I was the lead software engineer (and later the PowerBook/MacBook Pro software manager) for the PowerBook line, starting with the original Macintosh Portable and continuing through the Macbook Pro up until 2009.

The guy who came up with the keyboard forward layout first seen here in the PowerBooks was the chief hardware design engineer by the name of Jon Krakower, not a member of the vaunted Apple industrial design group.  I remember him showing us a mockup of the layout where we could try it out and all of us on the core design team went, "Duh!", why didn't we think of this before?

Of course for decades now this is the way all laptops are configured, but at the time it was ground breaking.  The always secretive Apple was even more so during the development of the PowerBook line as we were terrified that a competitor would find out and beat us to market.

Also, the PowerBook 100 was built by Sony.  It was Apple's design, and in fact was pretty much a repackaging of the Portable.  Sony wanted to be more involved in the design, but we weren't going to let them in.

3:14 That was the firestorm that destroyed Will Wright's home. A few years later, he created "The Sims" concept based on the experience of buying again all his stuff and starting a new life.

After looking at one of the episodes from 1989, you can see how quickly technology advances. Laptops were already slimming down in 1991 while they were still big and clunky in '89. A mere 2 year span.

A computer in your pocket? That was a silly idea and bound to fail!

My Left ear enjoyed this

watching on my smartphone. Feels good.

Came here from the 1989 episode about laptops. How much could change in two years back then...

This video Quality is Great for a 1991 Video .

I love and STILL prefer those little 90`s physical keyboards

I wanted a color notebook so bad in the early 90s, but you could buy a really nice used car for what one cost!

Hands up who else still has their Psion??

I feel like those times went by way too fast.

Nearly $5K for a laptop back then.  Inconceivable.

I wish i could travel back in time and show these guys my S22 Ultra phone lol

Some of the technology that is on display here is  actually quite remarkable for its time.

I picked a bad time to be mostly deaf in my left ear.

And to think in the early 90's, GPS was being used and now just about every smartphone can help you determine where you are so quickly...  25 years later and we're all reaping the benefits.

1:44 what a cool cd player. If it only had bluetooth I'd have it for sure

I like the pen gestures on the Momenta - those command compasses look pretty handy, would be useful on today's tablets.

25:00 watching this on my laptop’s OLED screen, I am seriously impressed at how far colour display technology has evolved in such a (relatively) short time