Macintosh Portable
For today’s entry in my “Zscaler Logo on a Weird, Old or Obsolete Device” series, I present the legendary Macintosh Portable!
Released in 1989, the Mac Portable was designed entirely in-house by Apple engineers, and it was a stunning product for the time. It is a fully-realized desktop computer with all the connectors and ports of a late-80's Mac and 2X the speed of its desktop equivalents, all running off a huge lead-acid battery roughly the size of a brick. Apple’s clever power-management system + this gigantic battery meant that the Portable could run for 10-12 hours on battery alone - a stat that many modern laptops still struggle to match.
This machine is a “Frankenmac,” as it started as an original “non-backlit” machine from 1989 but subsequently received an expensive upgrade to benefit from an illuminated backlit display. I bought it years ago from its original owner, who used it to design the New Mexico Spaceport (aka Spaceport America). He’d abandoned it to a box in his garage after it was accidentally dropped, badly cracking the case.
Just this past weekend, I undertook the terrifying experience of carefully (carefully!) transplanting the internals of the system into a replacement case I bought from someone parting a Portable out. The system is very cleverly designed - I was able to completely disassemble the entire thing without using a single screwdriver, as the internals fit together origami-style, held together by countless plastic clips. After the painstaking work of migrating everything out of the old case and into the new, undamaged case, the machine is running well and looking great again.
The Mac Portable was a pretty significant failure on the market, but I love this beast - it’s huge, it’s heavy, and it’s a delight to use. If nothing else, it’s amazing to have a battery-powered Mac with a full-size mechanical keyboard - a dream to type on! Eagle-eyed readers might remember seeing this machine in a post a couple years ago, but I felt like this new-and-improved setup warranted a re-share :-)
That’s it for today - have a great weekend, everyone!
