It seems that there has always been a Mac for every need (and some
that didn't serve a specific purpose at all). But it does seem that
some Macs were "reincarnated" in recent years.
1994 was one of the best years to show this. Simply for comparison
purposes, we won't mention the Power Macs at that time.
These two computers were the powerhouses of their time, offering
video editing capabilities, fast processors, and cutting-edge of
technology. Both were also quite costly, so only the people who really
needed all that power (or expandability) got them.
These computers were both controversial at their time. Both were
space-saving and had almost as much power as the most powerful "pro"
desktop (the high-end Quadras and G4, respectively), but they also were
less expensive and far less expandable. Of course, many people went
with the all-in-ones, since they included a monitor and the price was
comparable. The other problem was that these weren't as expandable as
people liked, offering limited RAM slots and expansion slots.
These two were the consumer systems. You bought the computer,
plugged it in, and started working. Everything was in one compact unit,
and you could expand it if you needed to. Performance was okay, but not
quite as good as the higher-end models.
The 500 series was the top-of-the-line in 1994. Not only were these
expensive, but they were also true desktop replacements. Some built in
features were a not-so-mega-wide 9.5" screen, onboard ethernet, a built
in modem, and plenty of RAM expandability. Both of these had hinge
problems....
Even though these two seem to have nothing in common, maybe they do.
After all, both sold for less than $2,000, provided decent power, and
were very durable. Expansion capabilities were less than their high-end
counterparts, but these were still workhorses. The iceBook could've
also been paired with a Duo
for it's small size, but it's about the same size as the PowerBook 150
(only thinner).
These were the high-end processors of their time, finding their way
into the "pro" desktops and laptops, as well as the consumer desktops
later.
These had been the high-end a bit earlier, but they were put into
the low end when the 68040 and G4 came into power. These are both very
comparable to their replacements and stayed in the consumer systems for
awhile.
History Repeats
Maybe 8 years from now someone will be comparing the Macs of 2010 to
the Macs of 2002. I'm betting the same pattern will follow. Even with
different product lines, different CEOs, and different software,
Apple's hardware can still be categorized the same.
