THIS changed Apple laptops forever

Nowadays we've gotten used to powerful laptops being large and loud, 16 and 17 inch screens with multiple fans are normal. Even with Apple Silicon, the 16 inch MacBook Pro is fairly enormous and heavy. But things haven't always been this way. 30 years ago Apple gave their mobile laptops some of the most powerful specs they offered. Today we'll examine how things got this way!

time stamps
0:00 Laptops weren't always BIG
1:04 PowerBook 100 series
3:26 PowerBook Duo
5:24 Things change in the late 90s
7:14 G4 PowerBook and fancy LCDs
8:18 Trend reverses

Gear:
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#tech #mac #retro #evolution

[cylack]

I graduated from high school in ‘92. I remember the PowerBooks. They were too expensive for students. In college all of us were lugging around desktops and massive old school displays. Kids these days have it so easy….as my dad used to say!

[Grigsy]

To be fair, people used their laptops for different purposes back in the 90s/00s. Once wi-fi became omnipresent, people began to desire to download more media files (video, music, pictures, etc.). That required more storage, better graphic cards, and better software for laptops which is best used on a bigger screen.

[JamesJansson]

LOL at the off-brand Back Street Boys backing music. It's like a combo of Back Street's Back and Larger Than Life.

[guycortesi]

Not only did I see the original PowerBooks come out, I also got to see them before they were introduced by signing a non-disclosure agreement. Apple marketing reps unveiled it to our IT staff via video (yes, we had videoconferencing then, via Polycom and ISDN lines). I was shocked to see the keyboard set back to the display, since all other laptops had the keyboard pulled forward. My young son was so fascinated with these laptops once they came out that he saved up his money and later bought a used Duo with the desktop dock, once prices dropped. I have always preferred the smaller form factor and currently have a M2 MacBook Air. I even just recently bought a used 12” MacBook for my wife. I really wish Apple would reintroduce the 12” laptop with an updated processor. A few years ago I owned a 16” MacBook, but really didn’t like the weight and bulk.

[elcaballeronyc]

Those laptops back in the 90’s to be truly portable meant they were very limited in power and performance and most had a desk top for any demanding work flows. So as desktops become less common and tablets more powerful people will want the most screen real estate possible on their main computers which are more and often laptops with a tablet being the secondary device utilized for portability and on the go task that those smaller laptops used to be used for

[Epicgamer_Mac]

One thing to note, the trade-off for small laptops was always power and cooling. Till Apple silicon that is. Back in the day I couldn’t use the really small ones as my work machine compiling code bc the power just wasn’t there, but the 14 inch MBP is good as gold.
Great vid Luke.

[Bcklm]

Lol the first laptops were bigger than desktops now. You didn't go back far enough. They miniaturized as much as they could, new tech came out, and sizes adjusted as screens and other components became priorities at various points.

That's the whole video.

Still watching and upvoting because I like you.

[datharo]

As a PC guy, the computer I use the most is a 12in Lenovo ThinkPad. For me it falls into that Goldilocks zone. It's not too big and it's not too small. It's not slow but it doesn't feel fast either and it does everything I want. I use it almost every day while I use my MacBook, maybe once or twice a month

[ralphwoodard]

Thank you, Luke for bringing back some memories for me. I used to build a lot of those old power book models at the Apple plant in Fountain Colorado which is near Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was really fun back then to be working on these. Thanks.

[Daybreak-msvw]

i find it insane how they made the laptop so tiny and somehow kept it cool

[firesurfer]

It's all about #1 power usage/batteries, #2 bom cost, #3 market segments. In the beginning, companies were restricted by the high energy usage of chips. Cost of parts restricted sizes. Now companies can make whatever the customer wants and not have a limited product line.

[Miuzi]

imo laptops should be tiny. if they made the 2016 12in macbook again i would cop

[kzakis]

I’ve been fortunate to see apple grow, from using the apple 2 in the early 80s, then the Macintosh in the early 90s, then the G3/G4 desktops, and of coarse the G3 PowerBook, then the G4 iBook, then the 17 inch Mac book pro, which I still have to 11 MacBook Air 2010, and 2013 model to finally my current 2017 MacBook Pro 13, I’ve seen the company and products develop, but must say the Powerbook G3, 17 MacPro & Macintosh are my al time favorites

[kenw]

It’s mostly about availability of affordable higher resolution LCD displays. Look at that old PowerBook Duo with its tiny LCD. Pixel size stayed about the same and display size grew over time to increase resolution. 17-inch is the largest reasonable size for a portable laptop. THEN Apple went “retina” (starting with iPhone) using much smaller pixels. Displays could be higher resolution AND become smaller again. For example, my 2020 MacBook Pro has 13-inch display with same horizontal resolution (2560 pixels) as the 27-inch desktop Thunderbolt Display from 2011, and even higher vertical resolution (1600 vs 1440 pixels). That’s why (over time) the most popular laptops started smaller, became larger, and are now smaller again.

[gaztambo]

I was working abroad at a customers site for a couple of years in the mid 2000s and needed something portable that I could take home every day, as well as being big enough as a main computer. So I had the PowerMac G4 17” which served the purpose perfectly. It did sound like a jet engine, but did everything a desktop could do… still have it, although not used it for years.

[jacobmarx]

My first Mac and favorite computer ever was the 12” PowerBook G4. I used it as an undergrad, took notes in all my classes, watched Simpsons episodes from Limewire 😂. I still have it stored away and it still works!

[mrglasses]

I prefer a larger screen as CAD drafting is my main use for a computer. Though for most people 14" offers the best balance of portability and screen size.

[speedyg.]

i got a 14in MBP but i’d love for the 12in macbook to make a return with apple silicon (and an update to the bezels). Something about that form factor and size and weight was just magical.

i’d love to have it as a secondary laptop

[MikeKobela]

I think there's one other major factor in why laptops have become bigger, but now we see a trend in getting slimmer and more portable, both on Mac and Windows laptops: power and efficiency. Laptops became bigger and thicker because it needed to space for not only the hardware, but also to keep it as cool as possible (but still sounded like jet engines in the past), but either way, people didn't mind if the laptop was hot or loud or heavy, we kinda just accepted that it came with laptops as a caviat. Only in recent years did efficiency really became a BIG focus among ALL the chip makers, be Apple, AMD, even Intel now is catching up as fast as they can, and also better portability and battery life for consumers, which just goes hand in hand.

[MrDDawson]

U skipped a great small one. The amazing PowerBook G4 12". It was damn good in it's day.