With the arrival of the first laptop with a next-generation G4 processor, Apple wanted to redefine the look of Apple laptops, too. (That logo, which seemed awfully aggressive at the time, is another defining characteristic of Apple laptops that hasn’t abated in two decades.)īut the PowerBook G3 was a dressed-up and stylish version of the old Apple laptop design philosophy. It had matte and shiny elements, including an enormous white Apple “crystal” on the top cover. The introduction of the “Wall Street” PowerBook G3 in 1998 brought a curvy black plastic case that was far more appealing than the drab plastic of the previous model. With Steve Jobs firmly in charge at Apple and Jonathan Ive and his team of designers rethinking every single one of the company’s products in turn, it was time for Apple to go back to first principles when it came to its prestige laptops.įirst, they had to get the PowerBook line stabilized. But Apple still had a lot to learn.įundamental principles The Titanium PowerBook G4 atop the PowerBook G3. It all started with the Titanium PowerBook G4. When you resume the slide show, silver metallic laptops will alternate with cheaper plastic models for a little while, but during the final decade of slides, they’ll all settle on this one basic design. It’s thin (at least for the time) and boxy and sheathed in silvery metal instead of plastic. You might want to pause the slides for a moment, because the computer on the screen is undeniably a modern Apple laptop.
#Apple mac powerbook g4 portable#
The G3 iBook appears briefly to provide some needed color.Īnd then, 12 years into Apple’s portable Mac journey, you see it. It starts with the Macintosh Portable and ends with two M1 MacBooks.įor a while, the slides are of chunky plastic laptops in light gray, dark gray, and black. Imagine a slideshow of images of every portable Mac Apple has made, displayed in chronological order. 20 Macs for 2020: #5 – Titanium PowerBook G4