Early Mac Clones

Outbound Laptop and Notebook

Overview

Perhaps the best known early portable Maclone came from Outbound in August 1989, just weeks before Apple announced the Portable. The Portable Plus used the same 68000 CPU as the Plus and SE, but runs it at 15 MHz. It had a unique built-in pointing device, the Isopoint Trackbar, that rolled to scroll up and down, moved sideways to scroll right and left. The Trackbar was part of the detachable keyboard. The Outbound required ROMs "borrowed" from a Mac Plus or SE.

To use your desktop computer, you could attach the Outbound to your Mac, giving it access to the pulled ROMs. To attach a SCSI device, you had to buy a $95 adapter.

The Isopoint Trackbar

Still, at $3,995 with a 20 MB hard drive and a 10 pound weight, it was an attractive alternative even after Apple's Portable shipped.

In late 1991, Outbound released a modular notebook computer. This model used faster CPUs (from 20 MHz 68000 to 33 MHz 68030), could handle 2-14 MB of RAM, had a backlit display, supported 20-120 MB IDS drives, worked with high density floppies, and ran off a standard camcorder battery.

Details, Outbound Laptop

introduced 1989 or 1990; discontinued
requires ROM from Mac Plus or SE
requires System 3.2 to 7.5.5 (Plus ROM) or 4.1 to 7.5.5 (SE ROM)
CPU: 15 MHz 68HC000 CPU
performance: about double that of a Plus or SE
ROM: 128 KB (Plus ROM) or 256 KB (SE ROM)
RAM: 1 MB, expandable to 4 MB using pairs of 256 KB or 1 MB 150ns 30-pin SIMMs
9" b&w screen, 640 x 400 pixels
keyboard communicates via infrared
two miniDIN-8 serial ports
SCSI: DB-25 connector on back of computer
floppy: 1.4 MB double sided
hard drive: 40 MB drive optional
silicon drive (1-16 MB) optional, holds data 10-25 days
size (HxWxD): 7.8 x12.3 x 3.6"
weight: 9.3 lb., including battery
PRAM battery: unknown
battery: 3 hour charge
Gestalt ID: unknown
addressing: 24-bit only

Details, Outbound Laptop (also sold as RealTech Travler)

Although available with fast 68030 CPUs, the use of Mac Plus and SE ROMs limited to Outbound Laptop to 4 MB of memory.

introduced 1991.12.01; discontinued 1992.12.08
requires ROM from Mac Plus or SE
requires System 4.1 to 7.5.5 (SE ROM) or 6.0.7 to 7.5.5 (Classic ROM)
CPU: 20 HMz 68000; 20, 25, 33, or 40 MHz 68030
FPU: 68882, optional
performance: about double that of a Plus or SE
ROM: 128 KB (Plus ROM) or 256 KB (SE ROM)
RAM: 2 or 4 MB, expandable to 4 MB using pairs of 256 KB or 1 MB 150ns 30-pin SIMMs
10" supertwist b&w display, 640 x 400 pixels
keyboard communicates via infrared
two miniDIN-8 serial ports
SCSI: DB-25 connector on back of computer
floppy: 1.4 MB double sided
hard drive: 40, 80, or 120 MB IDE
silicon drive (1-16 MB) optional, holds data 10-25 days
size (HxWxD): 2.1 x11.0 x 8.5"
weight: 6.25 lb., including battery
PRAM battery: unknown
battery: 2-3 hour charge
Gestalt ID: unknown
addressing: 24-bit only

Online Sources

Outbound Laptop and Outbound Notebook, Uncle Roger's Computers
Outbound Laptop and Outbound Notebook, Applefritter
Outbound Notebook System, Obsolete Computer Museum
Outbound page, EveryMac
Outbound Service and Support

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