PowerBook 540

Blackbird was Apple’s code name for a new line of PowerBooks based on the 68LC040 processor. (The LC version of the 68040 draws less power and has no FPU.) The 500 series included several firsts: the first portable with a trackpad, the first with a PCMCIA (later PC Card) slot, the first with stereo speakers, […]

Blackbird: The PowerBook 500 Series

Blackbird was Apple’s code name for a new line of PowerBooks based on the 68LC040 processor. (The LC version of the 68040 draws less power but has no FPU.) These PowerBooks introduced a full-sized keyboard with 12 function keys, replaced the trackball with a trackpad, had a 640 x 480 screen, and even had built-in […]

Overview of Compact Macs

Apple released ten different “compact” all-in-one Macs between 1984 and 1993. Some used a 9″ b&w display, others a 10″ color screen. Some ran 68000 CPUs at 8 MHz, others 68030 CPUs at 16 MHz or 33 MHz. Some had expansion slots and drive bays, others didn’t. Memory ranged from 128 KB in the original […]

Power Mac 8100

The 80 MHz Power Mac 8100 was the fastest Power Mac when Apple introduced the line in March 1994, and it was the only model to ship from the factory with a 256 KB level 2 cache installed.

Power Mac 7100

The 66 MHz 7100 was the middle of the Power Mac line when Apple introduced its first PowerPC models in March 1994. Built into the Quadra 650 case, the 7100 has three NuBus slots and a PDS (processor direct slot).

Power Mac 6100

The 60 MHz Power Mac 6100 was the entry-level Power Mac when Apple introduced its first PowerPC models in March 1994. Built into the Quadra 610 case, the 6100 contains a PDS (processor direct slot) that can be converted to a NuBus slot with an adapter.

Macintosh Display Card 24AC

The Macintosh Display Card 24AC is a 7″ NuBus accelerated video card compatible with both 680×0- and PowerPC-based Macs. With ROM version 1.0, the card is only compatible with System versions from 7.1 up to (and including) 7.5.2 but not 7.5.3 or later; with ROM version 1.1, the card is compatible with Mac OS versions from […]

Mac LC Index

This index cover the Macintosh LC series, Apple’s first low-cost color Macs. (68040-based LCs are also listed on the Quadra page.) The LC series was one of the most popular in Apple’s history.

Mac Colour Classic II (Performa 275)

First available in Canada (1993), and then Asia and Europe (and never sold in the home US market), the Colour Classic II (also known as the Performa 275) shares the motherboard design of the LC III. Running at a relatively fast 33 MHz, memory can be expanded as far as 36 MB.

Quadra 650

Finding the market confused with five product lines (Mac II, Centris, Quadra, Performa, and PowerBook), Apple renamed the Centris models in October 1993. At the same time, the 68040 CPU in the Quadra 650 was boosted to 33 MHz.

Quadra 610

Finding the market confused with five product lines (Mac II, Centris, Quadra, Performa, and PowerBook), Apple renamed the Centris models in October 1993.

Quadra 605

What was the smallest desktop Mac prior to the Mac mini? Apple’s LC series, which measured just under 3″ tall, although it had as big a footprint as four Minis. And the Quadra 605 (also known as the LC 475 and Performa 475 or 476) was the most powerful model in this diminutive line.

Quadra 840av

Using the same case as the Quadra 800, the 840av incorporates the same AV circuitry as the Centris 660av. Running a 40 MHz CPU, this was Apple’s fastest 68040-based computer ever.

PowerBook 180c

The PowerBook 180c added an active matrix 256-color screen to the already popular PowerBook 180. The color screen took its toll on the battery, reducing usable life to aboone1 hour.

DayStar Turbo 040 Processor Upgrade

If you want to get a real jump on performance, but you don’t want to have to buy new PowerPC ready applications, then the Turbo 040 is for you. Unlike a Power Macintosh, DayStar’s Turbo 040 radically accelerates all your current software and doesn’t require the purchase of new PowerPC versions of your applications. And […]

Personal LaserWriter 300

Earlier in 1993, Apple had introduced its low-end LaserWriter Select line, which seemed like a replacement for the Personal LaserWriter family – but here was the Personal LaserWriter 300, another low cost 4-page-per-minute serial-only QuickDraw printer similar to the Personal LaserWriter LS. Color me confused by two competing product lines!

Mac II Series Index

This index covers the entire Macs II series, from the 68020-based Mac II of 1987 through the last 68030-based Mac II models. Models are listed by MacBench score, which approximates real world performance. Speedometer score is CPU rating relative to Classic (1.0 on Speedometer 3) and Quadra 605 (1.0 on Speedometer 4). model MacBench (v. SE) […]

Quadra 800

Apple introduced a new case design with the Quadra 800, one later used by the Quadra 840av and two Power Macs, the 8100 and 8500. Perhaps the most frustrating case to work with, it has three front accessible drive bays. One is for the floppy drive; the others may hold CD-ROM, a DAT drive, a SyQuest mechanism, etc.