  thumb|ibook g3 "clamshell"|300px ibook g4 "snow" (12&nbsp;inch), the successor to the g3 "snow"|thumb|300px  the ibook is a line of laptop computers 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-end line of laptop computers. three distinct designs of the ibook were introduced during its lifetime. the first, known as the "clamshell", was influenced by the design of apple's popular imac line at the time. it was a significant departure from previous portable computer designs due to its shape, bright colors, incorporation of a handle into the casing, lack of a hinged cover over the external ports, and built-in wireless networking. two years later, the second generation abandoned the original form factor in favor of a more conventional, rectangular design. in october 2003, a third iteration was released that added a powerpc g4 chip and a slot-loading drive. apple replaced the ibook line with the macbook in may 2006 during appleâs transition to intel processors. the macbook has also evolved into different models, such as the macbook pro targeting high performance and the macbook air targeting the entry level, consumer ultrabook-market. they were also a major name for education, with henrico county public schools being the first of many school systems in the usa to distribute one to every student. ==ibook g3 ("clamshell")==  in the late 1990s, apple was trimming its product line from the bewildering variety of intersecting performa, quadra, lc, power macintosh and powerbook models to a simplified "four box" strategy: desktop and portable computers, each in both consumer and professional models. three boxes of this strategy were already in place: the newly introduced imac was the consumer desktop, the blue and white g3 filled the professional desktop box, and the powerbook line served as the professional portable line. this left only the consumer portable space empty, leading to much rumor on the internet of poten
1999_introductions Macintosh_computers_by_product_line Macintosh_laptops PowerPC_Macintosh_computers