Editing Power Macintosh G3 (section)

{{Short description|Series of personal computers by Apple}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Primary sources|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| name = Power Macintosh G3 / {{nowrap|Macintosh Server G3}}
| logo = [[File:Power Macintosh G3 wordmark.svg|frameless|class=skin-invert]]
| photo = Power Macintosh G3 models.jpg
| caption = Power Macintosh G3 Mini Tower (left) and Power Mac G3 Blue and White (right)
| family = [[Power Macintosh]]
| developer = [[Apple Inc.|Apple Computer]]
| type = [[Desktop computer]]
| first_release_date = {{start date|1997|11|10}}
| lifespan = {{age in years and months|1997|11|10|1999|8|31}}
| price = {{US$|1599|1997|link=yes}}
| discontinuation_date = {{end date|1999|8|31}}
| processor = [[PowerPC 7xx|PowerPC G3]]
| CPUspeed = {{nowrap|233–450 [[MHz]]}}
| predecessor = {{Unbulleted list
  | '''[[All-in-one computer|All-in-one]]''':
  | {{in5|3}} [[Power Macintosh 5400]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Power Macintosh 5500]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh]]
  | '''Desktop''':
  | {{in5|3}} [[Power Macintosh 4400]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Power Macintosh 6200]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Power Macintosh 7300]]
  | '''Mini Tower''':
  | {{in5|3}} [[Power Macintosh 6500]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Power Macintosh 8600]]
  | {{in5|3}} [[Power Macintosh 9600]]
  }}
| successor = {{Unbulleted indent list
  | '''All-in-one''': [[iMac G3]]
  | '''Desktop''': [[Power Mac G4 Cube]]
  | '''Mini Tower''': [[Power Mac G4]]
  }}
}}

The '''Power Macintosh G3''' (also sold with additional software as the '''Macintosh Server G3''') is a series of [[personal computer]]s designed, manufactured, and sold by [[Apple Inc.|Apple Computer]] from November 1997 to August 1999. It represented Apple's first step towards eliminating redundancy and complexity in the product line by replacing eight [[Power Macintosh]] models (and the [[Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh]]) with three: Desktop and Mini Tower models for professional and home use, and an [[All-in-one computer|all-in-one]] model for education. The introduction of the Desktop and Mini Tower models coincided with Apple starting to sell build-to-order Macs directly from its web site in an online store,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Apple Store online turns 10 years old |url=http://www.macworld.co.uk/business/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=19652 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105005854/http://www.macworld.co.uk/business/news/index.cfm?RSS |archive-date=January 5, 2010 |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Apple Computer |url=https://www.apple.com/ |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980509035420/http://www.apple.com/ |archive-date=May 9, 1998 |access-date=2009-01-17 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> which was unusual for the time as [[Dell]] was the only major computer manufacturer doing this. Apple's move to build-to-order sales of the Power Macintosh G3 also coincided with the acquisition of [[Power Computing Corporation]], which had been providing telephone sales of [[Macintosh clone]]s for more than two years.

The Power Macintosh G3 is named for its [[PowerPC 7xx#PowerPC 740/750|third-generation PowerPC chip]], and introduced a super fast and large Level 2 backside [[CPU cache]], running at half processor speed. As a result, these machines [[Benchmark (computing)|benchmarked]] significantly faster than [[Intel]] PCs of similar CPU clock speed at launch,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mesa |first=Andy |year=1998 |title=Power Macintosh G3 |url=http://applemuseum.bott.org/sections/computers/G3.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718175003/http://applemuseum.bott.org/sections/computers/G3.html |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |access-date=August 8, 2006 |publisher=The Apple Museum}}</ref> which prompted Apple to create the "Snail" and "Toasted Bunnies" television commercials.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Snail and Toasted Bunnies |url=https://www.apple.com/hotnews/features/ads/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980429154639/http://www.apple.com/hotnews/features/ads/ |archive-date=April 29, 1998 |access-date=2006-08-08 |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>[http://lowendmac.com/musings/pentiumii.shtml PowerPC vs. Pentium II: Escargot?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107175830/http://lowendmac.com/musings/pentiumii.shtml |date=November 7, 2011 }} Retrieved February 6, 1998.</ref><ref>{{YouTube|AZZ-LPbQRy0|Apple Launches New "Snail" Commercial}}</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/-FlfZ9BI9lM Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140704222107/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FlfZ9BI9lM Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Citation |last=AI Perspectives |title=Apple Unveils "Toasted Bunny" Commercial |date=2009-08-05 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FlfZ9BI9lM |access-date=2016-10-09}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Magazine benchmarks showed the G3/266 CPU outperforming the 350&nbsp;MHz [[PowerPC 604ev]] chip in the [[Power Macintosh 9600]] as well.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tafel |first=Kathy |date=January 1998 |title=Power Macintosh G3 Kicks Ass |url=https://archive.org/stream/MacAddict-017-199801/MacAddict-017-199801-BobKiwi-v1#page/n43/mode/2up/search/42 |publisher=MacAddict |page=42}}</ref>

Two generations of the Power Macintosh G3 were released. The first generation, known colloquially as "Beige"<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 16, 1997 |title=Beige Power Mac G3 (1997) |url=http://lowendmac.com/1997/beige-power-mac-g3-1997/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908063836/http://lowendmac.com/1997/beige-power-mac-g3-1997/ |archive-date=September 8, 2017 |access-date=September 8, 2017 |publisher=Low End Mac}}</ref> was introduced at a special event on November 10, 1997. The second generation, known officially as "Blue and White", was introduced at MacWorld San Francisco on January 5, 1999. Its replacement, the [[Power Mac G4]], was introduced in August of the same year.