Here’s a rare look at a 17-inch PowerBook G4 prototype with a beautiful red logic board [Video]

The PowerBook G4 was the last notebook by Apple before the introduction of the MacBook and the transition from PowerPC chips to Intel ones. This computer was sold by Apple between 2001 and 2006. Adored by many, the Computer Clan YouTube channel was able to show a rare look at a 17-inch PowerBook G4 prototype.

On the latest Krazy Ken’s Tech Misadventures, the YouTuber was able to show us a nice look at a 17-inch PowerBook G4 prototype. The best part here is that this PowerBook features a beautiful red logic board.

Apple is known to bring colored logic boards to its prototypes, and it’s nice to see those details in the company’s unreleased products.

Since it’s a prototype unit, this PowerBook G4 features a raw aluminum finish, different from the official product released. Ken points to a ton of “fun stickers” that would help Apple understand where each part came from. The YouTuber also points to a few handwritten parts, giving the PowerBook G4 a feel that it’s made by real people and not a “big, magical Willie Wonka factory.”

Another difference between this computer to the commercialized version is that this prototype doesn’t include the “PowerBook G4” written on the display, which is also common for prototypes.

He’s also able to turn it on this computer, which was running Mac OS X Tiger, version 10.4.11. It featured a 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor with 512 MB DDR SDRAM memory.

While some prototypes could feature some Apple developer’s software, it wasn’t the case for this PowerBook G4. There are some third-party apps installed and even a folder called “Developer” but with nothing inside of it.

You can take an in-depth look at this 17-inch prototype in the video below.

What’s your most fond memory about the PowerBook G4? Do you miss the 17-inch notebook models? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

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