: 32 MB, expandable to 160 MB using a single EDO RAM DIMM
- Level 2 cache: 512 KB backside cache running at 100 MHz
- VRAM: 2 MB
- video: Chips and Technology 65554
- display: 12.1″ 16-bit 800 x 600 83 ppi color active matrix
also supports millions of colors on external displays - Video out: VGA port
- Hard drive: 5 GB EIDE drive
- expansion bay: same as PowerBook 190, 5300, and 3400
- CD-ROM: 20x, removable
- ADB: 1 port for keyboard and mouse
- serial: 1 DIN-8 RS-422 port on back of computer
- SCSI: HDI30 connector on back of computer
- ethernet and modem standard
- infrared: supports IrDA and Apple’s IRtalk protocol
- PC Card slots: 2, CardBus compliant with USB Card Support patch (see CardBus for Your PowerBook 3400c or Kanga G3 for details and links)
- Weight: 7.1-7.7 pounds with battery
- size: 2.4″ H x 11.5″ W x 9.5″ D
- battery: rated at two to four hours of use
- family number: M3553
- power supply: M4896 or M4895
Online Resources
- Low End Mac’s Compleat Guide to the Kanga PowerBook, Charles W Moore, ‘Book Value, 2008.05.29. The first G3 PowerBook was the world’s fastest laptop computer when it was released – 2.5x as fast as the PowerBook 3400 that it replaced.
- Best PowerBook G3 deals.
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals. Best online prices for System 6, 7.1, 7.5.x, Mac OS 7.6, 8.0, 8.1, 8.5, 9.0, 9.2.2, and other versions.
- Low End Mac’s Compleat Guide to Mac OS 9, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.05.12. Mac OS 9 remains fast and stable, but Classic software hasn’t kept up with the changing internet. Which Macs support OS 9, where to buy it, and how to update to 9.2.2.
- WiFi cards for PowerBooks with PC Card slots, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.08.12. PC Card and CardBus 802.11b and 802.11g cards known to be compatible with Apple’s PowerBooks.
- Environmentally Responsible Retirement for Old Macs, Rick Lawson, Pioneers in Mac Development, 2008.06.13. After you’ve scavenged what useful parts you can from your old Mac, what’s the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of the rest?
- What’s the best Mac OS for your iBook, PowerBook, or MacBook?, Charles W Moore, ‘Book Value, 2008.08.19. Tips on choosing the best OS for your PowerBook 500 Series or newer Mac notebook.
- WiFi PC Cards for PowerBooks running Mac OS 9, MetaPhyzx, Mac Daniel, 2009.03.10. PCMCIA cards and drivers reported to be compatible with the Classic Mac OS.
- Cheap USB 2 CardBus solution, OS 9 and Kanga, mobile Mac value, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.09.09. Also a look at several options for using an old LocalTalk printer with a Mac running Mac OS X 10.6 ‘Snow Leopard’.
- Mac ‘Book Power Management Adventures, Charles W Moore, ‘Book Value, 2009.05.19. If your ‘Book won’t power up, shuts down while your working, or has other power issues, resetting its internal power manager may clear things up.
- 500 MHz iBook keeps going, iBook video repair, a WiFi card that costs less than AirPort, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.05.13. Also Dell’s alternative to the 12″ PowerBook, WiFi hotspot insecurity, and feedback from a Eudora fan.
- The 25 most important Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2009.02.17. The 25 most significant Macs in the first 25 years of the platform, continued.
- Blackouts and Web access, death of a Kanga, the future of PowerPC Macs, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.01.07. Also another email client suggestion and whether a G3 iMac can handle a 7200 rpm hard drive without overheating.
- Why You Should Partition Your Mac’s Hard Drive, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2008.12.11. “At the very least, it makes sense to have a second partition with a bootable version of the Mac OS, so if you have problems with your work partition, you can boot from the ’emergency’ partition to run Disk Utility and other diagnostics.”
- Another free POP3 provider, recharging a dead PRAM battery, current Kanga value, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.09.03. GMX email now available in US, Panasonic UJ-841S drive won’t burn discs, restoring a dead PRAM battery in a Pismo, and thoughts on Kanga value today.
- Turn your old Mac into a web server with Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP, Jason Packer, Macs in the Enterprise, 2008.07.09. Step-by-step instructions for installing and configuring Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP on an older Mac.
- Praise for Opera, low cost iBook mobo replacement, IrDA and IRtalk, WaMCom recommended, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.06.18. Also the use of ‘compleat’, booting from CD, new Toshiba 1.8″ drives too thick for MBA, and PowerPC support and Snow Leopard.
- CardBus for your PowerBook 3400c or Kanga G3, Rob Frohne. Kanga and the 3400 electronically support CardBus, but the card cage is slightly smaller than required by the CardBus specification and there is no groundplane. Cards that fit seem to work.
- Wireless FAQ for Older Apple PowerBook Computers. Resources to help you to install and maintain 802.11b/g wireless PC Cards on older PowerBook computers.
- The Complete and Utter Guide to PC Cards and Expansion Bays on the PowerBook, Insanely Great. All about the PCMCIA, PC Card, or CardBus slots used in various PowerBooks.
- Solving Mac Startup Problems, Adam Rosen, Adam’s Apple, 2007.12.12. When your old Mac won’t boot, the most likely culprits are a dead PRAM battery or a failed (or failing) hard drive.
- 10 years since the first G3 Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2007.11.10. The world’s fastest notebook was soon joined by a 266 MHz Power Mac G3 that ran circles around 300 MHz Pentium II computers.
- The future of G3 PowerBooks in the Age of Leopard, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2007.09.11. There’s no G3 support in Leopard. What does that mean for Kanga, WallStreet, Lombard, and Pismo PowerBooks?
- Silence is golden: Running your existing notebook using flash memory, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Reviews, 2007.05.23. With a new adapter from Addonics, you can replace your laptop’s IDE hard drive inexpensively and boot silently from a Compact Flash card.
- Appearance Manager Allows Internet Explorer 5.1.7 to Work with Mac OS 7.6.1, Max Wallgren, Mac Daniel, 2007.05.23. Want a fairly modern browser with an old, fast operating system? Mac OS 7.6.1 plus the Appearance Manager and Internet Explorer may be just what you want.
- Format Any Drive for Older Macs with Patched Apple Tools, Tyler Sable, Classic Restorations, 2007.04.25. Apple HD SC Setup and Drive Setup only work with Apple branded hard drives – until you apply the patches linked to this article.
- First Blu-ray drive for Apple’s ‘Books, replace notebook hard drive with Compact Flash, and more, The ‘Book Review, 2007.04.13. Also 160 GB 7200 rpm hard drives, upgrading from a MacBook Pro to a MacBook, Waterfield’s flexible new Sling bag, bargain ‘Books from $170 to $1,699, and more.
- PC Card WiFi for OS X PowerBooks, installing Classic for OS X, Gmail problem with Shiira, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2007.01.15. A low-cost WiFi PC Card for PowerBooks running OS X, tips on installing Classic under Tiger, Gmail broken with Shiira 1.2.2 browser, and stimulating a flashd rive on pre-USB PowerBooks.
- System 7 Today, advocates of Apple’s ‘orphan’ Mac OS 7.6.1, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 2006.10.26. Why Mac OS 7.6.1 is far better for 68040 and PowerPC Macs than System 7.5.x.
- Is Ubuntu Linux a sensible alternative for Mac users?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2006.09.18. If your Mac can run OS X decently, is there any reason to try Ubuntu Linux? If it can’t run OS X well, is Ubuntu a reasonable choice?
- iMac startup problem solved, PowerBook 5300 and WallStreet memories, removing languages, and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2006.09.11. Also Kanga “all I need”, another WallStreet upgrade, dual USB iBook thoughts, and problems reading CD-R in older Macs.
- Mac OS 8 and 8.1: Maximum Size, Maximum Convenience, Tyler Sable, Classic Restorations, 2006.09.11. Mac OS 8 and 8.1 add some useful new features and tools, and it can even be practical on 68030-based Macs.
- Inside your notebook’s battery: Ordinary AA Li-Ion cells, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2006.09.08. That expensive battery in your notebook computer probably holds less than $30 worth of off-the-shelf AA Li-Ion batteries.
- Many G3 Macs now considered vintage, Mac News Review, 2006.03.31.
- Is the G3 still a practical choice?, Matthew Jay, Macs to the Max, 2006.08.10. Although the G3 is several generations old, it has enough horsepower for most of the things we do on our computers.
- The ins and outs of booting Linux on the Mac, Larry Stotler, Linux on the Low End, 2006.07.31. “Old World” Macs can’t boot directly into Linux. They need to boot the Classic Mac OS first, then pass control over to Linux.
- System 7.6.1 is perfect for many older Macs, John Martorana, That Old Mac Magic, 2006.03.24. Want the best speed from your old Mac? System 7.6.1 can give you that with a fairly small memory footprint – also helpful on older Macs.
- Web browser tips for the classic Mac OS, Nathan Thompson, Embracing Obsolescence, 2006.01.03. Tips on getting the most out of WaMCom, Mozilla, Internet Explorer, iCab, Opera, and WannaBe using the classic Mac OS.
- The best browsers for PowerPC Macs and the classic Mac OS, Nathan Thompson, Embracing Obsolescence, 2005.12.16. Two browsers stand out from the pack: iCab 3 is modern and remains under development, and WaMCom brings Mozilla to older Macs.
- Why you should use Mac OS 7.6 to get the most out of vintage Macs, Thomas Ahart, The Productive Mac, 2005.12.12. Although you may be able to run OS 8 or 9 on your old Mac, you’ll generally find better performance using Mac OS 7.6.
- Wirelessly Networking a PowerBook 1400 or Other Old Apple Laptop: Step By Step, Derek K Miller, Penmachine.com, 2003.04.12, updated 2004.05.17. You can put one of these older ‘Books on an AirPort (802.11b) network for under US$50.
- Kanga PowerBook a best buy, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2003.03.25. “It’s a great machine for introducing people to what an older PowerBook can still do well enough for most for around $250.”
- CardBus for your PowerBook 3400c or Kanga G3!, Rob Frohne. “…the 3400c is already cardbus compliant as far as I can tell!”
- Is the original PowerBook G3 too limited today?, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 2003.03.17. Once the world’s fastest laptop, has the ‘Kanga’ PowerBook been left in the dust?
- Flash memory improves PowerBook, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 2002.11.14. Using Compact Flash to boot, save files, run silently, extend battery life, and as virtual memory on a PowerBook.
- 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.
- Macintosh PowerBook G3, Fortune City
- Recovering a stolen PowerBook, The ‘Book Page. One user’s experience.
- Black Apple ADB mouse, perfect PowerBook G3 companion, $90 from Sun Remarketing > Service Parts > Macintosh TV.
- Apple’s press release for the original PowerBook G3, 1997.11.10.
- PowerBook G3 – Technical Specifications, Apple
- PowerBook G3 Computers: How to Identify Different Models, Apple TIL 24604
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