Apple iBook PowerPC G3 Laptops

What to Know About iBook PowerPC G3 Apple Laptops

The iBook PowerPC G3 Laptop, or the "Clamshell" from Apple, is considered to be one of the precursors to the laptop-esque devices known as "notebooks." Because of the time it was created, the computer was still large enough to be considered a laptop at 12 inches. It even used the stock Apple system of Mac OS X Tiger. Though notebooks nowadays are sold in even smaller sizes, the iBook still holds its stature as one of the first notebook devices to be created by a large computer company such as Apple.

These mini-computers were initially released for students in high school and in college. Their primary purpose was for educational research and for using common apps for word processing and building spreadsheets. It was loosely based off of the recently successful laptop model known as the "iMac." Because of its hardware capabilities, the product is more fit for performing smaller tasks that require less CPU power.

The model has a processor known as the "PowerPC G5 CPU." These processors were created by IBM in the early 2000s and can be found in many of the Apple computers made in the early 21st century. The PowerPC processor has a clock speed that falls between 1.6 Ghz to 2.0 Ghz. Eventually, however, Intel would be in charge of placing its own brand of microprocessors of later models. Intel would go on to produce chips for both its desktop and laptop catalogues.

Along with the PowerPC G5 processor from IBM, this laptop has the following features:

• 30GB hard drive storage
• Rechargeable G5 battery w/charger included
• Mac OS X Tiger operating system
• 256MB of memory

Desktop products such as the Power Mac were built with the same processor as the PowerPC from IBM. But, there were also other products from the same company that made other laptops similar to the Clamshell, such as the iMac and the PowerBook. Later products based off of the iBook, such as the MacBook, would go on to use more advanced hardware made from manufacturers like Intel.

This unit was one of the first products from Apple to feature AGP-based graphics. With AGP, Mac products like the iBook were able to accelerate the processing of three-dimensional graphics. The product also introduced the "AirPort," a networking card that connected them with the internet wirelessly when synched with the base station of the same name.