Macintosh Makes the Connection

1997 – Surprising to many, the first Macs didn’t have SCSI. The Apple design team created a compact, closed box with a disk drive, CPU, monitor, 128 KB of RAM, keyboard and mouse ports, a floppy drive port, and two serial ports. The serial ports were the secret – they could support a 230.4 Kbps […]

Beige Power Mac G3 (1997)

The Beige G3 is a third-generation Power Mac. It has a new motherboard with a faster system bus than earlier models, a third-generation PowerPC CPU, uses a completely different type of memory, has a different way of upgrading the CPU, and includes a personality card slot. The Power Mac G3 comes in desktop and minitower […]

Kanga PowerBook G3

This PowerBook G3 was the first Mac designed around the PowerPC 750 (a.k.a. G3) processor, beating the first G3 Power Macs by less than a week. It was the world’s most powerful notebook computer when it was released in late 1997.

MaxxBoxx 960

The MaxxBoxx 960 is based on the Tsunami motherboard (also used in the Power Mac 9600) and shipped with 180-225 MHz PowerPC 604e CPUs. The cube-shaped case has 10 drive bays. MaxxBoxx clones were only sold in Germany.

MaxxBoxx 930

The MaxxBoxx 930 was based on the Tsunami motherboard (also used in the Power Mac 9600) and shipped with a 233-333 MHz Power PC 604e CPU. MaxxBoxx clones are cube-shaped and have a whopping 10 drive bays. MaxxBoxx computers were only sold in Germany.

New Digital Camera Idea

I’m a 35mm photographer from way back. I got my first camera in ninth grade, my first SLR system in tenth, and my first new 35mm SLR less than a year later. I’ve owned and used Miranda, Minolta, and Olympus cameras, before settling on an autofocus Nikon last year.

Macintosh Support at Yale

April 1998 – The following editorial was written some months after the explosion caused by a letter from Dan Updegrove, Director of Information Technology at Yale, advising incoming students to buy Windows computers instead of Macs. In light of an article in Rumpus (no longer online), the Yale student newspaper, Low End Mac reprints the […]

MaxxBoxx 730/200

The MaxxBoxx 730/200 is based on the Tanzania II motherboard (also used in the Power Mac 6500) and shipped with a 200 MHz PowerPC 604e CPU. The cube-shaped case has a whopping 10 drive bays. MaxxBoxx clones were only sold in Germany.

Red Box, Blue Box, Yellow Box

Rhapsody was Apple’s code name for what eventually became Mac OS X. Yellow Box became the OS X interface, and Blue Box became the Classic Environment, which allowed OS X users to continue to use Classic Mac OS software on their PowerPC Macs through Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Red Box, the planned PC Environment […]

Send for the Clones

1997: My, but we live in interesting times! Apple, consistently the most innovative vendor of personal computers and operating systems, has twice changed CPU platforms (from 6502-based Apple 1, II, and III to 680×0-based Lisa and Macintosh, to PowerPC-based Power Macintosh) and is on the verge of introducing a new (to Mac users) operating system […]

Send Out the Clones?

1997: The entire Mac world has been on a roller coaster ride for the last year. Good news: Power Computing, Motorola, Umax, Daystar, and others were making Mac OS computers. They were offering performance, features, and prices that made them a legitimate alternative to Apple’s own hardware. They seemed to be growing the Mac market […]

Motorola StarMax 6000

The 6000-series was the first and only Mac clone built using a CHRP (Common Hardware Reference Platform) motherboard. It was the only Mac clone with a G3 on the motherboard. It was also the last StarMax model, as Motorola exited the Mac clone business at the end of 1997.

Mac Upgrade Guide

You’ve decided to keep your old Mac and increase its capabilities. It’s users like you that keep the add-on manufacturers in business. Modems and CD-ROMs are usually external and can easily move from one Mac to another, so I won’t be addressing them.

Dream MAChines

1997 – I’ve been using Macs since 1986, when I designed a 54-page booklet on a friend’s newly upgraded Macintosh (upgraded to a Plus with 1 MB RAM!) with Aldus PageMaker 1.0 and a LaserWriter printer. I sold Macs from 1987 to 1991, seeing the introduction of the first expandable Macs (SE and II in 1987), the […]

MaxxBoxx 860

The MaxxBoxx 860 is based on the Nitro motherboard (also used in the Power Mac 8600) and shipped with 180-225 MHz Power PC 604e CPUs. The MaxxBoxx cube-shaped cases have a whopping 10 drive bays. MaxxBoxx clones were only sold in Germany.

Rodney Lain Joins WCG’s Most Wanted

This article was written when Rodney was disfellowshipped by the Macon, GA, Worldwide Church of God (WCG) congregation. It was originally published on the MarkTab Ministries website, which no longer exists. It is copyright by Rodney O. Lain. Links have been retained when possible, but many go to the Internet Wayback Machine.

PowerBook 2400c

The PowerBook 2400c was designed to replace the discontinued Duo series – particularly the 2300c – with something very small and light (just 4.4 lb./2.0 kg). Although the keyboard is slightly smaller than usual, those who have 2400s just love these small PowerBooks. And with its 8.5″ x 10.5″ dimensions, the 2400c had the smallest footprint […]

Motorola StarMax 5000

The 5000-series was Motorola’s second generation Mac clone. Based on the Tanzania II motherboard with a 50 MHz bus, these tower computers provide excellent performance at a reasonable price. All models include an EDI hard drive, ATAPI CD-ROM player, and five-year warranty.

20th Anniversary Mac

The Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh (or TAM) was a radical change from existing computers. The slim unit (just 2.5″ deep) uses the same kind of LCD screen usually found in laptops. Bose Acoustimass stereo speakers surround it, along with a large subwoofer in the base power unit, for really exceptional sound.