Along with the 160, it introduced a new power-saving feature which allowed the processor to run at a slower 16 MHz rate, the same speed as the original 140.

The PowerBook 180 came with a 9.5 in (240 mm) (diagonal) active matrix LCD screen capable of displaying 4-bit grayscale at a resolution of 640×400, and a trackball was mounted beneath the keyboard.

The Apple Powerbook also gave an option of possible expansion to a 120 MB hard drive.

In June 1993, Apple released an identical color version of this model, the PowerBook 180c.

As a result of the thicker color display, the exterior case lid was redesigned, more closely resembling that used on the PowerBook Duo series.