BLUECHIP G3 UPGRADES NOW COMPATIBLE WITH LOMBARD POWERBOOKS
AUSTIN, TX -- January 9, 2001 -- The popular BlueChip G3 processor upgrade line for Apple [APPL] PowerBook G3 systems has been extended to include the "Lombard" PowerBook G3 systems. This new BlueChip G3 LS upgrade boosts the performance of PowerBook G3 systems providing users with a choice of a 466MHz G3 or 500Mhz G3 upgrade. These upgrades should begin shipping by the end of January.

The new BlueChip G3 LS upgrades are compatible with the bronze keyboard PowerBook G3 "Lombard" systems that were originally either 333MHz or 400MHz models. BlueChip G3 LS upgrades feature 1MB of backside cache memory running on a cache data bus at half the processor speed (233MHz and 250MHz respectively). It is this high-speed cache memory that allows the BlueChip G3 CPU upgrades to boost system performance.

This additional processing speed is commonly used to handle more demanding tasks such as graphics work in Adobe Photoshop and digital video editing when the user is mobile. It is this ability to handle more demanding software that allows users to repurpose PowerBook G3s systems into formerly desktop-only type tasks. Upgraded PowerBook G3s are also being used by digital audio professionals to manage remote recording and performance tasks.

The 466MHz BlueChip G3 LS is priced at $599 and the top-performing 500MHz BlueChip G3 LS is $699. Customers are encouraged to check with resellers for the most current pricing.