Memory Upgrades: Mac Classic

The Mac Classic has 1 MB of memory soldered to the motherboard. A second megabyte is added with a memory expansion board, which also has two SIMM sockets. Using these sockets, RAM can be expanded from 2 MB to 2.5 MB or 4 MB.

Memory Upgrades: Mac IIsi

The Mac IIsi is essentially a more compact version of the Mac IIci with no NuBus expansion slots and operating at a reduced CPU speed. It uses the same architecture, sharing the first 1 MB of RAM for video and computing.

Memory Upgrades: Mac IIfx

Apple broke the speed envelope with the Mac IIfx – the 40 MHz 68030 CPU on a 40 MHz data bus left everything else in the dust. Because it needed faster memory than any previous Mac, it used a special 64-pin dual-ported SIMM. It was the first Mac to ship with 4 MB of RAM.

Memory Upgrades: Mac IIci

The Mac IIci took the popular Mac IIcx design and replaced its 16 MHz logic board with a 25 MHz 68030-based design. New features included built-in video and a Level 2 (L2) cache socket. The IIci was the first Mac with “32-bit clean” ROMs.

Memory Upgrades: Mac SE/30

The Mac SE/30 shipped from the factory with 1 MB installed. It can be upgraded to 2, 4, 5, 8, 16, 17, 20, and 32 MB* configurations using 120ns or faster 1 MB or 4 MB 30-pin SIMMs – and as high as 128 MB using 16 MB SIMMs.

Memory Upgrades: Mac IIcx

The Mac IIcx was Apple’s first compact model in the Mac II series, essentially a Mac IIx with three NuBus expansion slots instead of six and a smaller power supply. Like the Mac II and IIx, it can only access 8 MB of memory under System 6 and earlier. You need to run some version […]

Memory Upgrades: Mac IIx

The Mac IIx was Apple’s first 68030-based computer. You need to run some version of System 7 to have access to the 32-bit option and use the free Mode32 utility to let the IIx run in 32-bit mode. This allows users to use more than 8 MB in the IIx.

Memory Upgrades: Mac II

The Mac II was Apple’s first modular Macintosh. Using a 68020 CPU instead of the older 68000, it can address far more memory by using 32-bit addressing. Although it took System 7 to provide the 32-bit option and Mode32 to let the Mac II operate in 32-bit mode, this allowed users to use more than […]

Memory Upgrades: Mac SE

The Mac SE shipped from the factory with 1 MB installed in the form of four 256 KB SIMMs. It can be upgraded to 2 MB, 2.5 MB, and 4 MB configurations using 150ns or faster 1 MB 30-pin SIMMs.

Memory Upgrades: Mac Plus

The Mac Plus shipped from the factory with 1 MB of system memory installed in the form of four 256 KB SIMMs. It can be upgraded to 2.5 MB and 4 MB configurations using 150ns or faster 1 MB 30-pin SIMMs.

27″ Retina 5K iMac (Late 2015)

Apple took the 27″ Retina 5K iMac a step further with fifth generation Intel processor technology, state of the art AMD graphics, an even better Retina display with 25% greater color gamut – and at $500 less than the Late 2014 Retina iMac retailed for a year ago.

21″ iMac (Late 2015)

Remember the seemingly underpowered iMac that Apple introduced in June 2014? They’ve updated it from 1.4 GHz to 1.6 GHz and kept it available as a lower cost alternative to the 21.5″ Retina 4K iMac.

OS X 10.11 El Capitan

WARNING: If you have updated boot.efi on a MacPro1,1 or MacPro2,1 so you can run Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan, DO NOT INSTALL SECURITY UPDATE 2018-001. According to Greg Hrutkay of Hrutkay Mods (see warning video), it breaks boot.efi on the 2006 and 2007 Mac Pros that have been thus updated. With OS X […]

iPhone 6S Plus

Slightly bigger than the iPhone 6 Plus, the iPhone 6S Plus is the largest iPhone to date. It also weighs 0.7 oz. more than the 6S Plus.

iPhone 6S

Claiming that “the only thing that changed is everything”, Apple unveiled the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus on September 9, 2015. Well, not everything. The 2015 models look just like the 2014 iPhones at first glance, although there is a new rose gold color.

iPad Pro

Considering how poorly Microsoft has been doing with its Surface, it’s quite remarkable to see Apple jumping into the same product category with the 12.9″ iPad Pro, which arrived in November.

iPad mini 4

The iPad mini 4 is faster, thinner, taller, and lighter than the iPad mini 3, boasting a 30% faster CPU and 60% faster graphics, which it replaces. That’s due in part to the 1.5 GHz A8 processor and in part to having 2 MB of system memory.

6th Generation iPod touch

The 6G iPod touch is the first 64-bit iPod touch, following the iPhone 5S, 6, and 6 Plus in leaving behind 32-bit operation. It is also the first iPod touch with a 128 GB configuration, which is only available directly from Apple.

MicroMac Upgrades for Color Classics

MicroMac provided several products to upgrade the Color Classic, a perennial favorite among Mac collectors, as well as many other Macs. Although pages on the company website have not been updated since 1998-2000, we provide this as a look back at some very innovative upgrades.

Transparent Mac SE

As documented by Charlie Springer on his web page, the Macintosh SE in a clear plastic casing is a very rare find. Only a small number (reportedly 20) of the transparent cases were made from the SE case molds before they were textured – and only 10 of these were built into working computers.

Apple III Chaos: Apple’s First Failure

The Apple III was meant to be Apple’s bold entry into the business market; it ended as Apple’s first commercial failure and put the company into financial uncertainty. It was also responsible for sprouting both the Lisa and Macintosh projects, efforts that would save Apple.