From 128K to Quadra: Model by Model
Chapter 12 From 128K to Quadra: Model by Model IN THIS CHAPTER: I What the specs mean I The specs for every Mac model ever made I Secrets of the pre-PowerPC Mac models I Just how much your Mac has devalued Yes, we’ve already been told that we’re nuts to attempt the next two chapters of this book. Since 1984, Apple has created more than 140 different Mac models — including 35 different PowerBooks and 53 different Performas! Each year, Apple piles on another dozen or so new models. By the time you finish reading this page, another Performa model probably will have been born. So, writing a couple of chapters that are supposed to describe every model is an exercise in futility. But we’re going to attempt it anyway, taking the models one by one and tracking their speeds, specs, and life cycles. This chapter will cover all the Apple Macs — both desktop and portable models — from the birth of the original Macintosh 128K to the release of the PowerBook 190, the last Mac ever made that was based on Motorola’s 68000-series processor chip. When you’re finished reading this chapter, you will be one of the few people on Earth who actually knows the difference between a Performa 550, 560, 575, 577, 578, 580, and 588. 375 376 Part II: Secrets of the Machine Chapter 13 will cover every Power Mac — or, more accurately, every PowerPC-based machine (those with four-digit model numbers) — from the first ones released in 1994 to the models released just minutes before this book was printed.
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