Was the "Beige G3" Actually Beige?

[Mac128]

So, I know the PM G3 case was basically the PM 8600/9600 604e case. But not having really looked at one, were they in fact beige-coloured? Or is that simply a naming convention to distinguish it from the Bondi blue G3? Can someone confirm that the "beige" G3 is actually the same lovable Platinum gray colour that Apple had been using since the SE? Or did Apple for some reason go back to their Apple ][ roots and really make it beige?

 

[iMac600]

It's disputed, some will tell you the Beige G3 was platinum, some say it's Beige. I'm one of the few who say it's plain old Beige, and this is why:

Power Mac 8600

Power Mac G3 Beige

Now, the 8600 looks platinum (although imho it's just grey, nothing platinum about it), but the G3 is most certainly beige.

 

[Mike Richardson]

Those pictures had different lighting.

It was called Beige G3 to differentiate it from the Blue & White G3. The color was really Platinum.

 

[iMac600]

You sure? All of mine were great ugly beige hulks. Seriously if this is platinum, some designer at Apple was colourblind.

I will admit I did find alternate images that had the G3 and the 8600 in the same colour, but still... how they managed to pull the name "Platinum" from that is beyond me.

 

[alk]

All Power Macs have the same color until the B&W G3. The 8600 and G3 are exactly the same color.

Peace,

Drew

 

[MacMan]

My G3 has the same colour plastics as my other "platinum" Macs, though the front bezel has been in direct sunlight and has yellowed a little.

The period of the G3 was when Apple basically gave up on the model numbering system, (6100, 7500, 8600 etc), hence when the B & W was introduced under the same "Power Macintosh G3" name, the term "Beige" was used to describe the non-B & W G3s. The term "Blue and White" (B&W) was also used for the same reasons.

I sort of wish that Apple would bring back the model numbering system as it made it far easier to identify the type of Mac and it's specs just by looking at the front bezel. It was more scientific than the current system of not really knowing the specs of a Mac until you start it up and check System Profiler.

 

[Flash!]

Those 8600/9600/G3 cases were so nice to work in - very easy to open and access. Fans made a bit of noise though.....

 

[Mike Richardson]

The 7xxx and Desktop G3 are also very nice cases.

Worst case ever: 8500/9500/8100. I would rather swallow glass.

 

[Danamania]

Mine are no more or no less beige/platinum than any other macs I have. My G3MT is quite certainly platinum, the G3DT is a little yellowed (but less than some other platinum boxes), and my 7300 is REALLY positively beige - yellowing again. On the inside, it's Platinum though.

Dana

 

[Flash!]

I would rather swallow glass.

LOL! yep, I agree

 

[Gil]

I used to own a Beige G3, and mine definitely looked Beige. But you have to factor in the lighting, and also, case-yellowing, as i believe the cases are plastic?

 

[Christopher]

The 7xxx and Desktop G3 are also very nice cases.
Worst case ever: 8500/9500/8100. I would rather swallow glass.

Don't forget the Performa 6400! [] ]'>

 

[gobabushka]

ill vouch, i used to have a beige g3, I would have to say that the color was platinum. but they were originally called beige because the beige color looks beige, and like everyone else has said, it was also to differentiate between the beige g3 and the b&w g3

 

[alk]

Straight from the horse's mouth: It's platinum! ;-) Article

It's an interesting article about RAM disks. Did you know that the beige ... er platinum G3 supports EDO RAM? Interesting. I smell a hack coming on...

Peace,

Drew

 

[II2II]

While we're on platinum: is it just me, or did platinum differ a lot from the Mac II era to the metal-case era?

The Mac II era seemed to be a lot "softer" than later machines. The later machines felt cold and hard and beige in spirit. But maybe that has more to do with styling and texture than colour.

 

[LCGuy]

The 7xxx and Desktop G3 are also very nice cases.
Worst case ever: 8500/9500/8100. I would rather swallow glass.

Don't forget the Performa 6400! [] ]'>

Oh god, yes. I actually didn't mind the 8100 case that much to be honest. But the 6400 was the worst. With the couple I've worked on, I always felt like that stupid front bezel was about to break when i was taking it off!

 

[Unknown_K]

The 81/110 Radius case isn't too bad.

 

[Quadraman]

My two G3's look beige to me. Exactly the same color as my 512k and Plus. They do not look at all like the color of my IIGS and Platinum Plus which are definitely a bright white color. My 6500 also looks bright white compared to my other Macs.

 

[Mike Richardson]

The 6400/6500 case is not so bad. The motherboard is easily removed. Access to the hard drive and optical drive is fairly easy, as is the extra top drive bay. To get to the motherboard in 8100/8500/9500 required near-complete disassembly. Drives were easier though, and PCI cards were easy. The 6500 only became hard when you had to get really inside of it.