Macintosh PowerBook 5300c

1995 · Mac era PowerBook

Introduced

1995

Original price

$ 3900

Processor

PowerPC 603e

Original OS

Mac OS 7.5.2

Colors

Black

1976

1984

1998

2001

2007

2020

2026

Pre-Mac

Mac era

iMac era

iPod era

iPhone era

Silicon

Processor

ProcessorPowerPC 603e

Speed100 MHz

Memory & graphics

Standard RAM8 MB or 16 MB

GPU16-bit color on built-in display

Display10.4" color active-matrix display

Resolutions640x480

Display connectionup to 16-bit color on external monitor

Storage

Storage500 MB or 750 MB hard drive

BaysHot-swappable drive bay (1.44 MB floppy drive)

Connectivity

InfraredIR transceiver for wireless networking

Software

Original OSMac OS 7.5.2

Power

Weight6.2 lbs

Expansion slots2 Type II PC Card (1 Type III)

Identifiers

Model N°M2785

Lifecycle

Introduced1995

Discontinued1996

History

Introduced in August 1995, the PowerBook 5300 was the first PowerBook with a PowerPC processor and the first to include a bay for hot-swappable drive modules. Available in multiple screen configurations and 2 RAM/HD configurations, many 5300s arrived at customers with defects (this was the main cause of Apple's reputation for defective products in the mid-1990s). It also included an infrared transceiver for wireless connectivity. The 5300 100 MHz 8/500 was sold for $2,300 USD. The 5300cs 100 MHz, with dual-scan color display, was sold for $2,900 USD for the 8/500 configuration and $3,700 USD for the 16/750. The 5300c with active-matrix color display was sold for $3,900 USD for the 100 MHz 8/500 configuration and $4,700 USD for the 100 MHz 16/750. The fully equipped 5300ce 117 MHz with 32/1.1GB configuration was sold for $6,800 USD.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook_5300 · Wikipedia

Trivia

• The PowerBook 5300 from 1995 was the first Apple notebook with a PowerPC processor and the first to allow drive bay swapping during sleep mode, a revolutionary feature for its time. • Many units of the 5300 arrived defective to customers, so much so that this problem was the main cause of Apple's poor reputation for faulty products during the mid-1990s. • The most powerful model, the 5300ce with a 117 MHz processor, cost 6,800 US dollars and was equipped with an integrated infrared receiver for wireless connectivity, a very innovative technology for a portable device in 1995.

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