The PowerBook 2400c (codenames: "Comet", "Nautilus") is a

subnotebook Subnotebook, also called ultraportable, superportable, or mini notebook, was a marketing term for laptop computers that are smaller and lighter than a typical notebook-sized laptop. Types and sizes As typical laptop sizes have decreased over t ...

Apple Computer Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company b ...

PowerBook The PowerBook (known as Macintosh PowerBook before 1997) is a family of Macintosh laptop computers designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from 1991 to 2006. During its lifetime, the PowerBook went through several major revisions and r ...

range of

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...

computers, weighing . Manufacturing was contracted to Japan IBM. In a return to the

PowerBook 100 The PowerBook 100 is a portable subnotebook personal computer designed and manufactured by Sony for Apple Computer and introduced on October 21, 1991, at the COMDEX computer expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Priced at US$2,500 with external floppy ...

form factor, it was introduced in May 1997 as a late replacement for the

PowerBook Duo 2300c The PowerBook Duo is a line of subnotebooks manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from 1992 until 1997 as a more compact companion to the PowerBook line. Improving upon the PowerBook 100's portability (its immediate predecessor and Apple's th ...

, which had been the last of the subnotebook

PowerBook Duo The PowerBook Duo is a line of subnotebooks manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from 1992 until 1997 as a more compact companion to the PowerBook line. Improving upon the PowerBook 100's portability (its immediate predecessor and Apple's t ...

series. The 2400c was discontinued in March 1998, with no immediate replacement — the model that followed it was the much larger

PowerBook G3 Series The PowerBook G3 is a series of 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 t ...

(known as "Wallstreet"/"Mainstreet"). However, in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

a 2400c with a 240 MHz CPU (codenamed "Mighty Cat") was offered shortly after the original model's discontinuation, until the end of the year.

Overview

The 2400c uses the same

PowerPC 603e The PowerPC 600 family was the first family of PowerPC microprocessor, processors built. They were designed at the Somerset facility in Austin, Texas, jointly funded and staffed by engineers from IBM and Motorola as a part of the AIM alliance. Somer ...

processor as the preceding Duo 2300c, but at a much higher CPU clock — 180 instead of 100 MHz. However, the 2400 is unable to utilize the DuoDock like the 2300c was, making the lack of an internal removable drive much more noticeable. Like the PowerBook 100 and Duo series before it, it was sold with an external floppy drive. Apple did not offer a

CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...

drive for it which was otherwise standard for all other PowerBooks. Unlike the Duo, reinstated peripheral ports on the machine most closely matched those of the original 100 and include: ADB, one combined serial printer/modem port, floppy port (not HDI-20 but unique to the 2400c), HDI-30 SCSI port, but added a VGA video out, as well as a stereo sound out and in, infrared port, and two PCMCIA card slots. The original 180 MHz model's PCMCIA slots officially accept only 2 Type II or 1 Type III PCMCIA-spec cards. But some users have applied simple motherboard modifications to allow the use of Cardbus expansion cards as well, extending the practical life of this subcompact until a replacement was eventually offered by Apple. The

ese 240 MHz model offered Cardbus as standard. The 2400 is built around a

active matrix Active matrix is a type of addressing scheme used in flat panel displays. In this method of switching individual elements (pixels), each pixel is attached to a transistor and capacitor ''actively'' maintaining the pixel state while other pixels are ...

color LCD screen, making the computer very compact indeed — it is slightly smaller and lighter, though a bit thicker, than a

iBook iBook is a line of laptop computers designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Computer from 1999 to 2006. The line targeted entry-level, consumer and education markets, with lower specifications and prices than the PowerBook, Apple's higher-en ...

, and the fourth-smallest subnotebook behind the

PowerBook G4 The PowerBook G4 is a series of notebook computers manufactured, marketed, and sold by Apple Computer between 2001 and 2006 as part of its PowerBook line of notebooks. The PowerBook G4 runs on the RISC-based PowerPC G4 processor, designed by the ...

introduced several years later. Apple's most recent offering in this category was the discontinued MacBook. Due to its processor being located on a detachable

daughter card In computing, an expansion card (also called an expansion board, adapter card, peripheral card or accessory card) is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an electrical connector, or expansion slot (also referred to as a bus s ...

, the PowerBook 2400c saw a small number of

PowerPC G3 The PowerPC 7xx is a family of third generation 32-bit PowerPC microprocessors designed and manufactured by IBM and Motorola (spun off as Freescale Semiconductor bought by NXP Semiconductors). This family is called the PowerPC G3 by its well-know ...

processor cards created for it. Companies such as Interware(Vimage), and Newer Technologies(NUpowr) offered processor upgrades which would swap out the 603e for a G3 ranging from 240 MHz to 400 MHz. This was also the last Mac to not ship with a removable media drive until the

MacBook Air The MacBook Air is a line of ultrabook computers developed and manufactured by Apple Inc. It consists of a full-size keyboard, a machined aluminum case, and, in the more modern versions, a thin light structure. The Air was originally positioned ...

in 2008.

Overview

Timeline

Notes

References

External links