Macintosh SE/30
 | |
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer |
|---|---|
| Product family | Compact Macintosh |
| Type | All-in-one |
| Release date | January 19, 1989 |
| Introductory price | US$4,369 (equivalent to $7,510 in 2020) |
| Discontinued | October 21, 1991 |
| Operating system | System 6.0.3 – System 7.5.5 With a 32-bit clean ROM upgrade: Mac OS 7.6 – Mac OS 8.1, A/UX |
| CPU | Motorola 68030 @ 15.667 MHz Motorola 68882 FPU |
| Memory | 1 MB RAM, expandable to 32 MB (120 ns 30-pin SIMM) |
| Display | 9 in (23 cm) monochrome, 512 × 342 |
| Dimensions | Height: 13.6 in (35 cm) Width: 9.6 in (24 cm) Depth: 10.9 in (28 cm) |
| Weight | 19.5 lb (8.8 kg) |
| Predecessor | Macintosh SE |
| Successor | Macintosh Classic Macintosh Classic II |
The Macintosh SE/30 is a personal computer made and sold by Apple Computer between January 1989 and October 1991. It is the fastest model in the original black-and-white compact Macintosh series.
The SE/30 has a black-and-white screen and one Processor Direct Slot (PDS) for upgrades like faster processors, network cards, or display adapters. It could use up to 32 MB of RAM, which was a lot at that time. It usually came with a 40 MB or 80 MB hard drive. It was also the first small Mac to come with a 1.44 MB high-density floppy disk drive (later versions of the SE had one too, but early ones did not).
The SE/30 was powerful enough to make This Week, the first color tabloid newspaper in the UK to use digital pre-press technology on a personal computer.
Apple offered an upgrade for US$1,699 that turned a regular Macintosh SE into an SE/30. This upgrade changed the logic board and added a new front bezel to match the SE/30.
Even though the Macintosh Classic came out in late 1990, the SE/30 stayed on sale until the Macintosh Classic II replaced it in 1991. The Classic II used the same processor and speed but was slower overall because of its 16-bit data path,[1] supported only 10 MB of RAM, had no expansion slot, and made the Motorola 68882 FPU optional.
Hardware
The Motorola 68030 chip in the SE/30 could handle 32-bit memory addressing. However, the computer's built-in software (ROM) used some older 24-bit code, making it "32-bit dirty." Because of this, the SE/30 could only use up to 8 MB of RAM under System 6 unless users installed a special extension called MODE32.[2]
Under System 7, it could use up to 128 MB of RAM. Users could also install a ROM chip from a Mac IIsi or IIfx to make the SE/30 fully "32-bit clean" and use newer operating systems like Mac OS 7.5 and 7.6.1.
A normal SE/30 can run up to System 7.5.5,[3] but Mac OS 7.6 needs a "32-bit clean" ROM.[4]
The SE/30 could also run A/UX, Apple's version of Unix that could also run Mac programs.[5]
Some companies sold upgrades that made the SE/30 even better. Adding a 68040 chip allowed it to run Mac OS 8.1. Video cards from Micron Technology let users add color monitors or even turn the built-in display into 8-bit greyscale.[6]
Reception
In February 1989, Nick Baran from BYTE said the SE/30 was much faster than the SE and II. He said the only reason to buy a IIx instead was for its expansion slots and better A/UX support.[7]
Bruce F. Webster wrote in Macworld (March 1989) that the SE/30 didn't "break new ground" but added a powerful and portable choice to Apple's product line.[8]
In 2009, Adam C. Engst, John Gruber, and John Siracusa called the SE/30 their favorite Mac ever. Gruber said the SE/30 "remained usable for years."
The SE/30 is still popular with hobbyists and collectors today.[9] Some models have been upgraded with WiFi and even used as Spotify music players.[10]
References
- ↑ Mac Classic II, a Compromised Mac. Low End Mac (March 12, 2014). Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ↑ Pogue, David. MacWorld Mac Secrets, 5th Edition (1999)IDG Books. p. 461–462. ISBN 0-7645-4040-8.
- ↑ 25 Years of the Mac SE/30. Low End Mac (January 19, 2014). Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ↑ Lowendmac. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ↑ A/UX FAQ. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ↑ SE/30 GrayScale ScreenShots. Retrieved July 20, 2020.; Micron Xceed for Mac SE/30. Low End Mac (September 2, 1999). Retrieved August 11, 2019.; Xceed SE/306-48 (August 15, 2023). Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ↑ Baran, Nick (February 1989). "The Mac SE Takes Off". BYTE: 113-116. https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1989-02_OCR/page/n167/mode/2up.
- ↑ Webster, Bruce F. (March 1989). "The Mac SE Turns 030". Macworld 6 (3): 112–117. https://archive.org/stream/MacWorld_8903_March_1989#page/n121/mode/2up.
- ↑ Benchoff, Brian. Apple's Best Computer Gets WiFi (2018-09-26). Retrieved 2019-08-10.
- ↑ Coward, Cameron. A Macintosh SE/30 Spotify Music Player (2018-12-26). Retrieved 2019-08-10.
