Last time I talked about my Quadra
server.
Now it's time to talk about the portables, or at least some of them
- the best ; ) (This article would be way too long if I went
over them all, so I chose to talk about my four favorites instead)
These are all PowerBooks (no Mac Portable in my collection - yet!)
using 680x0 processors, with the exception of one, which uses a PowerPC
chip.
PowerBook 150
I just can't love my PowerBook
150 enough, as you know from my other articles.
It has a very big screen compared to the other 'Books, and System 7.1
runs along just fine with this 'Book.
Although it lacks an ADB port, it still has a LocalTalk port, which
is all I need to get it on the Internet with my Vintage Mac Network.
iCab is a great web browser, and Eudora works well as a mail
client.
In conclusion, it's a great value.
PowerBook 165c
The first PowerBook with a color
LCD, this 'Book feels a little more modern than the others. It has
a 33 MHz 68030 chip and 4 MB of RAM (mine's been upgraded to 8
MB).
It's great for playing those old Mac games in color. My machine runs
System 7.1, although it supports Mac OS 7.6 - or even Mac OS 8 if you
use Born Again (something I might
try when I get some more RAM).
A cheap way to have a notebook Mac that feels younger than it
actually is.
PowerBook 100
Grandma of the MacBook
Air (the Duo series is its mom)!
These machines are very thin
and easily slip into your backpack. The base 2 MB of RAM isn't
much, but it works. (System 6.08L is highly recommended with 2 MB.)
Just like the Air, it lacks some ports and needs an external floppy
drive. Still, the keyboard is great, and that makes it a great word
processor.
Lombard
There's just one more thing . . . Lombard.
Although not really a Vintage Mac, I consider this the missing link
between new and old. It has USB, but the SCSI port and Mac OS 8
make it classic.
It has one of the best keyboards in PowerBook history, and the big
14.1" display makes it a nice DVD player.
Once again, it's not really a vintage Mac,* but more of a missing
link. Great value if you can't afford a Pismo and think the WallStreet
is a little too old.
Although I have some other PowerBooks (160, 1400, 145b), I find
these to be my absolute favorites.
I am looking for a good Macintosh Portable, and when I get one, I'll
be sure to share my story here.
Oh, and there's one more thing (again!). Remember the guy who gave
me the Classic II and the 100s? Well, I've emailed him, and he's going
to give me some other Macs too!
Next time, I'll talk about Compact
Macs.
* Editor's note: At Low End Mac, we apply the term
vintage to Macs designed around the 680x0 family of CPUs. We use
the classic label for any Mac that can run the Classic Mac OS
without using an emulator. dk
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