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|
 Macintosh SE with dual 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; 38 years ago (1987-03-02) |
| Introductory price | US$2,900 (equivalent to $8,000 in 2024) (dual floppy) US$3,900 (equivalent to $10,800 in 2024) (with20 MB hard drive) |
| Discontinued | October 15, 1990; 34 years ago (1990-10-15) |
| Operating system | System 4.0 –System 7.5.5 |
| CPU | Motorola 68000 @ 7.8 MHz |
| Memory | 1 MB RAM, expandable to 4 MB (150 ns 30-pinSIMM) |
| Display | 9 in (23 cm) monochrome, 512 × 342 |
| Dimensions | Height: 13.6 in (35 cm) Width: 9.69 in (24.6 cm) Depth: 10.9 in (28 cm) |
| Weight | 17 lb (7.7 kg) |
| Predecessor | Macintosh 512Ke Macintosh Plus |
| Successor | Macintosh SE/30 Macintosh Classic |
| Related | Macintosh II Macintosh IIx |
TheMacintosh SE is apersonal computer designed, manufactured, and sold byApple Computer, from March 1987[1] to October 1990. It marked a significant improvement on theMacintosh Plus design and was introduced by Apple at the same time as theMacintosh II.
The SE retains the sameCompact Macintosh form factor as theoriginal Macintosh computer introduced three years earlier and uses the same design language used by the Macintosh II. An enhanced model, theSE/30, was introduced in January 1989; sales of the original SE continued. The Macintosh SE was updated in August 1989 to include aSuperDrive, with this updated version being called the "Macintosh SE FDHD" and later the "Macintosh SE SuperDrive". The Macintosh SE was replaced with theMacintosh Classic, a very similar model which retained the samecentral processing unit and form factor, but at a lower price point.
The Macintosh SE was introduced at the AppleWorld conference inLos Angeles on March 2, 1987. The "SE" is an initialism for "System Expansion".[2] Its notable new features, compared to its similar predecessor, theMacintosh Plus, were:
The SE andMacintosh II were the first Apple computers since theApple I to be sold without a keyboard. Instead the customer was offered the choice of the new ADBApple Keyboard or theApple Extended Keyboard.
Apple produced ten SEs with transparent cases asprototypes for promotional shots and employees. They are extremely rare and command a premium price for collectors.[5]
The Macintosh SE shipped with System 4.0 and Finder 5.4; this version is specific to this computer.[6] (The Macintosh II, which was announced at the same time but shipped a month later, included System 4.1 and Finder 5.5.) TheREADME file included with the installation disks for the SE and II is the first place Apple ever used the term "Macintosh System Software", and after 1998 these two versions were retroactively given the name "Macintosh System Software 2.0.1".[7]
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Processor:Motorola 68000, 8 MHz, with an 8 MHz system bus and a 16-bit data path
RAM: The SE came with 1 MB of RAM as standard, and is expandable to 4 MB. The logic board has four 30-pin SIMM slots; memory must be installed in pairs and must be 150 ns or faster.
Video: The built-in 512 × 342 monochrome screen uses 21,888 bytes of main memory as video memory.
Storage: The SE can accommodate either one or two floppy drives, or a floppy drive and a hard drive. After-market brackets were designed to allow the SE to accommodate two floppy drives as well as a hard drive; however, this was not a configuration supported by Apple. In addition, anexternal floppy disk drive may also be connected, making the SE the only Macintosh besides theMacintosh Portable which could support three floppy drives, though its increased storage, RAM capacity and optional internal hard drive rendered the external drives less of a necessity than for its predecessors. Single-floppy SE models also featured a drive-access light in the spot where the second floppy drive would be. Hard-drive equipped models came with a 20 MBSCSI hard disk.
Battery: A 3.6 V 1/2AA lithium battery, which must be present in order for basic settings to persist between power cycles, is located on the logic board. Macintosh SE machines which have sat for a long time have experiencedbattery corrosion and leakage, resulting in a damaged case and logic board. Some SE models feature a board-mounted battery holder, while others have the battery soldered directly in place.
Expansion: AProcessor Direct Slot on the logic board allows for expansion cards, such as accelerators, to be installed. The SE can be upgraded to 50 MHz and more than 5 MB with theMicroMac accelerators. In the past other accelerators were also available such as the Sonnet Allegro. Since installing a card required opening the computer's case and exposing the user to high voltages from the internalCRT, Apple recommended that only authorized Apple dealers install the cards; the case was sealed with then-uncommonTorx screws.
Upgrades: After Apple introduced theMacintosh SE/30 in January, 1989, a logic board upgrade was sold by Apple dealers for US$1,699 as a high-cost upgrade for the SE, consisting of a new SE/30 motherboard, case front and internal chassis to accommodate the upgrade components.
ROM/Easter egg: The SE ROM size increased from 64 KB in the original Mac (and 128 KB in the Mac Plus) to 256 KB, which allowed the development team to include anEaster Egg hidden in the ROMs. By jumping to address 0x41D89A (or reading from the ROM chips), it is possible to display four images of the engineering team.[8]
Introduced March 2, 1987:
Introduced August 1, 1988:
Introduced August 1, 1989:
| Timeline ofCompact Macintosh models |
|---|
 See also:List of Mac models andCompact Macintosh |
