Early Mac Clones

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Low End Mac

Colby WalkMac SE and WalkMac SE-30

LEM Staff - 2016.07.03

In the era of the Sony Walkman™, it was inevitable someone would create a WalkMac. That’s what Chuck Colby called his portable when it was introduced in 1987.

Colby WalkMacThe Colby WalkMac was the first portable, battery-powered Mac. It was available in two configurations: SE ($4,498) and SE/30 ($6,798). Battery life was about three hours.

For business users, it was possible to remove the backlight from the WalkMac’s display and place it on an overhead projector for use in presentations.

Colby also made an aluminum Tempest version with a removable hard drive for government use.

When Sony threatened to sue Colby because the WalkMac name was so similar to Walkman, Colby renamed the device the Colby SE30. The Colby SE30 was discontinued in 1991.

Chuck Colby also created the first tablet Mac, the Colby Classmate™, in 1991.

Much of the information below is from a MacZone ad in the November 1989 issue of MacUser.

Details, WalkMac SE

  • introduced at $6,800 in 1987
  • requires System 4.1 to 7.5.5
  • CPU: 8 MHz 68000
  • performance: 1.0 (relative to SE)
  • ROM: 256 KB
  • RAM: 1, expandable 4 MB using pairs of 256 KB or 1 MB 150ns 30-pin SIMMs (will not work with two-chip 1 MB SIMMs)
  • configurations included dual-floppy or one floppy plus 20, 40 or 80 MB hard drive
  • 9″ backlit b&w LCD screen, 512 x 342 pixels
  • ADB: 2 ports for keyboard and mouse
  • serial: 2 DIN-8 RS-422 ports on back of computer
  • hard drive: 20 or 40 MB
  • DB-25 SCSI connector on back of computer, maximum throughput of 5,248 kbps
  • floppy: 800 KB double sided
  • floppy connector on back of computer
  • size (HxWxD): unknown
  • weight: 16 lb.
  • Gestalt ID: unknown
  • addressing: 24-bit only
  • single SE PDS slot

Details, WalkMac SE-30

  • introduced at $5,600; discontinued
  • requires system 6.0.3 to 7.5.5
  • CPU: 16 MHz 68030
  • FPU: 16 MHz 68882
  • performance: 3.2, relative to SE
  • ROM: 256 KB
  • RAM: 1 or 2 MB standard, expandable to 128 MB using two 4-SIMM banks of 120ns 30-pin memory, compatible with 256 KB, 1 MB, 4 MB, and 16 MB SIMMs (although Apple does not certify it with 16 MB SIMMs)
  • configurations included dual-floppy or one floppy plus 20, 40 or 80 MB hard drive
  • 9″ backlit b&w LCD screen, 512 x 342 pixels
  • ADB: 2 ports for keyboard and mouse
  • serial: 2 DIN-8 RS-422 ports on back of computer
  • hard drive: 20 or 40 MB
  • DB-25 SCSI connector on back of computer, maximum throughput of 5,248 kbps
  • floppy: 1.4 MB double sided
  • floppy connector on back of computer
  • size (HxWxD): unknown
  • weight: 16 lb.
  • Gestalt ID: unknown
  • addressing: 24-bit or 32-bit (requires enabler)
  • single SE/30 PDS slot

Further Reading

Keywords: #walkmac #colbywalkmac #colbyse30

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