The PowerBook 500 (codenamed Blackbird) series was a range of Apple Macintosh PowerBook portable computers first introduced by Apple Computer with the 520 model on 16 May] 1994. The 500 series was the first computer to use a trackpad instead of a trackball as a built-in pointing device.
It was the first series of PowerBooks, compared to previous PowerBook models, to include a Motorola 68LC040 CPU, be upgradable to the PowerPC architecture, use 9.5" Dual Scan passive color/B&W displays, use a CPU on a daughtercard (with the PowerPC and 68040 upgrades), have an expansion bay, PC Card capability, two battery bays (and a ten minute sleep/clock battery), full size keyboard with F1-F12 function keys, be able to sleep while connected to an external monitor and have a battery contact cover included on the actual batteries.
The 500 series of PowerBooks included the ability to use two batteries at the same time, allowing for 4 hours of battery life from two installed charged batteries. The 500 series also introduced a full-sized keyboard with 12 function keys, and used a 640x480 resolution display.
In total, almost 600,000 PowerBook 500 series units were produced, compared to only 300,000 PowerBook 5300 units.
Models
| 520 | 520c | 540 | 540c | 550c | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Part # | M3981LL | M3984LL | ? | M2809LL/B | ? |
| Processor | 68LC040 | 68LC040 | 68LC040 | 68LC040 | 68040 |
| CPU Speed | 25 MHz | 25 MHz | 33 MHz | 33 MHz | 33 MHz |
| Built-in RAM (MB) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Maximum RAM (MB) | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 |
| Hard drive (MB) | 160 or 240 | 160, 240, or 320 | 240-320 | 240-320, later 500 | 750 |
| Display | 9.5" B&W, Dual scan passive | 9.5" Color, Dual scan passive | 9.5" B+W, Active Matrix | 9.5" Color, Active Matrix | 10.4" Color, Active Matrix |
| Resolution/Color | 640x480x16 | 640x480x256 | 640x480x64* | 640x400x32K* | 640x400x32K |
| * 64 grays, though can be set to 256 grays. | |||||
| * K 32,000 colors at 640x400, or 256 colors at regular 640x480 | |||||
See also
External links
- O'Grady's PowerPage - PowerBook 500
- MacOPINION Road Warrior Retrospective: The PowerBook 500 Series - 13 September 2000 column written by Charles Moore
- Apple Technical Specifications: PowerBook