A very special Mac Portable

[JDW]

Nearly everything you wanted to know about the very first mobile Mac from Apple, and more. This video shows the history of the Portable, detailed assembly process, along with discussion of repairs and upgrades. A link to my accompanying spreadsheet filled with specs and info is found in the video description, but to ensure no one misses it, I also added it as a Resource here on TinkerDifferent.

 

[David Cook]

Just watched it. Besides the usual precise technical information, my favorite thing about your videos is the production quality. Nice ending -- Merry Christmas to you!

 

[Mk.558]

Now just to add a clear one to your collection...

 

[JDW]

@Mk.558
The one I have now (which is the only one I have) proved to be the single most expensive Mac I have in all of my collection. Most of my compact Macs were acquired back in the day when USPS still offered ocean shipping to Japan.

I actually eyed a 5126 EBAY auction for the last couple weeks from a UK seller, which was basically a perfectly restored machine with a bright backlight, and I asked him more than a dozen questions to confirm things. But in the end, his price was just too high. Even after a price drop, it was still about US$2100, and he wanted another $200 for shipping. It would have been even more expensive for a US buyer due to tariffs.

At some point we must allow sanity to set in. Many EBAY sellers target the rich. And the rich are out there in droves, because somebody snatched up that machine a few days ago. My hope was the price would be too high for must buyers and after a couple more price drops, while still expensive, it might make a lot more sense to acquire. But alas, it wasn't mean to be. So I still must find another way to resolve the final two problems with my machine:

1. Dim Backlight
2. Noisy Audio

A clear (transparent) machine means Prototype, since MacEffects doesn't make clear cases for the Portable; and those, by nature of being a prototype, are priced not merely for the rich, but the Uber Rich.

EBAY prices are quite unfortunate on the whole though because it's become a lot more expensive to get into the vintage Mac hobby in general these days, not merely something pertaining to the Portable.

 

[ClassicHasClass]

Now just to add a clear one to your collection...

I'd love a clear one, but mine's an DVT prototype, so that's fine too.

 

[Mk.558]

I've seen two clears in real life.

It's kinda cool. But you are right -- it's a uber privilege to own one of those. I'm sure the plastics on the Portable won't win many awards, but the clears are probably worse, because without the filler that gives it that color, it's weaker from the beginning.

One was from Haplain, who was a really cool guy. Even though I knew beforehand I'd be looking at a number of cool items, by the time you get partway through his collection (? haven't seen him around much anymore?) you're like..."Where did you get this from!??". The Dynamac he had was a looker mostly because of the jet-black case it has with the bright yellow EL panel.

I'm pretty content with the SE/30 and IIci I have. I want nothing else. As long as they stay working, we're good here.

All that said, the Portable has risen very sharply in value. It's got a unique design, the keyboard is good, the trackball is well sized, and it's an attention grabber. Around 2010-ish you could hardly give them away. Around 2015 they started spiking hard in cost. That's also about the same time 68kmla was a place for people to fight their Portables back to life. Haven't seen a Dead Mac Portable thread in awhile.

 

[JDW]

All that said, the Portable has risen very sharply in value.

I shudder to think my video may in fact help those EBAY sharks extract more blood from our community. It will raise awareness and also demand. All I can say to prospective buyers is, "I'm truly sorry."

Having more people in this hobby enhances the fun for everyone, but cost is a huge barrier. And not just the cost of getting the machine. Repair is a separate cost most people forget about. And if you need trace repair, you may need to use a Pro, and that costs more than a bag of Console5 capacitors.

As to transparent cases, it's hard to do Clear right. Seeing all the guts of the machine is interesting, but not always something lovely to behold. That's why Apple used transparency in a more subtle way. Consider the G4 Cube isn't 100% transparent, but the transparent parts really are nice and they enhance the beauty of the machine. CRT iMacs had partial transparency that worked well. And some of the plastics from Apple in those days were frosted semi-transparent, rather than 100% transparent.

One great thing about the Portable though is that plastics other than the silly spacebar don't yellow. That seems to give strong evidence that there are no flame retardants used in them, which is truly fantastic. It just goes to show you really don't need them. And now, decades later, the Mac Portable still is a lovely thing to behold!

 

[David Cook]

because somebody snatched up that machine a few days ago. My hope was the price would be too high for must buyers and after a couple more price drops, while still expensive, it might make a lot more sense to acquire.

Each time I let an eBay auction get beyond me (I set a mental price point and don't go over it), I think to myself "Someone else must really want that Mac and it is going to make them really happy."

I don't feel like I'm competing against the rich, I feel I am competing against decay. I suspect many Macs are still being tossed in the dumpster or sent to eWaste recycling. Many more are dying of capacitor and battery leakage. So, even if the rich rescue a few, that's still a few more Macs saved.

This is not to deny your feelings -- it's just a happy thought you can have when a machine gets away.

 

[JDW]

Here's some bonus info that didn't make its way into my video:

MacWorld 9005 May 1990 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

MacWorld 9005 May 1990

archive.org

That article contains great photos of the Mac Portable being manufactured by Apple. The Portable seems to have been made in California at the Apple Fremont factory based on the following excerpt from the article:

"The Fremont factory manufactures products for the United States and Canada and serves as a test bed for new products. The Singapore facility produces Macintosh SEs and SE/30s for the Pacific region and Macintosh Pluses and Apple IIs for both the Pacific and the United States. The factory in Ireland produces all products for 15 European countries."

 

[David Cook]

Here's some bonus info that didn't make its way into my video:

MacWorld 9005 May 1990 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

MacWorld 9005 May 1990

archive.org

That article contains great photos of the Mac Portable being manufactured by Apple. The Portable seems to have been made in California at the Apple Fremont factory based on the following excerpt from the article:

Even better:

Do you recognize the board being manufactured?!

 

[JDW]

Ah yes… I now remember having seen that at some point in the past, and the heavy metal guy in the pink shirt triggered my memory. Thank you for sharing that video, @David Cook !