| Release date | September 20, 1989 (Original) October 15, 1990 (Backlit) |
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| Introductory price | $6,500 |
| Discontinued | October 15, 1990 (Original) October 21, 1991 (Backlit) |
| Operating system | 6.0.4 (Original) 6.0.7 (Backlit) - 7.5.5 |
| CPU | Motorola 68000 @ 16 MHz |
| Memory | 1 MiB, expandable to 9 MiB, 8 MiB backlit version (SRAM) |
The Macintosh Portable was Apple Inc.'s first attempt at making a battery-powered portable Macintosh personal computer that held the power of a desktop Macintosh. It was also the first commercial off-the-shelf portable computer used in space and the first to send an email from space, in 1991 aboard Space Shuttle mission STS-43.[1][2][3]
Released on September 20, 1989, it was received with excitement from most critics but with very poor sales to consumers. It featured a black and white active-matrix LCD screen in a hinged cover that covered the keyboard when the machine was not in use. The mouse function was handled by a built-in trackball that could be removed and located on either side of the keyboard. It used expensive SRAM in an effort to maximize battery life and to provide an "instant on" low power sleep mode.
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Unlike later portable computers from Apple and other manufacturers, the battery is charged in series with the supply of power to the computer. If the battery can no longer hold a charge, then the computer cannot run on AC power and hence it will not boot. The main reason for this is that the original power supply had a very low output. This is also why in many instances the hard drive would not spin up. Several popular unauthorized workarounds were devised, including to use the power supply from the PowerBook 100 Series which provides a higher output. Sealed lead acid cells tend to fail if they are fully discharged, another common complaint about the Portable. The batteries are no longer manufactured and it is very rare to find an original battery that will hold charge and allow the computer to start. It is possible to repack the battery with new cells, or use alternative 6 V batteries [1]. The sealed lead acid cells used in the Portable's battery pack were made by Gates and were also used in Quantum 1 battery packs for photographic flash use.
One of the drawbacks of the Portable was poor readability in low light situations. So in February 1991, Apple introduced a backlit Macintosh Portable (model M5126). Along with the new screen, Apple changed the SRAM memory to pseudo-SRAM (which reduced the total RAM expansion to 8 MB) and lowered the price. The backlight feature was a welcomed improvement, but it came with a sacrifice: battery life was cut in half. An upgrade kit was also offered for the earlier model as well, which plugged into the ROM expansion slot. The Portable was discontinued in October of the same year.
In addition, at 16 pounds and 4 inches thick, the Portable was a heavy and bulky portable computer. Lead-acid batteries contributed to its weight and bulk.[4]
The Macintosh Portable and PowerBook 100 can run Macintosh System 6.0.4 through System 7.5.5.
In May 2006, PC World rated the Macintosh Portable as the seventeenth worst tech product of all time.[4]
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