Macintosh
- 1984
The one that started it all. Case design was identical in the 128k
and 512k Mac models, with a 9" black & white screen, small
keyboard, separate numeric keypad, and a 3.5" 400k floppy drive;
the 512k "Fat Mac" added badly needed RAM. System Software
ran off one floppy, and a second external drive (if you were lucky)
held your program or data files - swapping floppies was a way of life
for Mac pioneers. The original Mac System Software did not yet have
a Shut Down command, just Eject Disk and the power switch on the back.
But Windows and Menus were there, the Mouse got introduced to the
masses, and the classic Calculator desk accessory survived virtually
unchanged all the way to Mac OS 9! The GUI had arrived.
At the VMM a 512k traces the early evolution of the Mac OS with boot
floppies for Systems 1-5.
VMM
TV: Apple
"1984" Commercial
Macintosh Plus - 1986
Apple's longest selling 68k Macintosh model (1986-1990), the Mac Plus
brought SCSI support, a full keyboard, a significantly larger RAM capacity
(4MB) and an external hard drive option - yay, the end of floppy swapping!
The Plus became a big business seller, and teamed with the original
Apple LaserWriter and Adobe PostScript fonts offered a reasonably priced
entry into the new world of Desktop Publishing. The Mac's role in defining
this industry had an indelible effect on publishing and the dissemination
of information worldwide.
The VMM Mac Plus
runs System 6.0.8 and is loaded with copies of Apple's original MacPaint,
MacWrite and MacDraw, some classic Mac games, and helps read old floppy
disks for Oakbog's old Mac file transfer and conversion services.
VMM Blog: Vintage
Mac Museum Workhorse - Mac Plus
Macintosh IIci - 1989
The Mac II marked the introduction of color screens and expandable systems
- with fans (an objection of His Stevedom during the First Jobs Dynasty).
The Mac's use in business, live performances and the creative arts exploded
with the Mac II line. The IIci was the most popular of the series, using
a smaller, easy to service 3-slot case sized for cubicle desktops; the
IIfx was the 6 slot champ with its "wicked fast" 40MHz 68030.
And who can forget the clarity of the Apple 13" RGB monitor? So what
if it weighed 50 pounds and doubled as a space heater, the thing was built
like a tank!
The Museum Mac IIci runs System 7.1 and has copies of two seminal early
web applications, NCSA Mosaic (the first graphical web browser) and
Netscape 1.1N. Let the Browser Wars commence! VMM
TV: Dinosaurs
Macintosh SE/30 - 1989
The SE/30 was the compact Mac on steroids. A 68030 processor gave
this machine the processing power of a Mac IIx, a PDS expansion slot
allowed for ethernet capabilities, and it had a power supply that couldn't
be beat - to this day there are still SE/30s running in dusty closets
around the world. This machine powered many home MIDI studios running
MOTU Performer and Opcode Vision software, and often found a second
life as a back room fileserver (just like your hand-me-down iMac).
The VMM SE/30 runs
System 7.5.5 and can go wireless using an ethernet-to-WiFi bridge! There's
nothing like surfing the 'net in black & white with Netscape 2.0
to impress the friends and neighbors!
Macintosh TV - 1993
A black Mac! The MacTV was a limited edition Performa 520 all-in one,
clad in a black case and including a TV tuner card. A Control Panel
or supplied infrared remote control switched the whole screen between
the Mac's desktop, the TV tuner or a composite video input - no video-in-a-window
on this puppy. Nothing the Performa couldn't do, but Apple offered very
few black machines during this period (or since) in North America (they
were more popular in Europe), and it looked very cool! Unfortunately
it was ahead of its time, and underwhelming performance plus slow sales
led to a short lifespan. It has since become a desirable collector's
model.
At the VMM a MacTV is connected to a DVD player running a loop of Apple
TV commercials and demos from throughout Apple's history.
Quadra 840AV - 1993
The Motorola 68040 processor was the powerhouse of the 68k era,
and the Quadra series (replacing the Mac II) was named after this fourth-generation
chip. The 840AV was the ultimate 68k Macintosh:
40MHz '040 processor, fastest NuBus architecture, 16 bit stereo sound
with video input/output, the ARTA chip (Apple Real Time Architecture
- another fine technology doomed before it's time), and a sporty minitower
case. This machine was faster for many tasks than the first generation
PowerPC machines introduced a year later, and Quadras dominated the
professional audio and video production industries in the early 1990s.
At the Museum a
Quadra 840AV is running Mac OS 8.1 and showcasing
Apple's legendary "1984" commercial on its AudioVision monitor.
It also serves as an Ethernet-to-LocalTalk bridge for the Mac Plus with
old Mac file transfer projects.
VMM TV: The
Quadra Revolution
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