February 16, 2000: Apple introduces the PowerBook ‘Pismo’, the best of its G3 notebooks. In the eyes of many, it is one of the best Apple laptops ever.
The Pismo PowerBook is the first model without a SCSI or Apple Desktop Bus connector. Instead, it uses Apple’s Emmy Award-winning USB and FireWire ports. Optional AirPort wireless support, huge battery life, and the gorgeous curved design makes this laptop even better.
Pismo PowerBook Punch Packs
Apple first showed off the Pismo PowerBook at Macworld Expo Tokyo. The notebook followed the rugged “Wallstreet” G3 PowerBook that was released in 1998. At $3,499 for the top-of-the-line 500MHz model, the Pismo PowerBook wasn’t cheap. However, it offered great value compared to Wallstreet’s $5,600 292MHz laptop.
There was a lot to love about the Pismo PowerBook. Although it arrived after co-founder Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, it retained much of the extensibility the company introduced to Macs during his absence.
An impressively expandable Apple notebook
Contrary to Apple’s later obsession with limiting expandability and removing ports whenever possible, the Pismo PowerBook featured a PC Card slot, two FireWire and USB slots, S-video output, and more. The laptop also supported a lot of extra memory and a faster processor.
In addition, the possibility of installing two batteries made it possible to get 12 to 16 hours of real use of a powerful laptop.
Like the previous Wallstreet model, the Pismo PowerBook came in a sturdy package that resisted damage. It had a polycarbonate plastic case, which makes it look somewhat dated compared to today’s aluminum laptops. However, this material gave him a less austere impression. Add to that a graceful design and the finished product turned out to be pleasant to the touch.
Oh, and this rugged laptop came with a touch trackpad and one hell of a keyboard.
Apple Pismo PowerBook: A true multimedia notebook
The Pismo PowerBook lived up to Apple’s reputation as a company that built machines for creatives. When it came to video editing, it was the best possible choice available in 2000. With 400MHz and 500MHz configurations, up to 1GB of RAM, and an impressive 1MB of CPU cache, it handled pretty much anything you could throw at it.
The importance of FireWire cannot be overstated. Apple engineers developed the technology back in 1986, but it only became an important feature of the Mac after the return of Steve Jobs. FireWire boasted a staggering data transfer rate of up to 400 Mbps, approximately 30 times the bandwidth of the popular USB peripheral standard.
Throw in the ability to burn your own DVDs and then-rare wireless connectivity, and this laptop could impress even the most demanding Mac Windows user.
Remember the Pismo PowerBook? Leave your comments below.
