The evolution of the MacBook
A major tool for college students and creative professionals alike, Apple’s laptops have dominated the way users approach productivity on the go.
The MacBook line debuted in 1991 — though there have been a variety of different naming conventions and models over the years. Remember the early PowerBooks of the 1990s? The iBook G3? And of course the biggest news in recent years has been the arrival of MacBooks powered by Apple's M-series chips in 2021.
From the original PowerBook to the newest MacBook Pro and the Air, we explore the evolution of Apple's iconic laptops and the innovative changes each generation brought.
PowerBook 100
A successor to Apple’s first-ever laptop — the Mac Portable — the PowerBook 100 featured a setback keyboard, which made room for palm rests, and a front-and-center trackball — for both left- and right-handed users — that would set the default standard for laptops.