iBook, Speed Bumps, DVD, Memory, and More

NOTE: This Miscellaneous Ramblings column originally appeared on MacOpinion on June 4, 1999. It is republished here by permission of the author and MacOpinion.

There is plenty of ground to cover in this column after a two-week hiatus, so let's get right to it.

Quanta to Lose Professional PowerBook Supply Contract?

Lombards are finally shipping, about two weeks later than Steve Jobs said they would at the WWDC announcement, but all will soon be forgiven, I'm sure, as soon as eager customers get their hands on their new rocket-sled portables.

Whether Apple will forgive their Taiwan-based PowerBook contractor, Quanta Computer Inc., for the delay is another matter.

A recent AsiaBizTech article reports that another Taiwanese firm, Alpha Top Corporation, has contracted with Apple to manufacture the P1 ("iBook") laptop beginning in June.

AsiaBizTech says that In addition to building the PowerBooks, Alpha Top Corp. also plans to source the computer's electronic components, including power supplies and computer cases, in Taiwan.

Reportedly, Apple is disgruntled with startup problems Quanta Computer Inc., is having with getting Lombard production ramped up, and future professional PowerBook production may be shifted to Alpha Top Corp., too, if all goes well with the consumer PowerBook contract.

While details are veiled in secrecy, it is widely expected that the new consumer PowerBook, which may or may not be called "iBook," will continue the iMac's multicolor motif and be offered at a price in the neighborhood of US$1,500.

Apple's Taiwan representatives told AsiaBizTech that the new computer "will surprise the market" in the second half of 1999.

Alpha Top is reportedly planning to increase production capacity in order to be ready for any increase in Apple's OEM orders.

433 MHz Lombards Coming Soon?

It has not gone unnoticed that while both the 3400c Series and G3 Series PowerBooks had three distinct processor speed versions, Lombard only has two - so far. While offering a 366 MHz model between the 333 and 400 versions would arguably have been an exercise in redundancy, rumor has it that a 433 MHz Lombard is in the offing as soon as production and distribution are firmly established.

Apple apparently has an unwritten policy of not offering PowerBooks with as high or higher-speed processors than are available in their top-of-the-line desktop machines, which I of course think is shortsighted, but there you have it. However, with a 450 MHz blue & white G3 introduced this week, that clears the way for a 433 MHz Lombard.

The three-speed professional PowerBook model lineup should be restored "soon" - possibly in August or September, after initial demand for the 333 MHz and 400 MHz models has been satisfied. The 433 MHz Lombard may be priced at $3,499 like the present 400 MHz unit, with price cuts (10%?) on the two existing models.

However, according to Mac OS Rumors (MOSR), the 433 MHz machine could include 128 MB of RAM as standard equipment and should be introduced at the same time as Apple's new FireWire CardBus PC Card adapter, which would likely mean a higher price for the new speed leader.

With speed-bumped 450 MHz blue & white G3 released this week, and 500 MHz to 550 MHz versions debuting "just before or during Macworld New York in July," according to MOSR, it seems plausible that we could see a 500 MHz PowerBook by early next year.

Consumer PowerBook Pricing

There has been much speculation about where Apple will slot the consumer PowerBook price-wise. Some optimistic prognosticators have suggested a price point as low as $1,299, complete with DVD-ROM, a TFT display, and a wireless modem. Dream on, but that isn't going to happen.

Here's why:

• Apple will not want to cannibalize sales of the low-end Lombard by low balling a heavily-featured iBook.
• The price of TFT displays is going up, perhaps as much as 30%
• DVD kits retail for about $499 and are not even available (at least yet)
• Apple may surprise me, but I'm skeptical that wireless connectability will be ready for prime time by July/August - the most likely introduction date for the iBook.

Look for an iBook price in the $1499 to $1899 ballpark with neither DVD nor wireless included.

Consumer PowerBook's Modem (and Lombard's) Not the Same as WallStreet/iMac Modem

Doug Landry of The PowerBook Zone informs us that contrary to previous reports (including here), Lombard does not use the same modem form factor as WallStreet and the iMac. According to Doug, the consumer PowerBook will use the same internal hardware modem as Lombard, and this modem will also be inside Apple's next generation of iMacs and PowerMac desktops.

Doug further notes that sharing the new modem across several product lines is part of Apple's new "core99" strategy which will further unify hardware specifications across its product line. Various Mac models will use identical logicboards and software (the combined software effort is called "Borg," says Doug, because it assimilates all four product lines).

eBook and iBook Names Already Taken?

While I'm partial to the "iBook" nomenclature, no name has been finalized (at least publicly) for the new consumer PowerBook, and MacProvider reports that neither "iBook" nor "eBook" will likely fly as monikers for Apple's new compact consumer/executive PowerBooks.

A little sleuthing turned up the website iBook.com, which apparently is not owned by Apple, and eBook.com, which is owned by Card Security Center Inc. of Florida.

According to MacProvider, the eBook name has been patented and is already used on a consumer product (a digital book). See: http://www.rocket- ebook.com/enter.html.

Oh well, WallStreet and Lombard were never Apple commercial trade names either, but are popularly understood as referring to particular PowerBook models.

PowerBook G3 Series Troubleshooting Page

Apple Support has posted a Web page of troubleshooting info pertaining to G3 Series PowerBooks.

http://www.info.apple.com/support/powerbook/solve.html

The topics listed on this page link to the most common troubleshooting tips requested from Apple technical assistance. Most PowerBook G3 issues and their resolutions can be found there.

DVD and the Lombard 333, the Upgrade Path, and the Quest for Speed

A reader named Joe wrote:

I read your articles with great anticipation and respect, I feel you are top authority on portable computing.

I have serious problems with the new PowerBooks. First of all the non DVD upgradable 333 is a disaster in my opinion. DVD is a huge and getting bigger, I have to pay $1000.00 more to have this feature?

The loss of the other media bay is ridiculous and clearly a downgrade. I love the idea of having both a DVD and Zip in a PowerBook at the same time or other types of combinations.

A non-upgradable CPU speaks for itself.

The effect of not having Mac clones around to push apple and themselves is clearly showing itself. We are the ones to suffer, both in price and choic.e

I am glad Apple is well on its way back but we should still offer criticism when needed.

Best Wishes
Joe

Joe is right. If you want DVD support in a PowerBook, your choices are either a new 400 MHz Lombard or a leftover 300 MHz WallStreet. As noted above, the 333 MHz Lombard does not support DVD, and there is no indication that it ever will. While someone may eventually offer a third-party DVD solution for the Lombard 333, don't count on this happening, and govern your buying decisions accordingly.

However, it is only fair to keep in mind that last May the WallStreet 292 debuted at a whopping $6,396 (less DVD), so $3,499 is pretty friendly by comparison. Indeed the MainStreet 233 PowerBook G3 Series I with passive matrix monitor and no L2 cache rolled out at only $200 less than the 333 Lombard!

On the media bay issue, I'm assuming that the second media bay support was sacrificed to save weight. That two pound reduction had to come from somewhere.

As for upgradability, like the WallStreet machines, Lombard could theoretically be upgraded, but since Apple has once again mounted the system ROMs on the daughtercard, this is unlikely. Apple will never release the ROMs to third party upgrade card manufacturers, and would rather you buy the next processor generation with the next generation PowerBook bundled around it.

Speaking of upgrades in general, the only PowerBooks with a really practical and worthwhile upgrade path are the old 500 series, the 1400, and the 2400.

Reader Al Cyford emailed me last week asking what possibilities were available for upgrading PowerBook 5300s.

Unfortunately, there is no upgrade path for the 5300. However, for a little extra speed, Al could try the new OS 8.6, which reportedly speeds up Finder performance noticeably. There is also Connectix's Speed Doubler (an exaggeration), which improves performance in 68k emulation functions.

Keep the 5300's hard disk defragmented with Norton Speed Disk or Alsoft Disk Express, disable any System extensions you can do without, use less color depth if you can stand it (say 16 instead of 256).

PowerBook 1400 owner Dave Wyman writes:

Well, I've had Macs and PB's for years - and never really tried using a different color setting than the maximum allowed. I've got a PB 1400, w/ a Vimage 233 upgrade. It made it a lot faster. But I've just switched from thousands of colors to 16 - I still have color, and the 1400, at least for the Web, runs like crazy! Now I'm going to see what happens w/ Photoshop and some other programs.

However, for real speed, you will simply have to buy a faster PowerBook than a 5300. The old 5300 is a good machine, at least mine is, but fast it is not.

Lombard Hard Drives Limited to 10 GB

Big hard drives are one area where WallStreet has an advantage over Lombard. Because of its thinner profile, Lombard supports a maximum hard drive height of 12.7mm, making 10 GB the largest currently available drive that will fit. WallStreet can accommodate a larger IBM 14 GB drive which is 17 mm tall.

Lombard can Support 512 MB of RAM

Tom Snyder writes:

I have a performance question that perhaps you or one of your colleagues would address. I plan to purchase a PowerBook G3 and expect to use the following tools: Excel, FileMaker Pro, PowerPoint, SPSS, MapInfo, and/or other products for similar number crunching applications. What are the performance tradeoffs of 1 MB backside cache vs 512k? As you probably infer, I am considering the G3 (II) 300, the Lombard 333 or 400. I have seen the bar charts, but what do the differences mean in noticeable, real time performance differences.

Until a program maxes out the 512k cache capacity, there should be zero performance difference.

In my opinion, for the programs Tom mentions, the 512k should be adequate. The larger cache shines when you repeat the same task over and over again as in some games. There might be a small speed improvement for what you want to do if you get a machine with 1 MB cache, but you have to evaluate whether the extra cache is worth the extra cash, as it were.

These machines are all very fast!

Lower-end WallStreets came with 32 MB RAM, which was barely enough to run on, but upgrading to 64 MB (preferably more) is not expensive enough to make that a make-or-break issue. While Apple says 384 MB max., you can actually install 512 MB in either WallStreet or Lombard by using Simple Technology's low-profile (1.5 inch) 256 MB SO-DIMM (part number SIT-STA-MAIN/256) in the lower RAM slot of either model. With a larger (2.0 inch) 256 MB SO-DIMM in the upper slot, voila! - 512 MB.

Very few users will actually do this, since the Simple Technology 256 MB module reportedly sells for a street price of about US$1,000 if you can find one (MSRP is US$795).

The Simple Technology module is unique as it reaches 256 MB capacity while maintaining the low profile necessary to meet the height restriction imposed by the PowerBook memory expansion slots. The PowerBook G3 has two memory slots with height limitations of 1.5 inches for one and 2 inches for the other. Simple Technology's module is the first to meet the 1.5 inch specification that allows each memory slot to be filled with a 256 MB module.

The 256 MB module is a 144 pin SO-DIMM (Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module). The module features 64-bit wide, non parity, 3.3 volt Synchronous DRAM. Additional capacities offered for the PowerBook G3 include 16, 32, 64, and 128 MB memory modules.

"According to Apple, the PowerBook G3 is the industry's lowest priced portable computer with a 14.1 inch screen," said Russell Droullard, director of marketing services, Simple Technology. "Adding Simple Technology's 256 MB memory modules maximizes the system's power while maintaining its affordability."

Well, sort of. Having to cough up $795-1,000 for a RAM module isn't exactly an exercise in affordability, but five years ago we were paying that much for 16 MB upgrades for the PowerBook 500 Series.

More Flaming Laptops? (and This Time They're Not PowerBooks!)

The PowerBook 5300 has been unfairly saddled with a reputation as "the incendiary PowerBook" since one test unit caught fire in an Apple lab back in 1995. Actually, it was the Sony-supplied lithium ion battery and not the 5300 itself that started the conflagration, but that hasn't stopped even some Mac advocates who ought to know better from propagating the "flaming 5300s" myth.

So wearily, once again, are the facts:

• Only one 5300 caught fire.
• Apple quickly recalled the few machines in distribution channels at the time and replaced the suspect LithIon batteries with NiMH units.
• No consumer machines caught fire.
• The 5300 has proved to be no more fire-prone than any other laptop - less so in fact than the G3 Series 'Books, a handful of which actually have caught fire in consumer use.

However, when I reported a couple of cases of WallStreet machines burning (the culprit was presumably a batch of bad capacitors in the power management circuits, and/or shorted RF shielding - Apple has never made a public statement clarifying this issue), I received several snarky emails from PC advocates saying that even one burning laptop was unacceptable.

That's true in principle, but stuff happens, and what goes around, comes around. According to a report on Mac OS Rumors, an anonymous source has forwarded them a U.S. Air Force safety notice bulletin about some batteries in Micron GoBook and GoBook2 Wintel laptop computers presenting a potential "risk of burn to computer users."

The document quoted on MOSR states, in part, that "some LI-ION base batteries (Part Number NBP001094-00 and NBP001094-01) may short circuit causing sufficient heat within the battery to cause localized melting of the plastic casing of the battery, even if the computer is off. Motorola (battery manufacturer) is aware of two base batteries in which the hazard was present."

"It seems as though the military has had no small shortage of PC problems, from NT machines crashing left and right on Navy service ships, to the latest with GoBooks bursting into flames," says MOSR. "Now might be a good time for Apple to step in and try to offer up some sort of solution to this issue of flaming GoBooks, namely the new PowerBook G3s."

Well, maybe, but for plenty of other good reasons than fire worries. Both the WallStreet and the new Lombards are substantially superior to their nearest PC competition in performance. Let's hope that the new Lombard G3 PowerBook will be free of any fire hazard. And to be fair, as far as I have been able to determine, only three or four WallStreets (out of a production run of some 200,000) actually had fires. However, those in glass houses....

Kenwood 52x CD-ROM Drive Delivers the Goods

Not a specifically PowerBook topic, but xlr8yourmac.com has published a long and highly detailed review (including installation instructions) of Kenwood's 52X True-X IDE CD-ROM drive, which delivers 6.7 MB/Sec Rates in a blue & white G3 PowerMac.

Unlike conventional fast CD-ROM drives that achieve their higher data transfer rates by increasing disk rotation speed, with attendant noise and vibration, the new Kenwood's unit takes a sophisticated high-tech rather than brute force approach, with its patented multi-beam pickup (7 beams) and "ZEN" ASIC controller.

Because this setup can read 7 tracks in parallel, extremely high RPMs are unnecessary and performance exceeds anything possible with a conventional, high-RPM CD-ROM drive. Average random access is specified at 90ms and the drive's 2 MB cache is 4 to 8 times the size found in most CD-ROM drives.

The Kenwood drive is available from both Hi-Val and Kenwood.

xlr8yourmac.com cautions that when purchasing a Hi-Val package, make sure you see the "True-X" designation to ensure you're getting a genuine Kenwood drive and not the 52X "Max" Hi-Val drive.

xlr8yourmac.com's reviewer, Michael Breeden, says that "this CD-ROM drive feels as responsive as many hard drives in actual use and as shown below, MacBench 1 MB sequential read tests showed a transfer rate of 6.7 MB/sec, almost 3 times as fast as the standard DVD drive... Benchmarks don't tell all the story on this drive - it's noticeably more responsive in actual use than any CD-ROM drive I've ever used....Sustained rates were almost 3 times the performance of Apple's OEM CD/DVD drive."

The unit is:

• Apple CD/DVD-ROM Extension Compatible (OS 8.5.1 and OS 8.6 tested)
• Bootable from CD-ROM
• Reads CD-R Discs
• Plays audio CDs perfectly with the Control Strip CD Player

According to Kenwood, "Depending upon the operating environment and quality of media, the Kenwood 52X TrueX CD-ROM drive delivers a typical performance ranging from 45X to 52X across the entire disc. An advertised 48X "Max" CD-ROM drive performs at 19X on its innermost tracks, but achieves 48X performance only on the disc's outermost tracks (if the disc is full). "

Michael Breeden summarizes: "Without a doubt this is by far the fastest and most responsive CD-ROM drive I've ever used. On the PC it seemed literally as fast as a hard drive in actual use and on both Mac and PC, sustained rates were about 3 times as fast as the stock DVD drives.... It's refreshing to see an innovative product with a unique design that lives up to hype."

A SCSI version of this drive is in the works and should be released by Summer 99. The real icing on the cake here is that the Kenwood 52X "True-X drive sells for a modest $129 SRP. Sounds cool.

Apricorn's EZ-Gig Data Transfer

Growing out of your PowerBook's present hard drive? Apricorn's EZ-Gig Data Transfer Utility Kit is a tool that can make the transition to an new, larger drive painless.

Apricorn is a official member of the Apple Developer Connection Program. Along with EZ-Gig, Apricorn's hard drives and memory products are also Mac compatible.

Apricorn's EZ-Gig allows users to make an exact mirror copy of their PowerBook's internal hard drive to a new, larger-capacity drive in less than ten minutes. EZ-Gig connects through a PC Card interface and transfers the operating system and all data, files and applications to the new hard drive. The new drive is then installed and the system boots exactly as before, with no reinstallation or reconfiguration. EZ-Gig is also equipped with important bidirectional capabilities and can be used as an external hard drive and/or backup storage device.

All EZ-Gig components are contained in one package, external to the PowerBook. Hard drive capacities are: 2.1 GB, 3.1 GB, 4.1 GB, 5.1 GB, 8.1 GB. The EZ-Gig hard drives are backed by a three-year warranty, and the cable assembly by a lifetime warranty.

Prices for the new 3-in-1 EZ-Gig, including hard drive, begin at $329 SRP, and vary according to drive size and portable manufacturer and model. More information is available from http://www.apricorn.com.

Having Trouble Sorting Out All Those G3 PowerBooks?

Apple has stretched the "PowerBook G3" nomenclature well past its reasonable limit by insisting on recycling that moniker for a fourth time on their new professional PowerBooks, which many of us insist on calling "Lombard" - its development code name.

In an effort to dispel confusion (lotsa' luck!) Apple has posted a TIL article entitled: "PowerBook G3 & G3 Series: Identifying Different Models."

"Though the names are similar, there are significant differences," the article helpfully notes. "There are two definitive ways to differentiate the various PowerBook G3 models: by Family Number or by visual inspection."

On the visual inspection front, here are the particulars:

A Macintosh PowerBook G3 (M3553) has a small, six-color Apple logo close to the case latch, it closely resembles the older PowerBook 3400. The keyboard is similar in color to the outer case.

A Macintosh PowerBook G3 Series (M4753) has a large embedded white Apple logo near the middle of the top cover. The G3 Series has two PC Card slots on the left side of the unit, along with a Modem port. On the rear of the computer, the microphone and speaker ports are exposed. The keyboard is similar in color to the outer case. The PowerBook G3 Series computer is slimmer-that is, it is not as thick as the older PowerBook G3 computer. The PowerBook G3 Series computer is about an inch longer and an inch wider than the older PowerBook G3 computer.

The PowerBook G3 Series (Bronze keyboard) (M5343) also has the embedded white Apple logo similar to the PowerBook G3 Series. To differentiate it, there is a single PC Card slot on the left side and no exposed Modem port. Also, the ports on the back side of the computer are fully covered by the I/O door. Additionally, the keyboard has a translucent bronze or mocha color to it.

Got that straight? This could all have been avoided by simply adding an official name to each model of PowerBook G3.

An iCab Hotlist Tip

A reader named Judy sent this useful tip about coordinating the iCab browser with Netscape Bookmarks.

I am currently sharing them between iCab and Netscape Communicator 4.5. And I have the same favorites toolbar, and they both are synchronized!

I generally use iCab, but occasionally, when it doesn't work, I use Netscape. I'm using the same bookmarks for both. All I did was copy the Netscape bookmarks to the iCab Preferences folder, and rename it Hotlist.html. Then I made an alias of it in the "Netscape" folder and renamed the alias Bookmarks.html. It works great, and I have the same - same Favorites Toolbar, since I can select any folder in Hotlist. So I selected the Personal Toolbar folder, which is the name of the folder that Netscape Communicator uses.

Incidentally, while iCab will import Internet Explorer Favorites and (reportedly) Netscape Bookmarks for its equivalent Hotlist during installation, you can also make a copy if an existing Explorer Favorites document (found in the Explorer preferences folder, in the Preferences folder in the System folder), rename it "Hotlist," and drag it into the iCab preferences folder.

Deals on Refurb. WallStreets

The Apple Store's refurbished and clearance department is offering refurb. PowerBook G3 Series IIs (266 MHz) for the modest price of $1,999.00. Last week they had some 300 MHz machines for $2,099, but those appear to be sold out.

The specification is:

• PowerBook G3/266/64/4 GB/20x CD/Enet/56K/14.1 TFT, $1,999.00

If you don't mind a bit less speed in what is still a very fast laptop:

• PowerBook G3/233/32/2 GB/20x CD/Ethernet/56K/14.1 TFT, $1,599.00

While we're on the topic of deals on WallStreet PowerBooks, among the many unit configurations L.A. Computer Center is offering are the following machines:

• PowerBook G3/233/32/2 GB/20x CD/Enet/56K/13.3 TFT, $1,399 (Refurbished)
• PowerBook G3/233/32/2 GB/20x CD/Enet/56K//12.1 TFT, $1,579 (New)
• PowerBook G3/233/32/2 GB/20X CD/12.1 DSTN, $1,299.00 (New)
• PowerBook G3/266/64/4 GB/20X CD/Enet/56K/14.1" TFT, $2,199 (New - same price as Apple's refurb.)
• PowerBook G3/300/64/8 GB/20X CD/Enet/56K/14.1" TFT, $2,749 (New)

And Infinity Micro has the cheapest price I've seen yet on any PowerBook G3 Series machine:

• PowerBook G3/233/ 32/2 GB/20X CD/12.1 DSTN - $1169 (refurbished - this is the Series I "MainStreet" model with no Level 2 cache)

RAM Prices on the Way Down Again?

Factory-direct memory upgrade supplier Crucial Technology has announced price reductions up to 30% on many of its RAM upgrade products, including 32 MB, 64 MB, 128 MB, and 256 MB modules for over 3,500 top-brand computers and workstations.

For example, the 144 pin SO-DIMM modules used in iMacs, PowerBook G3 Series I and II portables, and Lombard, are available from Crucial at the following prices (second figure in parentheses reflects Web-purchase discount).

• 32 MB SO-DIMM/CT136247/$53.99/($51.29)
• 64 MB SO-DIMM/CT136248/$92.99/($88.34)
• 128 MB SO-DIMM/CT136249/$429.99/($408.49)

Other capacities are available

Crucial, a division Micron Semiconductor Products, Inc., which claims to be one of the most efficient manufacturers of memory products in the world, is throwing down the gauntlet to other memory manufacturers.

"Crucial is once again committed to delivering the highest quality memory upgrades at the most competitive prices," says Scott Schoenherr, Crucial's General Manager. "Customers can take advantage of an additional 5% savings over today's price reductions by ordering directly through our award-winning Web site. Corporations, government entities and resellers can receive up to 15% additional savings by joining our online purchase program."

Crucial is an OEM memory supplier to Apple, Gateway, HP, IBM, Micron Electronics and more.

The PowerBook G3 as a Digital Audio/Video Editing Platform

Mesa Ridge Technologies, Inc. says that their Magma PowerBook PCI Expansion products make the PowerBook G3 an ideal platform for Digital Audio Editing or even video editing.

With a PowerBook G3/Magma setup, you can record and edit 32 tracks of audio on location with a portable rig that weighs only 52 pounds, as opposed to 200 pounds or more for conventional equipment.

Magma's typical audio editing configuration consists of:

• Apple PowerBook G3 Series, 292 MHz and 192 MB of RAM, running Mac OS 8.5 (300 MHz or one of the new Lombard 'Books should work great too).
• MAGMA 4 slot PowerBook PCI expansion system with a four foot cable (PBGS-4-DRX-300V-C4)
• D24 card - slot 1
• DSP Farm card - slot 2
• DSP Farm card - slot 3
• ATTO UL2D SCSI accelerator - slot 4
• 2 Seagate Cheetah 4.5 gig LVD hard drives
• Digidesign 888/24 I/O Audio Interface
• Samson Servo 120 Amp
• Enclosed in a 6 slot SKB rack

Magma notes that their PowerBook PCI expansion system is not approved by Digidesign, and that users should contact Digidesign for more information on support, and that Pro Tools|24 Mix does not work to it's full capabilities with a PowerBook at this time.

To use a PowerBook G3 for Digital Video Editing running Media 100's xs system, you typically will need:

• Apple PowerBook G3 Series - 292 MHz and 192 Meg of Ram - running Mac OS 8.5 and Media 100's 4.5 software
• MAGMA 4 slot PowerBook PCI expansion system with a four foot cable (PBGS-4-DRX-300V-C4)
• Media 100 Vincent card - slot 1
• ATTO UL2D SCSI accelerator - slot 2
• Radius FireWire card - slot 3
• Empty - slot 4
• 2 Seagate Cheetah 4.5 gig LVD hard drives
• Media 100 Junction Box
• Samson Servo 120 Amp
• Enclosed in a 6 slot SKB rack

Magma notes that their PowerBook PCI expansion system is not approved by Media 100 at this time.

Magma also suggests that you can use your PowerBook G3 for:

• Digital Audio
• Video Capture
• Disk Controller
• Digidesign Pro Tools|24 (TDM)
• Media 100 Vincent
• ATTO
• Digidesign Pro Tools III
• Pinnacle MiroVideo DC20
• Advansys
• Digidesign Audiomedia III
• Pinnacle MiroVideo DC30
• Promax TurboMax
• Digidesign SampleCell (TDM)
• MOTU 2408
• Video Display
• FireWire
• Sonorus Studio
• ATI Xclaim VR and 3D
• Radius
• ProMax
• FireMax

Magma's 4 Slot PowerBook PCI Expansion System for the PowerBook G3 Series allows you to increase the capabilities of your laptop computer without losing mobility. The PowerBook PCI expansion system expands your PowerBook by adding 4 PCI slots in a separate enclosure. No special software is required.

The 4 slot PCI expansion system includes a 300 watt power supply. Power connectors and mounting brackets are provided for a maximum configuration of one half-height 5.25 inch (external access) and two 3.5 inch (internal/hidden) or four 3.5 inch (internal/hidden) peripheral devices. On the expansion backplane are four PCI slots that will support full-length or short-length PCI cards.

The enclosure for the 4 slot expansion system is a portable chassis that can be used as a desktop or rackmount unit. When used as a desktop unit, the chassis will support the weight of a monitor. The rackmount kit creates a rugged 2U high system that can be used with confidence in racks that are routinely transported from location to location.

The Magma PowerBook PCI expansion system is connected to the G3 Series PowerBooks through an expansion bay module and a special expansion cable. The expansion bay module plugs into the PowerBook through the 5.25 inch expansion bay. The standard expansion cable is two feet long. Four and six foot cables are available at an additional cost.

Imation SuperDisk Drive Gets a Speed Boost

Imation's SuperDisk USB removable media drive is an excellent workaround for owners of recent floppy-less Macs, since it can read and write High Density 3.5" floppies as well as its own 120 MB SuperDisks. The only complaint has been that the SuperDisk drive is slow.

However, Imation is now shipping an upgraded 2x SuperDisk drive, which is claimed to be "10 times faster" than a traditional floppy drive.

Aside from the speed boost, the only other significant change is that the SuperDisk drive now comes in all "Ice" color instead of Ice and Bondi Blue, and is priced at $169.99, vs. $149.99 for the older model.

No word yet on whether the faster SuperDrive guts will appear in VST's SuperDrive PowerBook expansion bay module.