The MacBook

Apple Computers was founded in 1976, and through its formative years had revolutionary ideas and technological dreams. Co-founder Steve Jobs had an incredible knack for spotting the next trends, and through the decades would go on to make some of the most recognizable products ever.

But not all of Apple’s products started off as instant successes. Back in the ’80s, there was a lot of research and development — as components weren’t as readily available as today. Only a handful of devices had commercial value.

As things started to become more portable, Jobs saw an opportunity with the PowerBook 100 — which eventually became the Apple MacBook Pro.

Portable laptops

The beginning of a mobile empire

Few consumers would remember Apple’s first entry into what would eventually become the MacBook. In 1991, the company debuted the Macintosh PowerBook, but it wasn’t, strictly speaking, an Apple product.

It did have the iconic Apple logo and they did have a hand in the development, but the PowerBook was designed and manufactured by Sony. It was first introduced at the COMDEX expo and retailed from $2,300. Adjusting for inflation would price it at $4,500 today.

The internal workings will seem laughable today, but the PowerBook had some of the best technology for the time. Three models were initially released (the 100, 140 and 170) with the latter featuring a 25MHz Motorola 68030 processor and a 10-inch display.

The PowerBook range went through several iterations, with every other year seeing a new device developed and released. Between 1991 and 1997, Apple introduced more than 20 different variations of the PowerBook.

The fastest laptop in the world

All the R&D from the previous PowerBook models seemed to have paid off, as Apple unleashed the “world’s fastest laptop” onto the market in late 1997. The PowerBook G3 was the first laptop to use the PowerPC G3 series of microprocessors, had double the onboard RAM (32MB) than previous models, and had a 12.1-inch TFT screen.

This was the second time that Apple claimed the title of having the fastest laptop in the world. The PowerBook G3 was twice as fast as the previous contender, Apple’s PowerBook 3400c.

Four generations of the G3 were released, including later models that had a bigger 14.1-inch display, faster processors, a bronze keyboard and the newer FireWire interface.

The G3 was eventually replaced with the PowerBook G4, with the largest model featuring a 17-inch screen. Production of the PowerBook models stopped in 2006, but quietly another model has been riding the laptop wave for the past six years.

The MacBook is born

The original had some growing pains

Apple’s iBook range was targeted towards entry-level consumers and educational markets and was more affordable than the PowerBook products. The two different laptops were released around the same time between 1999 to 2006, but would eventually form the base of a new product.

Splitting the desktop business off into iMac devices, Apple combined several features and design elements from the PowerBook and the iBook to come up with the first version of the MacBook — which in itself was split into two.

The original MacBook was the entry-level unit after Apple switched to Intel processors, with the MacBook Pro serving as the more powerful option. The original MacBook replaced the iBook, while the MacBook Pro replaced the PowerBook G4.

On release, it featured a 13.3-inch widescreen LCD display, an Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz processor and 512MB of RAM. An updated version was released a few months later, which had more RAM capacity and storage options.

Between launch in mid-2006 and the eventual discontinuation in mid-2009, the original MacBook went through eight versions. The last model featured a faster processor, 2GB of RAM, 160GB of storage space and an Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics card.

Appealing to professionals

Users who wanted something a bit more powerful were steered towards the MacBook Pro, launched in the same year as the original MacBook. The first generation had an aluminum case and initially launched with 15-inch or 17-inch displays.

Moving away from the clamshell design for the second generation, the MacBook and MacBook Pro received a unibody enclosure with tapered sides. The ports also got swapped around, moving from the right side to the left side of the case.

Having the makings of a creative user’s workhorse, the Pro featured two graphics cards, which you could switch between. The Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT was available with either 256MB or 512MB memory, while the GeForce 9400M had 256MB of shared system memory.

Lighter than air

Around the time the original MacBook and MacBook Pro started to gain traction in the market, Apple released a much thinner and lighter version, called the MacBook Air. Launched in early 2008, the first device had a 13-inch screen and was billed as the “world’s thinnest laptop.”

It had a much longer lifespan in terms of the different versions, with only three generations launched from 2008 until its official discontinuation in 2020. All three generations had the 13.3-inch display, but the second generation (2010) received the tapered unibody and Sandy Bridge dual-core Intel Core i5 or i7 processors.

The third generation (2018) pushed the technology available even further. The Retina display had a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, featured Apple’s TouchID security measures and weighed only 2.7 pounds.

Before the discontinuation of the Intel chip models, Apple updated the third generation several times. The 2019 models had True Tone display technology and an updated butterfly keyboard, while the 2020 models had Ice Lake processors and supported 6K output.

The MacBook today

Two-core products for mobility

Building on the success of previous decades, Apple has settled on the core laptop models available, each catering towards a different market segment and need. It is a brilliant business example of diversifying your assets and expanding your reach — while not straying too far from the originals.

The latest version of the MacBook Air is still a 13-inch model, but Apple removed the Intel processor in favor of custom ARM-based Apple silicon processors. This allows the company to be in charge of the chip’s development and fast-track research.

The MacBook Air is the most affordable MacBook product and serves as a lightweight, entry-level device.

The original MacBook was eventually discontinued in 2019, but that opened the way for Apple to focus all its energy on the high-end MacBook Pro.

Originally available in 13-inch and 16-inch variations, Apple revealed a 13-inch model with the M1 chip late last year. Unlike the fanless MacBook Air, the Pro also has a fan for cooling down the system during prolonged use.

The 16-inch version is available with RAM up to 64GB, up to 8TB of storage space and has the largest battery that’s allowed on commercial airplanes.

Both models also benefit from Apple’s technological changes, incorporating the touch-sensitive OLED display strip just above the keyboard, integrating the TouchID sensor with the power button and building in four USB-C ports. The MacBook Air is currently listed between $899 and $999, while the MacBook Pro retails for between $1,299 and $2,399.

Charlie Fripp is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.

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