Collection › Macintosh PowerBook 180c

D027 · Apple Heritage Museum · Lugano

Macintosh PowerBook 180c

1993 · Mac era PowerBook

Introduced

1993

Original price

$ 4110

Processor

Motorola 68030

Original OS

System 7.1

1976

1984

1998

2001

2007

2020

2026

Pre-Mac

Mac era

iMac era

iPod era

iPhone era

Silicon

Processor

ProcessorMotorola 68030

Speed33 MHz

System bus16 MHz/33 MHz (low-power/normal modes)

Memory & graphics

Standard RAM4 MB

Max RAM14 MB

Display8.4" color active-matrix display

Resolutions640x480, 8-bit color

Display connectionExternal monitor support, 8-bit color (dual displays or mirrored)

Storage

Storage80 MB or 160 MB hard drive; internal 1.44 MB floppy drive

Connectivity

Audio inMicrophone jack

Audio outSpeaker/headphone jack

ModemInternal modem bay

SCSI1 SCSI port (HDI-30)

ADB1 ADB port

Serial2 RS-422 serial ports

Software

Original OSSystem 7.1

Power

Weight7.1 lbs

BatteryNiCad battery

Max power24 W (adapter model M5652 or M4462)

Identifiers

Model N°M7940

Lifecycle

Introduced1993

Discontinued1994

History

Launched in October 1992, the PowerBook 180 replaced the 170 at the top of the product line. It featured the same external monitor capability as the less expensive 160 model, but was faster and equipped with an FPU. The 180 cost $4,110 USD and was discontinued in May 1994. It was joined in June 1993 by the 180c model, which included an active matrix screen with 256 colors (a world first for PowerBooks) and cost $4,160 USD. The 180c was discontinued in March 1994.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook_100_series · Wikipedia

Trivia

• The PowerBook 180 from 1992 cost $4,110, an astronomical figure for the time that would correspond to approximately 10,000 euros today, yet it remained in production for only 20 months. • The PowerBook 180c was the first Apple laptop to mount an active matrix color display with 256 colors, a revolutionary technology that cost only $50 more than the base model. • Despite being the top-of-the-line model, the PowerBook 180 had the same external monitor connectivity capacity as the more economical 160 model, demonstrating sometimes bizarre design choices in the early years of Apple laptops.

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D027 · APPLE HERITAGE MUSEUM · LUGANO

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