PowerBooks of this vintage should be opened and closed from their center, where the locking tab is located. That way, both hinges are equally stressed, and the fragile plastic on either side won't give out prematurely. Also, if anyone happens to have a PowerBook that still has its rear panel intact, the best way to preserve its locking tab is, when opening, to gently pull upwards on the entire panel when making the outward motion to open. This will not harm the plastic hinge pins any, so long as you aren't pulling too hard. If you happen to break anything, some model glue for ABS plastic will secure them back together. Just a helpful tip from a fellow vintage Mac collector :) I've been using Macs since 1992 and collecting off and on since 1997.
Wheee! That's a fun one! It's hard to believe it's an official Apple model, but the story makes sense. Nice to be flashy for a special occasion. I'm still quite happy with my PowerBook 520 "Blackbird" that I built from two mostly working models my wife found for me on eBay. I decided I didn't need color because I was going to use it to learn C++ using MPW. It's the industry's very first trackpad, and coming from Apple, you know it's a really great trackpad. I really, really wanted one after getting to work for a few minutes on someone else's.
This is fascinating. I thought I had a pretty decent idea of the computer lineup Apple made pre-1997, but I've never heard of this special version of the PB170. Thanks for sharing!
This reminds me of something Porsche and Volkswagen did in the 90s with a the Harlequin VW Polos. It hearkened back to an early advertisement that Volkswagen ran in the 60s of a Beetle built out of multi-colored body panels to demonstrate how the car was easy to fix and source parts for due to the fact that the Beetle's design had largely been unchanged since its inception in the 40s. It's been a bit of an inside joke in Porsche and VW circles ever since, and after VW themselves built a few Polos and Golfs in Europe with a funky yellow-blue-green-red paint job, those cars are pretty rare and highly desirable. (Someone even went and painted a Porsche 918 in Harlequin colors a few years ago, which got quite a bit of attention!) While this computer isn't quite the same thing as a VW with a bunch of easily interchangeable parts, this style of coloring and design really reminds me of the 90s - I had no idea Apple made a computer like this. Super cool, thanks for sharing!!
All three models (100, 140 and 170) could be equipped with a modem btw. The only difference with the 170, other than it’s screen, slightly faster CPU and FPU, was that it came with 4mb RAM as standard, double that of the cheaper models.
Ugh, same. I've been wanting the JLPGA for YEARS. Thanks indeed, Dan! Great video.
PowerBooks of this vintage should be opened and closed from their center, where the locking tab is located. That way, both hinges are equally stressed, and the fragile plastic on either side won't give out prematurely.
Also, if anyone happens to have a PowerBook that still has its rear panel intact, the best way to preserve its locking tab is, when opening, to gently pull upwards on the entire panel when making the outward motion to open. This will not harm the plastic hinge pins any, so long as you aren't pulling too hard. If you happen to break anything, some model glue for ABS plastic will secure them back together.
Just a helpful tip from a fellow vintage Mac collector :) I've been using Macs since 1992 and collecting off and on since 1997.
Wheee! That's a fun one! It's hard to believe it's an official Apple model, but the story makes sense.
Nice to be flashy for a special occasion.
I'm still quite happy with my PowerBook 520 "Blackbird" that I built from two mostly working models my wife found for me on eBay. I decided I didn't need color because I was going to use it to learn C++ using MPW.
It's the industry's very first trackpad, and coming from Apple, you know it's a really great trackpad. I really, really wanted one after getting to work for a few minutes on someone else's.
Fantastic Video Stephen. Thank you for posting!
This is fascinating. I thought I had a pretty decent idea of the computer lineup Apple made pre-1997, but I've never heard of this special version of the PB170. Thanks for sharing!
This was so great, thank you for sharing with us (and for the person who sent it to you!) Love those colors 😍
This reminds me of something Porsche and Volkswagen did in the 90s with a the Harlequin VW Polos. It hearkened back to an early advertisement that Volkswagen ran in the 60s of a Beetle built out of multi-colored body panels to demonstrate how the car was easy to fix and source parts for due to the fact that the Beetle's design had largely been unchanged since its inception in the 40s. It's been a bit of an inside joke in Porsche and VW circles ever since, and after VW themselves built a few Polos and Golfs in Europe with a funky yellow-blue-green-red paint job, those cars are pretty rare and highly desirable. (Someone even went and painted a Porsche 918 in Harlequin colors a few years ago, which got quite a bit of attention!)
While this computer isn't quite the same thing as a VW with a bunch of easily interchangeable parts, this style of coloring and design really reminds me of the 90s - I had no idea Apple made a computer like this. Super cool, thanks for sharing!!
I also think these look glorious!
Takes Dan!
So cool! I have a PowerBook 160 that I boot up and type on sometimes.
This reminds me of the Volkswagen Mk3 Golf Harlequin, where every exterior body panel was a different color.
Definitely got the same vibes.
The 170 was a sweet machine, even a few years later when I got my boss's hand-me-down. The JLPGA version would have been so cool to have.
It is still owned by an acquaintance.
In Japan, it was commonly known as "Benetton color.
Why is that thing so COOL.
came across this model in the ars technica article the other day. never knew it existed! very cool
All three models (100, 140 and 170) could be equipped with a modem btw.
The only difference with the 170, other than it’s screen, slightly faster CPU and FPU, was that it came with 4mb RAM as standard, double that of the cheaper models.
Love the last shot of the Made in U.S.A. label.
A very Memphis Group-influenced color design comes to Memphis!
It's the 1980s United Colors of Benetton edition PowerBook 😁
Is that Casey Liss behind you on the floor?? Lolol
Yes, yes it is.
3D print a new door!
These bold primary colours are very Gundam: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gundam_(fictional_robot)