Macintosh SE
Macintosh SE with two floppy drives | |
| Also known as | Macintosh SE FDHD Macintosh SE SuperDrive |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer |
| Product family | Compact Macintosh |
| Type | All-in-one |
| Release date | March 2, 1987 |
| Introductory price | US$2,900 (dual floppy) US$3,900 (with 20 MB hard drive) |
| Discontinued | October 15, 1990 |
| Operating system | System 4.0 – System 7.5.5 |
| CPU | Motorola 68000 @ 7.8 MHz |
| Memory | 1 MB (upgradable to 4 MB) (150 ns 30-pin SIMM) |
| Display | 9 in (23 cm) black-and-white screen, 512 × 342 |
| Mass | 17 lb (7.7 kg) |
| Predecessor | Macintosh 512Ke, Macintosh Plus |
| Successor | Macintosh SE/30, Macintosh Classic |
The Macintosh SE is a personal computer made by Apple Computer from March 1987[1] to October 1990. It was the fourth model in the Macintosh line and improved the design of the earlier Macintosh Plus. It came out at the same time as the Macintosh II.
The SE looked like older compact Macs, but it was faster and had more features. Apple also released a better version in 1989 called the Macintosh SE/30. Later that year, they added a special floppy drive called the "SuperDrive" that could read high-density disks. That version was called the "Macintosh SE FDHD" and later "Macintosh SE SuperDrive".
The SE was replaced by the Macintosh Classic, which had a similar look but was cheaper.
Overview
Apple introduced the Macintosh SE at an event in Los Angeles on March 2, 1987. "SE" means "System Expansion".[2]
New features compared to the Macintosh Plus:
- First compact Mac with space for a hard drive or a second floppy drive.
- First with a slot for upgrade cards.
- First Mac to support the Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) for keyboard and mouse.
- Faster connection for external devices using SCSI.
- Built-in cooling fan for better reliability.
- 10–20% faster performance due to improved RAM access.[3]
- Extra fonts and text spacing tools in the system ROM.[4]
- Included the Disk First Aid tool.
Unlike earlier Macs, the SE didn’t come with a keyboard. Buyers could choose from the regular Apple Keyboard or the bigger Apple Extended Keyboard.
Apple also made ten clear (see-through) SEs as prototypes for photos and employees. These are very rare and valuable.[5]
Operating system
The SE came with System 4.0 and Finder 5.4.[6] These versions were made just for this computer. Later, they were named "System Software 2.0.1".[7]
References
- ↑ Joel West (1987-03-02). "Macintosh II and Macintosh SE announced". Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.
- ↑ Goodin, Sue; Wilson, Dave (April 1987). "Programming the New Macs". MacTech.
- ↑ "Vectronic's Macintosh SE". Archived from the original on 2017-10-04. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ↑ "How the SE Really Differs". MacWorld. May 1987. p. 116.
- ↑ "Transparent Macintosh SE". Low End Mac. Archived from the original on 2015-05-10. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ↑ "Macintosh hardware releases".
- ↑ "Macintosh: System Software Version History".