g3 lombard lcd panel quotation

This is the 14.1" LCD TFT Display and backlight for the Pismo and Lombard G3 powerbook. This is the LCD and backlight only. This does not include hinges, casing, display cables, etc...The inverter cable is included as it is attached to the backlight. The display is bright and crisp and has no bad pixels. The displays in stock are used and may have minor keyboard marks and / or minor light scratches that are only cosmetic issues and are unnoticeable once the display is turned on. If you need a particular brand LCD (Samsung or LG) make that selection in the drop down menu box. You need to use the same brand as your display cables. (This is usally written on the end of the cable near the connector. ) Please also select the model Powerbook ( Lombard or Pismo ) this display will be used for to ensure proper match to your system.

This particular machine is the 333 MHz Lombard model from 1999. The Lombard is notable for being the only Mac that has both SCSI and USB built-in from the factory.

In addition to faster processors and the "bronze keyboard" for which it is named, the PowerBook G3 "Bronze Keyboard" systems are approximately 20% thinner than earlier PowerBook G3 models, have longer battery life, weigh substantially less and add dual display support. Also when compared to the "PDQ" models before them, the "Bronze Keyboard" PowerBook G3 models exchanged the ADB and Mac serial ports for dual onboard USB ports (while retaining the SCSI port), added 10/100Base-T Ethernet (up from 10Base-T) and dropped one of the two PC card slots.

By the time 1999 rolled around, the four product matrix was almost complete.  Apple had the Power Macintosh G3 to fill the pro desktop spot, the iMac to fill the consumer desktop spot, and the PowerBook G3 to fill the pro laptop, but had yet to release a consumer laptop. That changed in July when Apple introduced the iBook.  The iBook was essentially a portable iMac, complete with a handle and transparent, fruit-colored case options.

After over a year on the market, the iBook finally got a much-needed upgrade in September of 2000.  The base models were upgraded to 366 MHz Power PC 750 CX (G3) CPUs, which despite their higher clock speeds were only marginally faster than the 300 MHz PowerPC 750 CPUs they replaced. The updated iBook included 64 MB of RAM by default, had an upgraded video card, doubled the video memory to 8 MB, increased the had drive size to 10 GB, added one FireWire port and composite video out, and decreased the price by $100 to $1,499. The new iBooks came in a deeper Indigo blue and almost neon Key Lime green colors.  The Key Lime iBooks are still extremely popular in the used market.  They are rare and can command an upwards of $200 for a unit in good condition.

The SE model was updated at the same time and improved the base model by adding a 466 MHz PowerPC 750cx (G3) and a DVD drive.  The SE was offered in both Graphite and Key Lime colors. The price remained at $1,799.

The inside of the iBook wasn’t perfect either. The 300 MHz G3 was adequate for most purposes and was only 33 MHz slower than the low end PowerBook G3 that cost significantly more. What really bothered people was the size of the hard drive (3.2 GB) and the amount of memory (32 MB). Again, this was only a bit less capacity than the low end Powerbook (4 GB hard drive and 64 MB RAM).  Critics also disliked its single USB port, lack of Audio In, and lack of PC card expansion.  But the iBook was designed to be a consumer laptop. In order to shave costs, Apple took out things that most users don’t use.  Apple updated the existing line of iBook models in February 2000 to include 64 MB of RAM and a 6 GB hard drive.  This was the same time they introduced the iBook SE. The other criticisms would be addressed when completely redesigned Dual USB model was released in 2001.

I scored my Tangerine iBook off of eBay for $63 including shipping, which is a really great deal. On average, iBooks go for about $100 before shipping, so I was lucky to get this one.  I’m rather impressed with its condition for the price.  The top of the case is excellent – no major scuffs, cracks, or scratches. The rubberized plastic on the top and sides is free of major scratches and still has grip.  The handle is sturdy and works well. The bottom of the case is in good condition save for some minor scratches and magic marker.  The screen hinges are great – they hold the screen up well and close the laptop with a snap. The only odd thing about my Tangerine is that the inside of the iBook isn’t Tangerine at all – it’s Indigo (a later revision). The area surrounding the trackpad is dark blue as is the trackpad button.  I also think the keyboard is from a Blueberry model.  Although it is large and heavy, I’m impressed with its sturdiness. It feels much sturdier than my PowerBook G3 Lombard (which weighs less).   The keyboard is the same as my Lombard but in “ice” white, and it’s just as comfortable.  My only complaint is that the screen is a bit top heavy and has a tendency to tip the iBook when it’s on your lap.

The PowerBook G3 Series included laptop Macintosh personal computers designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from 1997 to 2001. It was the first laptop to use the PowerPC G3 (PPC740/750) series of microprocessors, and was marketed as the fastest laptop in the world for its entire production run. The PowerBook G3 was succeeded by the PowerBook G4.

The first Macintosh PowerBook G3, code-named "Kanga," was introduced in November 1997. At the time of its introduction, the PowerBook G3 was advertised as the fastest notebook computer available (a title formerly held by its predecessor, the 240 MHz PPC-603ev-based PowerBook 3400c). This model was based on the PowerBook 3400c, and was unofficially known as the PowerBook 3500. It used the same case as the 3400c, and a very similar motherboard. The motherboard was upclocked from 40 MHz to 50 MHz, resulting in some incompatibility with older 3400 RAM modules. Other changes to the motherboard included doubling the on-board RAM from 16 MB to 32 MB, and a faster version of the on-board Chips and Technologies graphics controller. The G3 made the Kanga more than twice as fast as a 3400c,

This first PowerBook G3 shipped with a 250 MHz G3 processor and a 12.1" TFT SVGA LCD. It is the only G3 system that is not officially compatible with Mac OS X (though various methods not sanctioned by Apple can be used to install OS X). The Kanga was on the market for less than 5 months, and is largely regarded as a stopgap system that allowed Apple to ship G3 PowerBooks sooner, while Apple prepared its more revolutionary PowerBook G3 Series. As a result, the Kanga has the dubious distinction of being Apple"s fastest depreciating PowerBook. Nevertheless, many people chose to purchase a Kanga to continue using their interchangeable expansion bay modules, batteries, and other peripherals from the Powerbook 190, 5300 and 3400 models. The Kanga was also notably smaller in depth and width than the subsequent Wallstreet Powerbooks, and the Kanga remained the smallest-when-open G3 laptop until the debut of the Apple iBook some years later.

The second generation of PowerBook G3s, now called the PowerBook G3 Series, was introduced in May 1998. The machine was completely redesigned with a new case that was lighter and more rounded than the previous PowerBook G3; however, it was still an Old World ROM Macintosh. The new PowerBooks, code-named Wallstreet, came in three screen sizes: a 12" passive matrix LCD, a 13.3" TFT LCD, and a 14.1" TFT LCD. The Wallstreet was the first PowerBook to use industry-standard ATA optical drives. This change meant that CD and DVD recorders designed for PCs could more easily be used in this computer, often at a price far less than those manufactured by Apple. It also came in three CPU speeds: 233 MHz, 250 MHz, and 292 MHz. The 233 MHz model was sometimes nicknamed Mainstreet, as it lacked L2 cache, making it far slower than the other two in the lineup. The 250 MHz and 292 MHz models shipped with 1 MB of cache. Because of this large cache, as well as the swifter system bus, the Wallstreets were known to suffer from some heat issues. Many of the problems of the Wallstreet PowerBook G3s were fixed in the next revision, the Wallstreet II.

The Wallstreet design was updated in August 1998 (Wallstreet-II). It featured a 14.1" display on all models. Processor speeds were bumped on the faster two models, resulting in 233 MHz, 266 MHz, and 300 MHz models. The case contained two docking bays, one on each side. The left-hand bay could accommodate a battery, a 3.5" floppy disk, a third-party Iomega Zip drive, or a third-party add-on hard drive. The right-hand bay was larger and could accommodate any of the above plus a 5-1/4" optical drive (CD-ROM or DVD-ROM). A small internal nickel-cadmium battery allowed swapping of the main batteries while the computer "slept." With a battery in each bay, battery life was doubled. DVDs could be displayed with the use of a hardware decoder built into a CardBus (PCMCIA) card. The PowerBook G3 Series was Apple"s first notebook offering that matched the build-to-order customization of the Power Mac G3 desktop line. Discontinued in May 1999, this would be the last Apple computer ever to bear the rainbow-colored Apple logo and the last Mac to support Apple"s SuperDrive. It was also the last Old World ROM model in the PowerBook series.

The third generation of PowerBook G3 (Lombard) was introduced in May 1999. It was much slimmer and lighter than its predecessor and was the first New World ROM PowerBook. It had longer battery life, and as with the Wallstreet II the user could double the duration to 10 hours by substituting a second battery for the optical drive in the expansion bay. The keyboard was also improved and now featured translucent bronze-tinted plastics, which is the origin of the "bronze keyboard" nickname. It was also the first Apple laptop with a backlit Apple logo on the rear of the display.

Internal hard drives for the Pismo, Lombard, and Wallstreet II can be used interchangeably. The expansion bay drives (DVD, CD, floppy, battery) are interchangeable on the Pismo and Lombard, but not on the Wallstreet. A DVD drive was optional on the 333 MHz model and standard on the 400 MHz version. The 400 MHz model included a hardware MPEG-2 decoder for DVD playback, while the 333 MHz model was left without (except for the PC card one used by Wallstreet). Further DVD playback optimizations enabled both models to play back DVDs without use of hardware assistance. This model introduced USB ports to the PowerBook line while retaining SCSI support and eliminating ADB entirely (although the keyboard and touchpad still used an ADB interface internally). Graphics were provided by an ATi Rage LT Pro chipset on the PCI bus, to drive its 14.1-inch LCD at a maximum resolution of 1024×768.

The fourth generation of PowerBook G3 (Pismo), was introduced in February 2000. It was code named "Pismo" after the City of Pismo Beach, California. For this generation Apple dropped "G3" from the name.

The original Pismo was rumored to be a latchless design, akin to the iBook, which is similar in specification. Apple settled on fitting the Pismo board into the form factor of the previous Lombard G3 PowerBook, but with many improvements. The Pismo was available at CPU speeds of 400 MHz or 500 MHz, with a front side bus speed of 100 MHz (one-third swifter than the Lombard"s front side bus); it also implemented a unified motherboard architecture, and replaced SCSI with the newer FireWire interface (IEEE-1394). The PCI graphics used on the Lombard were updated to an AGP-connected ATi Rage Mobility 128, though the video memory was kept at 8 MB, and could not be upgraded, and the screen"s resolution was the same as well. A 6× DVD-ROM drive became standard.AirPort networking as an official option (although it could be added to the earlier models via various third-party CardBus cards). The Pismo can be upgraded with additional RAM (officially 512 MB with then-available RAM, but it accepts 1 gigabyte) and a larger hard drive (up to 128 GB). Brighter screens and replacement batteries were also available.

The left expansion bay, like the Lombard, could only take a battery, but the right bay was able to accommodate a tray-loading or slot-loading Combo drive or SuperDrive, a Zip 100 drive, a Zip 250 drive, an LS-120 SuperDisk drive, a VST floppy disk drive, a second hard drive (with adapter, which was tough to find), or a second battery. Lombard and Pismo accept the same expansion bay devices.

Versions of Mac OS from 9.0.2 through 10.4.11 are officially supported. For some time, G3 (750FX) CPU upgrades at speeds of up to 900 MHz and G4 (7410LE) upgrades up to 550 MHz were available. These upgrades are now out of production and must be purchased secondhand.

I wanted to write up a review of Lombard. After living with Lombard for about a month now, I thought I’d go ahead and share my experiences with it. When I first decided to write a hardware review, I thought it would be this glowing, radiant love fest. But the longer I used my black beauty, the more I realized that it wasn’t going to be quite the love fest I thought it would be.

What would make that possible is the incredibly rich screen of the Lombard. 14.1 inches of 1024×786 resolution, 3D accelerated 24 bit color is just wonderful. It is expansive and nearly as big as my 17″ monitor. I recently pulled up my PowerBook 150 for some quick thoughts in MS Word 5.1a. I was just shocked at how clunky, how out of date it felt in comparison. The itty bitty screen was just too hard to take at 640×480, yikes! I’m telling you, once you get your hands on a G3 series PowerBook and gaze upon its screen, you’ll be hard pressed to go back to anything less. Even a 15 inch monitor would seem smallish in comparison. This screen is lush, rich and expansive.

Monitor spanning capabilities will spoil you. I’ve got an indestructible 1705 monitor. It has served me well and with the Monitor spanning capabilities built right into Lombard I’m afraid that I want to lug my 1705 with me everywhere. Seriously, it brings about a whole new way of working with your PowerBook. What I have found most useful is to place my Monitor behind and above my PowerBook. With the simple “arrange” controls built into the Monitors and Sound control panel I find myself arranging the desktop in 1024×1536 set up. I suppose I could rearrange my monitor so that it would sit next to my PowerBook but that simply would take up too much real desktop area. By placing my PowerBook display below the level of my Monitor I can place tool windows on it and work with the main window of my application on the CRT very easily. This allows me to get a much less cluttered view of what I’m creating. I think that desktop publishers, video editors, and web surfers will find this quite helpful. And in the long run, more productive. I don’t have to hide my tool windows to get an unobstructed view of my work nor do I have to hide my web applications behind other open windows. I like this feature tremendously.

Some have complained about the Lombard keyboard. That it is too mushy. Not me. I was definitely unaccustomed to it when I first started using it. However, I’m finding that I prefer it to all the other keyboards I also use. Certainly compared to a clunky, crunchy, PowerBook 150 this thing is a dream. My standard Apple keyboard, although much more ingrained in my hands’ “memory,” now feels somewhat stilted in comparison.

When I’m at my “day job” with an “ergonomic” keyboard, I find myself lusting for the ease and comfort that Lombard’s keyboard offers me. Just wishing that I could begin a particular big project on the smooth and forgiving keyboard of my PowerBook. Hmmm, just wish I had Virtual PC running NT on my Lombard, maybe I could start and finish those projects on my Lombard after all. (I do have a few complaints about the keyboard; look in “The Not so Great” and “The Ugly” section of this review.)

In fact, the Lombard’s keyboard has spoiled me enough that I won’t even consider buying an external keyboard to hook up until I can get some real time with a unit that I feel would be the equal or better of Lombard’s built in keyboard.

Weight is a big factor in a PowerBook, and I notice with the introduction of the iBook that it is not only second in speed to Lombard, but also in weight and size. Weight by nearly a pound! and size by a nearly a 1/3rd of an inch. Not that Lombard is exactly a petite gymnast, but this thing is pretty darn portable. I simply slip it in a sharp leather portfolio I have. Since I’m already carrying a sports bag, I can place the power brick right in there. Not a bad deal for ease of travel. I’m well pleased. Naturally, when you need additional accessories a standard PowerBook carrying case comes in handy. This is when Lombard shows that it still could lighten its load. But considering the combination of weight and power, I dare you to find another computer from any manufacturer that offers all that Lombard does at this weight. Right now, I don’t think it can be done. (Only desktops come close to the performance, but certainly not the portability 5.9 pounds offers.)

Oh yes, I’m a big fan of the battery. Does it last 5 hours? I don’t think so. Does it last longer than any other PowerBook battery that has come before it? It does. This is a great advancement. And with the very self explanatory Energy Saver control panel, it’s easy to customize your settings to get the best compromise of energy savings and performance that suits you. It is all just a matter of working with the control panel to suit your needs and your desires.

Lombard is probably the last Mac to be made with SCSI standard. That combined with 10/100MB Ethernet and two USB ports, this is for me the best combination of legacy and future connectivity for computers. I only lament that it can’t have at least one ADB port for those of use who cannot replace all of our legacy hardware at once time. No worries. There are a plethora of adapters out on the market that can extend the life of your old hardware.

First and foremost this is one great computer. Certainly a fine evolution of the WallStreet. Why did it get such a yawner of a name? Personally I call mine, Copperhead (in honor of the copper G3 under the hood). It certainly is lethal to all the Wintel laptops.

I’m sitting here listening to a CD. It’s not an unpleasant experience but it just isn’t up to par with the rest of Lombard. The speakers are tinny and not very responsive. Much of the rich sound of the Elliott Smith XO CD is just not coming through. If you use your PowerBook for any extended periods at a desk and want sound, consider external speakers. They will be a must with Lombard.

The CD function is loud, obnoxious and buzzy as a data CD spins up. I found this annoying as well as at odds with the overall smooth and refined nature of Lombard. It seemed just a bit out of place. Why would something so sophisticated have such a glaring rough edge? I have to say, “Apple, fix it!” This is not in keeping with the refined tool that is Lombard. It is kind of like buying a Ferarri and when you turn on the heater you have to turn up the stereo to drown it out.

Speaking of the CD player, I’ve experienced the dreaded “pause” under 8.6 with Lombard. If you haven’t heard about it, it is quite annoying. So much so it made it into my “Ugly” section. What happens is this, you will be working along in or between applications and suddenly the system just stops. Mimicking a system freeze, so much so that at one time or another I’ve hit Ctrl/Cmnd/Power and rebooted. If you simply hold on, the system will come back to you. If you have not experienced this, words cannot describe how completely infuriating it is until you experience it. Apple’s cure is two fold. One of which is to disable the CD/DVD extension. HA! Oh yeah that makes sense. The other cure is to keep a data CD in the drive http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n31023. Like that doesn’t contradict the other TIL that tells you to remove CDs to prevent the computer from accessing the CD http://til.info.apple.com/techinfo.nsf/artnum/n30376 as it will periodically spin up to check data. DOH!

The other completely frustrating situation with Lombard is the problem with the trackpad button. This is a you write for and suddenly the cursor will jump to another place in the review you are writing and boom! You’re seemingly fluid flow of thoughts jump right into the middle of another paragraph.

Heat is that last of the uglies I have to review. Despite a new copper chip, the 400MHz unit is darned hot. “Dang hot, I think I’m going to do a little crotch pot cooking!” Seriously, my Copperhead has melted its rubber feet. Leaving nice little remnants on my desk. I’m sure glad this was an old desk and not some really nice mahogany desk. But there are bound to be a few execs that find that their Lombard has left little remnants behind. For the price of the thing, you think Apple could have put on feet that could stand the heat. (I couldn’t resist that little rhyme.)

Overall Lombard is one of the finest computers available from Apple. I think it has a few growing pains to sort out. I broke my own rule of never being an early adopter and will remember that when it is time for my next computer.

But do I love it? I sure do. It is fast, beautiful and more than I’ll need for a long long time? Oh yeah. I think about if I had gotten a WallStreet, or a Blue and White but nothing can compare to this Lombard and its extensive list of features. Overall it is one sweet machine even it it isn’t all great.

Despite its flaws, what it does is incredible and will satisfy all but the most power hungry users. Without a doubt it is the fastest laptop available out there. Working at a major PC manufacturer I get to see some great equipment from the Wintel side of the curtain. But nothing compares to this Lombard.

If you aren’t in a hurry for a Lombard, I’d wait. Let it evolve a little and smooth out some of its rough edges. If you just have to have some portable raw power and none of the uglies listed above scare you, dive right in. I definitely give Lombard a strong recommendation.

The Lombard PowerBook G3 (officially the PowerBook G3 Bronze Keyboard) was rolled out on May 10, 1999 – exactly a year after the first WallStreet iteration of Apple’s PowerBook G3 Series laptop line debuted, also at the Worldwide Developers’ Conference (WWDC). While the Lombard superficially looks similar to the WallStreet family, it had taken a trip to the fat farm, which pared away about 2 pounds of weight and 20% of WallStreet’s thickness. The Lombard was slim in the context of Apple laptops up to that point.

The PowerBook G3 model lineup was also substantially substantially simplified with the advent of Lombard, with just two models and one monitor screen choice available:

The base Lombard came with a 333 MHz G3 processor, 512 KB Level 2 (L2) cache, a 66 MHz system bus, 64 MB of RAM, a 4 GB hard drive, and a 24x CD-ROM drive.

The top-of-the-line unit had a 400 MHz G3 processor with 1 MB L2 cache, a 66 MHz system bus, 64 MB of RAM, and a 6 GB hard drive – plus a DVD-ROM drive, making it the first Apple laptop ever with DVD capability as standard equipment.

WallStreet’s analog Volume and Brightness rocker switches and Mute button were banished from the facia below the display, and those functions moved to faster-acting keyboard commands. The “rubbery” feeling center panels on the top and bottom of the WallStreet machines was continued with Lombard, but is reportedly of a more durable composition than the easily scratched material on the WallStreets.

Lombard was the first PowerBook that wouldn’t boot from a RAM Disk, a consequence of Apple’s “New World” ROM in RAM configuration. The 333 MHz Lombard did not come with built-in DVD drive support, but it could be upgraded.

The reset switch was back with Lombard (the keyboard command also works), and another returning feature was that Lombard can run safely with the lid closed when using an external monitor (up to 21″), since it generates significantly less heat than WallStreet. There ias also a new PowerBook SCSI Setup control panel that makes the computer wake from sleep faster.

Lombard brought with it some new issues, among the first to crop up being whining power inverters on some early units, apparently caused by a bad batch of capacitors from one of two suppliers of that particular part. Another that manifested after a few months of use was that in the quest for thinness, clearance between the display screen and the keyboard when the ‘Book is closed had been eliminated, resulting in smearing of finger grease, and eventually chafing and scratching of the screen surface.

Thanks to its removable processor daughter card, the Lombard accepts processor upgrades conveniently. The lone Lombard processor upgrade available as of 2008 was Daystar’s XLR8 MAChSpeed G4 433 MHz product, which used a low-power PowerPC 7410500LE chips running at 433 MHz with 1 MB 250 MHz L2 cache. If you have a nice Lombard in top working condition, it’s worth considering. As of September 2008, neither Daystar nor Wegener Media are producing Lombard CPU upgrades.

One potential caveat is that Sleep issues do exist. The Lombard is well known for various sleep/wake problems. When running a PowerPC G4, these issues were reportedly fixed by Apple in OS X 10.3.9 (and, MAChSpeed Control fixed it in OS X 10.2). Some Mac OS 9.2.2 installs may still have a problem waking from sleep. Workarounds do exist, such as opening and closing the MAChSpeed Control panel before going to sleep.

Previously limited to “system based upgrades”, where the user had to send their PowerBook to Daystar for installation, the company offered complete upgrade kits. The kits allowed Apple Techs or technically handy end users to install the XLR8 MAChSpeed G4 Lombard without having to send the computer to Daystar

“Our G4 upgrade transforms the Lombard into an excellent OS X performer,” said Gary Dailey, president of Daystar. “The addition of our zero-downtime kits delivers a simple and fast worldwide solution for extending the life of the user’s current PowerBook.”

These days, my recommendation would be to look for a good Pismo PowerBook G3 if you’re interested in acquiring a G3 PowerBook. Compared with the Lombard, which is a near-twin in appearance and accepts the same batteries and expansion bay devices, the Pismo is considerably more advanced with a fast 100 MHz system bus, more powerful and robust video support, officially supports up to OS X 10.4.11, and supports G4 upgrades to 550 MHz.

However, if you could find the Lombard’s SCSI connectivity useful or just happen upon an especially well-preserved example, the Lombard is a very nice computer that shares the Pismo’s excellent keyboard and timeless form factor.

“With Mac OS X 10.2 the Lombard PowerBook owners find themselves in the same predicament as in 10.1.5: RagePro drivers exist for the Beige G3 but not for the Lombard or WallStreet. A hack was found in 10.1.5 that would enable the Lombard to have accelerated video, but at a cost: you could not switch video resolutions or color depth without having to restart.”Not much has changed in 10.2 it seems. Not only can you not switch resolutions or color depth without problems, preliminary tests show that after a restart the machine still has problems in Aqua, usually showing a grey background with the spinning cursor. The only way to recover is to start up in single user mode and replace the patched file with the unpatched file.

Currently, BookEndz Docking Stations are available for the Apple iBook, the 2001 and 2002 G4 Titanium and G4 Titanium with DVI PowerBooks, and the 1999 and 2000 G3 PowerBooks. The iBookEndz Docking Station for the iBook is ultra compact – only 1.35″ x 5.75″ x 3″, and takes up very little room on the side of the iBook Computer. The G3 and G4 models add only 3″ to the rear of the computer when docked and allow for increased airflow.