PowerBooks & iBooks

PowerBooks (68K)

For PowerPC-based PowerBooks, click here.

68000-based
Portable, Portable (backlit), PB 100

68030-based
PB 140, 145, 145b, 150, 160, 165, 165c, 170, 180, 180c

68040-based
PB 190, 190cs, 520, 520c, 540, 540c, 550c

Duos
Duo 210, 230, 250, 270c, 280, 280c

68040-based Macs can use the HFS+ file system that comes with Mac OS 8.1, but they cannot boot from an HFS+ disk or use one for virtual memory.

Happy birthday, PowerBook!, PowerBook Zone, 2001.10.22. A look back on the PowerBook's 10th anniversary.
Apple Computer considers the PB 140-145b, 160-180c, and Duo 210-270c obsolete as of 2001.07.16 in the United States and 2001.07.23 in Canada. Service parts and documentation are no longer available from Apple.
Picking a low-end colour PowerBook, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 11/10/00. If you want color and portability, but don't need PowerPC speed, here are your options.
PowerBook 100 series retrospective, Charles Moore, Road Warrior, Mac Opinion, 10/31/00. Nine years of PowerBooks - this is where they got their start.
Retrospective: The PowerBook 500 Series, Charles Moore, Road Warrior, Mac Opinion, 9/13/00. The first PowerBook that was a viable alternative to a desktop Mac.
PowerBook Processor Upgrade SuperGuide, pbcentral, 8/7/00.
Wide selection of PowerBook drive upgrades, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 8/3. Lots of options available, even for older PowerBooks that use SCSI hard drives.
Solar PowerBooks, Charles Moore, Road Warrior, MacOS Daily, 6/21/00. Running with sunlight.
Games for '030s, Brian Rumsey, Low End Mac Gaming, 5/26/00. A look at games that run nicely on the old 68030-based Macs.
PowerBook history, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 5/12/00. A history of portable Macs from 1989 through 1996.
Recovering a stolen PowerBook, The 'Book Page. One user's experience.
RAM disks and why you should trash your hard drive, Charles Moore, Applelinks, 11/29/99. "I used to run my PowerBook 5300 off a RAM disk most of the time in blissful silence...."
Why your PowerBook won't go to sleep, Info Alley
PowerBook Duo/2400 List
Installing Mac OS 8.5 on the PowerBook 500 series, MacNN
ResetPwrMgr, freeware. Resets the power manager on PowerBooks, which sometimes gets messed up. Forces restart, so quit all apps before using.
Best Sites for Classic Macs
Parts and supplies from The PowerBook Guy
Email lists: PowerBooks, Classic Macs Digest, Vintage Macs, Vintage Macs
Pseud040 lets 68030-based Macs run 68040 programs - I've even heard of Mac OS 8.1 running on a IIsi!
Software Compatible with 68000 CPU
Review: Power-Sonic battery works in Mac Portable
Care and Feeding of your PowerBook battery
RAM Charger from Jump Development ($40) lets you get the most out of your RAM - especially helpful on Macs with 8 MB or less. By launching applications using the minimum amount of memory they need, RAM Charger lets you run more programs. It also works well with RAM Doubler. You can even download a demo.
How much is your PowerBook worth? How much should you expect to pay for a used one? Get your own PowerBook Blue Book.
Dead backlight? Visit JKL Components for replacement lamps.
Be sure to see the list of dealers who buy, sell, or broker used and/or refurbished Macintosh hardware.

Three excellent PowerBook resources

PowerBook Central

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Opinions expressed are those of their authors and may not reflect the opinion of Cobweb Publishing. Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all.
Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2013 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Low End Mac, LowEndMac, and lowendmac.com are trademarks of Cobweb Publishing Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad, iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, Mac Pro, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it, and we don't share the information we have with others. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

FollowLow End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Macon Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
Macgo Blu-ray Player
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay