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On August 25, 1996, Apple released its first PowerPC PowerBook - the 5300. To say that the 5300 was not quite an unqualified success would be an understatement. It holds the dual distinctions of being the most expensive Apple laptop ever (5300ce - $6,499) and the most reviled and ridiculed.

While the infamous spontaneous combustion of a 5300 was vastly overblown, and pales by comparison with LiIon battery troubles in later notebook models, both Mac and PC, the mythology stuck to the 5300 like you-know-what to a blanket, even though the fire-prone LiIon batteries were quickly recalled and replaced with completely dependable Nickel Metal Hydride units.

The 5300's real shortcomings were in other areas. It was dog-slow, cases cracked and power connector jacks came adrift. There were faulty motherboards. Apple finally offered a seven-year extended service program for the 5300.

However, I bought a 5300 (the base model with a greyscale display) and liked it. My daughter used it through high school and her first year of university. It still runs, and a couple of the photos below were taken recently. My first The Road Warrior column back in 1998 was about the PowerBook 5300, so I thought it would be appropriate to republish it today.

CM

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