The Clear G3 Powerbook "101"

Submitted by NaturGirl on May 24, 2004 - 2:36pm

This is a clear G3 Powerbook "101". These powerbooks are often referred to as "Lombard", but the "Lombard" was in fact a newer name that included both the "101" and the "Pismo" projects.

Clear-cased Powerbook G3/333

This Powerbook was without a trackpad or the attached shielding when it first came into my possession (it was a gift). I took that out of a production model so that I could use the powerbook as a web browser and wireless iTunes receiver for my bedroom. The trackbutton does not have the rubber pad to make it connect closely, so it needs to be clicked a little harder than usual. The reason for the clear case and clear button was for engineers and apple product testers to be able to see the insides while it was running. The clear trackbutton lets you see how the plastic molded piece actually hits the small button on the circuit board when you press on it.

pb G3/333 - trackpad pb G3/333 - underneath

When this model was without it's trackpad, you could see how the hinge for the latch release functioned. I don't want to open the Powerbook up again to reinstall the trackpad as it is getting older and the clear plastics aren't made to be flexible or age very well. It is more fragile than a normal powerbook G3, but it holds up very well for normal use.

I installed OSX 10.3 "Panther" onto it and iTunes 4.5 as well as a cardbus wifi adapter. It works beautifully. There are no dead pixels in the LCD. It has 192MB of ram, 333MHz, and a 4GB HDD... but that was great for it's time.

pb G3/333 - latch view pb G3/333 - side-view pb G3/333 - hinge etc. pb G3/333 - under card pb G3/333 - top lid pb G3/333 - cardbus slot with wifi card

It will go up for auction on eBay on Sunday, May 30th at 1:15pm PST. The auction will be here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4134160277

As soon as a bid is placed, the "but it now" price will disappear...

I have replaced it with a normal powerbook G3 for my iTunes, and I am sacrificing this rare beauty to try and help me pay some bills. I am including a CD-ROM module, Battery, and Power Adapter so that whomever buys it can enjoy it for it's full functionality as much as I did.

Manufacturer: 
Apple
Content Type: 
Computers
Computer Type: 
Power Macintosh

Comments

Submitted by mordaskyt on June 4, 2004 - 1:40pm.

Its the most beautiful thing I've seen in a while (Sniff, Sniff). I feel the black G3 series to be one of the coolest laptop designs to date. I love them and this one is spectacular. Where the heck did you get it?

Submitted by NaturGirl on June 9, 2004 - 7:54pm.

I haven't gotten payment yet... but the eBay auction ended. Thank you to everyone for looking. Biggrin

Tarmas's picture

Submitted by Tarmas on June 14, 2004 - 3:27pm.

hmmm... I'd never sell a thing like that if I got one somehow... at least not for $1200 Smile

westieg3's picture

Submitted by westieg3 on August 21, 2004 - 12:34am.

people, thats worth more than 1200 bucks. its probably worth more than my brand new ibook. its a prototype for gods sake!

Submitted by Craigwd_2000 on September 3, 2004 - 6:07pm.

I love clear computers. They look so cool. Now if we could only convince Apple to make real clear laptops...now that would be really cool.

Kurenai's picture

Submitted by Kurenai on September 17, 2004 - 12:47am.

In fact the computer i'm using right now has a custom-cut acrylic case, but thats the first clear laptop i've ever seen. now that i think about it, i remember some company in japan selling clear PB 2400, 1400, and clamshell ibook cases(they also had cases for game systems, like the dreamcast) but they were expensive... like $80, but no where near what your laptop sold for... at first i couldn't belive it sold for $1200, then i realised only $1200? i think a prototype is worth a lot more than that, but whatever(just my 2 cents).

westieg3's picture

Submitted by westieg3 on October 16, 2004 - 12:24pm.

while youre at it, tell apple to bring back the colored cases. i miss them so much.