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Macintosh Portable Gets Torn Apart to Celebrate 20th Birthday!

Posted on 22 September 2009 by


macport22

Sometimes it is hard to believe how quickly technology marches on … and other times it seems amazing to look upon the relics of technology past, and think that folks used those as cutting-edge devices at one point. As someone who used a Macintosh Portable from when it came out until past the time it was really a feasible computer, seeing it get torn to bits doesn’t sound too bad to me! Technologizer takes us step-by-step through the entire system, using a handy iPod Touch to serve as a size comparison throughout.

From their introduction:

On September 20th, 1989, Apple released the Macintosh Portable, the first true mobile Mac and a much-maligned machine. It didn’t sell well and is very rare today–not due to any particular design failure, but because the original price was a whopping $6,500-$7,300 ($11,288 to $12,677 in 2009 dollars). It wasn’t the only Mac to cost that much, but others in that price range offered top-of-the-line performance. The Portable was both too expensive and too underpowered to catch on. Its large size didn’t help, either.

I completely agree – the Portable was generally termed the ‘Luggable’ and it was a necessary evil for me in my job to carry around for the lab work I was doing back then. when the Powerbook arrived and I was able to justify one, it was a revelation in terms of size, weight and usability!

And here is what I found most amusing – stacking the iPod Touch on the massive battery of the Portable (they couldn’t do it the other way or the Touch would have been crushed beyond recognition!):

macport72

Source: Technologizer via Engadget

This post was written by:

- who has written 2379 posts on Gear Diary.

I have loved technology for as long as I can remember - and have been a computer gamer since the PDP-10! Mobile Technology has played a major role in my life - I have used an electronic companion since the HP95LX more than 20 years ago, and have been a 'Laptop First' person since my Compaq LTE Lite 3/20 and Powerbook 170 back in 1991! As an avid gamer and gadget-junkie I was constantly asked for my opinions on new technology, which led to writing small blurbs ... and eventually becoming a reviewer many years ago. My family is my biggest priority in life, and they alternate between loving and tolerating my gaming and gadget hobbies ... but ultimately benefits from the addition of technology to our lives!

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  • http://www.geardiary.com Federico Cervelli

    Simply lovely!!