PowerBook 170
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2023) |
Apple Computer | |
| Product family | PowerBook |
|---|---|
| Type | Laptop |
| Release date | October 21, 1991 |
| Introductory price | US$4,599 (equivalent to $10,290 in 2023)[1] |
| Discontinued | October 19, 1992 |
| CPU | Motorola 68030 @ 25 MHz |
| Display | 9.8" monochrome LCD |
| Graphics | 640×400 |
| Predecessor | Macintosh Portable |
| Successor | PowerBook Duo series |
The PowerBook 170 was released by Apple Inc. in 1991 along with the PowerBook 100 and the PowerBook 140. Identical in form factor to the 140, it was the high end of the original PowerBook line featuring a faster 25 MHz
floating point unit (FPU) and a more expensive and significantly better quality 9.8 in (250 mm) active matrix display. It was replaced by the PowerBook 180
in 1992.
Features
Though the PowerBook 100 is the direct descendant of the
PCMCIA cards. The 170 also dropped the external floppy disk port (only the Macintosh Classic II still had one) and made no provision for a second internal floppy disk port (a feature also missing from the rest of the desktop line by this time). Overall, it had roughly the equivalent features and performance of the powerful Macintosh IIci
desktop in a laptop.
The 170 was introduced with
RAM Disk, a battery power-saving feature.[1]
Design
Though released at the same time as the PowerBook 140 and PowerBook 100, both the 140 and 170 were designed entirely by Apple, while the 100 was being miniaturized by Sony from the full-sized Macintosh Portable. As a result, the 170 represents the very first PowerBook created by Apple, with the 100 actually representing the first design improvements, though its internal architecture is the oldest in the series.
Specifications
- Processor: Motorola 68882FPU, both running at 25 MHz
- RAM: 2 MB on board, shipped with 4 MB, can be expanded to 6 or 8 MB
- ROM: 1 MB
- Hard disk: 40-80 MB
- Floppy disk: 1.44 MB Superdrive
- Systems supported: Mac OS 7.6.1
- ADB: Yes (1 port)
- Serial: Yes (2 ports)
- Modem: optional (used for this model's expansion port)
- Screen: active matrix, 1bpp 640×400
Timeline
| Timeline of portable Macintoshes |
|---|
 |
References
- ^ a b LePage, Rick (November 12, 1991). "Bantam 170 packs punch". MacWEEK.
- ^ System J-6.0.7.1 ReadMe, 1991, Apple, Inc.
- ^ 漢字Talk+6.0.7.html. Archived from the original on December 26, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- ^ "System 6 on a PowerBook 140/170". Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2008.