PowerBook

PowerBook

A family of laptop computers from Apple that was introduced in 1991. PowerBook was the first Apple brand name for a series of portable computers, which lasted until 2006, when they were superseded by the MacBook Pro. Prior to the PowerBook, Apple introduced a portable computer that was not very widely used (see Macintosh Portable). The first color PowerBook was the 165C in 1993.

Like the Macintosh desktop evolution, the first PowerBooks used Motorola 68K CPUs and subsequently changed to PowerPC chips in 1995.

Very Popular
Throughout their history, the PowerBooks were very popular. In 2001, Apple introduced a thin, silver PowerBook in a titanium case that became a cult machine. The titanium model was followed by anodized aluminum cases in keeping with Apple's new look. The last PowerBook was the PowerBook G4 in 2006, which was superseded by the MacBook line, also maintaining the silver case design. See iBook, MacBook and Macintosh.

An Early PowerBook

Introduced in 1994, this PowerBook model used a touchpad instead of the trackball found on earlier models. Except for a brief period in the mid-1990s when certain models were experiencing battery problems, Apple's PowerBooks were very popular. (Image courtesy of Apple Inc.)

Titanium PowerBook

Introduced in 2001, the 99.5% pure titanium body and 15.2" wide screen set this G4-based PowerBook apart from the crowd. Only one inch thick and weighing five pounds, its thin, crisp look began a new era in Macintosh laptop design.