Features
The SE's notable new features, compared to its similar predecessor the Macintosh Plus, were:
- First compact Macintosh with an internal drive bay for a hard disk (originally 20 MB or 40 MB) or a second floppy drive.
- First compact Macintosh that featured an expansion slot (SE stood for "System Expansion").
- Used the Apple Desktop Bus (ADB), introduced with the Apple IIGS, for keyboard and mouse interface.
- Improved SCSI support with faster data throughput.
- Better reliability and longer life expectancy due to the addition of a cooling fan.
The SE was designed to 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 it was not a configuration supported by Apple. In addition an external floppy disk drive could also be connected, making the SE the only other Macintosh besides the Macintosh 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. After Apple introduced the Macintosh SE/30 in January 1989, a logic board upgrade was sold by Apple dealers 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.
Single-floppy SE models also featured a drive access light in the spot where the second floppy drive would be.
Additionally the SE had a special PDS slot that allowed for expansion cards, such as accelerators, to be installed. The SE can be upgraded to 50 MHz and more than 5 MB with the MicroMac accelerators, which are still sold as of August, 2010. 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 internal CRT, Apple recommended only authorized Apple dealers to install cards and sealed the case with then-uncommon Torx screws
The SE and Macintosh II were the first Apple computers since the Apple I to be sold without a keyboard. Instead the customer was offered the choice of the new ADB Apple Keyboard or the Apple Extended Keyboard.
Apple produced ten SEs with transparent cases as prototypes for promotional shots and employees. They are extremely rare and command a premium price for collectors.
Read more about this topic: Macintosh SE
Famous quotes containing the word features:
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—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
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