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.

Koji Igarashi Brings Next Masterpiece to the Mac via Steam

For the first time on the Mac (via Steam), gamers will be finally getting the opportunity to simultaneously enjoy a new release title, alongside console gamers from the legendary team of director Koji Igarashi (affectionately known simply as IGA by fans) and master composer Michiru Yamane. For those not fully aware of these two Japanese […]

Software Compatible with 68000-based Macs

This is a list of some apps and extensions that work on 68000-based Macs including the Mac Plus, Mac SE, Mac Portable, Mac Classic, and PowerBook 100. Notes and RAM requirements are in parentheses. (Compatibility tested mainly on a 4 MB PowerBook 100 or Mac Plus running System 7.0.1.) Note also that newer versions might work.

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.

The Ill-Fated Apple III

As a computer manufacturer, Apple gets a strangely distorted press. Its position as the only serious commercial competitor to Microsoft guarantees that every move the company makes is documented – and often distorted.

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.

2 Apple Failures: Apple III and Lisa

Realizing that the Apple II would not sustain Apple forever, the Sara project began. The main idea of Sara was to create a more powerful and capable Apple II. It would include 128 KB of RAM, an integrated floppy drive, and a high resolution display – 80 columns wide instead of the Apple II’s 40.

The Lisa Legacy

For most Mac users, Apple’s Lisa isn’t even a footnote in Mac history. The $10,000 computer is rarely remembered as the Mac’s mother – and those who do remember it also tend to recall how Apple dumped thousands upon thousands of unsold Lisas in a Utah landfill when the computer was discontinued.

Apple Lisa Index

Apple’s Lisa was the predecessor of the Macintosh that introduced the mouse, the graphical user interface, and the integrated all-in-one design that would characterize the earliest Macs – and later on the iMac.

Mouse Design: 1963 to 1983

Although it was invented by Doug Engelbart in 1963, the computer mouse wasn’t an instant success. That had to wait for the 1980s and the introduction of computers with graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

The MacBook Legacy: 2006 to 2011

On May 16, 2006, Apple introduced the consumer MacBook, the 13.3″ replacement for the old 12″ and 14″ iBooks. The first MacBooks had a wider 1280 x 800 display (vs. 1024 x 768 for G4 iBooks) and used Intel’s Core Duo processors. The biggest differences between the consumer MacBook and the MacBook Pro are the […]

Best 13″ MacBook Prices

Apple last updated the 13″ MacBook in May 2010 and discontinued it with the introduction of the Mid 2011 MacBook Air, although it was still available in the education channel for a while after that. The final model claimed up to 10 hours of wireless productivity, has a 2.4 GHz CPU, and uses Nvidia’s 320M graphics processor.

Mac Calculators: From Jobsian Simplicity to Eye Candy

If you’re at all interested in the early history of Macs, especially the Mac OS, you owe it to yourself to bookmark Mac Floppy or put it in your RSS news feed. Billed as, “A look back at the Mac’s past when the best things in life fit on a floppy,” it’s an enjoyable reminiscence […]