1984 Macintosh Line Art
The Vintage Mac Museum
68k Macintosh


The Computer for the Rest of Us    

128k/512k Mac
Macintosh - Systems 1 thru 5
The one that started it all. Case design was identical in the 128k and 512k models, with a small keyboard, separate numeric keypad and internal/external 3.5" 400k floppy drives; the 512k "Fat Mac" added badly needed RAM. System Software ran off one floppy, and the second (if you were lucky) held your program or data files - swapping floppies was a way of life for the Mac pioneers. System 1 did not yet have a Shut Down command, just Eject Disk and the power switch on the back. But it sported the classic Calculator desk accessory, which survived virtually unchanged all the way through to MacOS9!

This Mac (512k) has boot floppies for Macintosh Systems 1 through 5, tracing the early evolution of the MacOS.


Mac Plus
Macintosh Plus - System 6.0.8

Apple's longest selling Macintosh model (1986-1990), the Mac Plus brought SCSI support, a significantly larger RAM capacity (4MB) and external hard drives with a whopping 10MB of storage - yay, the end of floppy swapping! The Plus became a big business seller, and teamed with the original Apple LaserWriter 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.

This Mac Plus is loaded with copies of Apple's original MacPaint, MacWrite and MacDraw software, along with other classic early Mac apps and games.

 

  MacWorld cover 1884 Macintosh cutaway

 
Macintosh IIci

Macintosh IIci & Apple RGB monitor - System 7.1

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...

This Mac IIci has copies of two seminal early web applications, NCSA Mosaic (the first graphical web browser) and Netscape 1.1N. Let the Browser Wars commence...


Macintosh TV
Macintosh TV - System 7.1
A black Mac! The MacTV was essentially a limited edition Performa 520 all-in one, clad in a black case and including the 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 made very few black machines during this period (or since), and it looked very cool! Unfortunately it was ahead of its time, and slow sales led to a short lifespan.

This MacTV is connected to a DVD player and plays a loop of Apple TV commercials and demos during exhibits of the Vintage Mac Museum. (Spares Needed)



SE/30


Macintosh SE/30 - System 7.5.5
The SE/30 was the compact Mac on steroids. A 68030 processor gave this machine the processing power of a Mac IIx, a NuBus 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 as servers in dusty closets around the world. This machine powered many home MIDI studios running MOTU Performer and Opcode Vision software.

Currently this SE/30 is 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!


Quadra 840AV

Quadra 840AV - MacOS 8.1
The Quadra 840AV was the ultimate 68k Macintosh: 40MHz 68040 processor, fastest NuBus architecture, 16 bit stereo sound with video I/O, 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.

This Quadra 840AV is running MacOS 8.1 and showcasing Apple's legendary "1984" commercial on it's AudioVision monitor, along with early versions of some popular audio production and graphic design software (ProTools, Deck II, Photoshop, Illustrator).


 

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