9" Compact Completists?

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

My first love of the Macintosh world is definitely the 9" Compacts. So far I have an SE and a Classic, with eyes towards adding an Original/128k next. Curious how many folks out there are 9" Compact Completists, and to what degree. I think I have the full listing below but please do correct any errors.

1. Original Macintosh
a) Rebadged as Macintosh 128k
2. 512k
a) Upgraded version 512ke
3. Plus
4. SE
a) Upgraded version SE FDHD
5. SE/30
6. Classic
7. Classic II
a) Rebadged as Performa 200

So by my count that's 7 models, 2 upgraded versions, and 2 rebadged versions.

 

[Phipli]

My first love of the Macintosh world is definitely the 9" Compacts. So far I have an SE and a Classic, with eyes towards adding an Original/128k next. Curious how many folks out there are 9" Compact Completists, and to what degree. I think I have the full listing below but please do correct any errors.

1. Original Macintosh
a) Rebadged as Macintosh 128k
2. 512k
a) Upgraded version 512ke
3. Plus
4. SE
a) Upgraded version SE FDHD
5. SE/30
6. Classic
7. Classic II
a) Rebadged as Performa 200

So by my count that's 7 models, 2 upgraded versions, and 2 rebadged versions.

Stuff older than the Plus is pretty rare out side of the US, so not many people over here have anything older than a Plus.

The question is, do you have a Performa 200?

Take care, Apple messed about a bit with the badges, especially with the SE, there are... At least 4 different "names" for the SE models... Trying to think, SE, SE FDHD, SE SuperDrive, SE 1/20?? Can't think.

 

[Phipli]

Weirdness.

 

[Phipli]

1. Original Macintosh
a) Rebadged as Macintosh 128k
2. 512k
a) Upgraded version 512ke
3. Plus
4. SE
a) Upgraded version SE FDHD
5. SE/30
6. Classic
7. Classic II
a) Rebadged as Performa 200

I feel like there is the more Plus variants, beige and platinum, but also an educational one... A Plus 'e' or something, perhaps another 512 variant too...

Before my time really

 

[Renegade]

but also an educational one... A Plus 'e' or something, perhaps another 512 variant too...

Macintosh ED (512K) and Macintosh Plus ED
cf french website https://blog.aventure-apple.com/2018/10/09/le-macintosh-ed/

 

[Phipli]

Macintosh ED (512K) and Macintosh Plus ED
cf https://blog.aventure-apple.com/2018/10/09/le-macintosh-ed/

Thank you, that's what I was thinking of! I just went and read Wikipedia and was worried I was just making it up.

 

[Phipli]

Gotta catch em all

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

Haha great info all! Let's see if we can gather feedback from everyone and publish a definitive listing of all the 9" variants.

What's up with the Performa 200? And yes SE 1/20 is pure whack!

And disclaimer- I'd be more than happy with achieving collecting the 7 models, but I'm sure there are more dedicated folks out there that would go beyond.

 

[cheesestraws]

Curious how many folks out there are 9" Compact Completists, and to what degree.

The compact macs are the core of my collection, they're the bit I have actively collected rather than merely accreting. There are loads of ways of deciding what a "complete set" is, and you should choose the one you like the most and don't let anyone else tell you you're wrong.

• Collecting every single possible variation of case and labelling and model number is going to be both time and space-intensive. It's possible, but you have to include things like the SE 1/20 and 2/40, which had specially labelled cases, the SE SuperDrive vs. SE FDHD which were differently labelled, EDs, etc, etc.
  
  
• Collecting one of each electronically distinct model is far more plausible in terms of cost, time and space, but requires more research work, and it might look a little thin if you're interested in the product or design history.
  
  
• Collecting one of each design of case is a good idea if what you're into is the design perspective. You can also spin this to let you out of having to get a 128k if you don't want one, because they're not very useful machines.
  
  
• Personally, my criterion is arbitrary and personal: I try to keep machines that feel different to use in some way, and which show to some extent the design history. I am also constrained by space: I constructed some MacShelves which are specifically designed to house compacts, which means I have a finite defined amount of room. I am happy to share my personal list and why I have them if you're interested but I don't want to just spam the forum with pointless lists of things

 

[jdlanza]

Shouldn't the Color Classic be on this list?

That is, perhaps, my favorite of the Compact Macs. I have a recapped Color Classic with the Apple IIe emulation board. "Working" on a Mystic and a Takky to complete the set.

johnl

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

Personally, my criterion is arbitrary and personal: I try to keep machines that feel different to use in some way, and which show to some extent the design history. I am also constrained by space: I constructed some MacShelves which are specifically designed to house compacts, which means I have a finite defined amount of room. I am happy to share my personal list and why I have them if you're interested but I don't want to just spam the forum with pointless lists of things

Please share!!!! Very interested in the different ways people approach collecting the Compacts. And more great info to add to our list, thanks!

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

Shouldn't the Color Classic be on this list?

Ok, you're right. We should be inclusive and add the 10" color stepchildren to this list and retitle as "The Definitive 68k Compact Version Guide" or something like that.

8. Color Classic
a) Rebadged as Performa 250
9. Color Classic II
a) Rebadged as Performa 275

 

[Phipli]

Please share!!!! Very interested in the different ways people approach collecting the Compacts. And more great info to add to our list, thanks!

I used to joke that I would collect every Mac that was for sale in 1989.

Don't think I want to buy a Portable though.

The other one was every variant in the Q800 style case, ignoring badge engineering the only one I don't have is the Q800 itself, which I'm reluctant to spend money on given I own a 650 (same board) and the Q800 is hard to post.

 

[cheesestraws]

Please share!!!! Very interested in the different ways people approach collecting the Compacts.

• Honorary member: Lisa 2/10.
• 128k, 512k. Haven't bothered tracking down all the case variations, because I don't care. Probably ought to have a 512ke, but I don't.
• 4 Pluses, heaven help me, mostly for sentimental reasons. The two on the shelf are one upgraded 512k, one in the purpose-made case: each has a different HD arrangement.
• 4 SEs: single drive 800k, double drive 800k, 1.44meg and an accelerated one. One of these will become the dock for the Outbound when I work out how to make it work properly.
• 4 SE/30s in different states: one stock, one accelerated, one greyscale (not a Micron, the card Bolle made and I allegedly helped with) and one with an amber screen because that's just cool.
• A Classic
• 3 Classic IIs, but only one on display: one stock, one has that insane graphics card that interware made for some bonkers reason of their own and one which is called the 'sole survivor' and from that you can deduce that it too is kept for personal reasons rather than strictly technical.
• A Colour Classic, a Colour Classic II (if you're collecting all the case variations, you'd need US and Commonwealth spellings of these, too!) and a G3 Takky.
• Dishonorary member: The TAM. It's trying to so hard to be a compact Mac, but it really demonstrates why Apple at the time were totally unable to build something with the elegance and simplicity of the compacts.
• Honorary member: flower power iMac (they remembered how to build machines that looked simple).

 

[Phipli]

you'd need US and Commonwealth spellings of these, too!

Have to admit I'd assumed they'd just ignored our spelling.

 

[LaPorta]

Depends on your look at it. CC doesn’t belong in there. It belongs with the LC520 and that sort of thing. I consider my compact collection “complete” with what I have:

128k, 512ke, Plus, SE, SE FDHD, SE/30, Classic, Classic II.

I suppose adding a 512k would really round it out as it is substantially different from a 512ke. I don’t care about badged or non-badged 128k (mine is the early just Macintosh variety). Performs 200 is a Classic II internally, so no big deal to me.

If you want to go crazy, you could get all the SE variations (dual 800k, 800k plus HD, etc). I have one of each, actually.

 

[joshc]

What's up with the Performa 200?

When Apple started using the Performa branding, they were aiming re-badged models at different sales channels. It was their way of selling the highest number of budget, purely consumer-oriented models possible. At the time, Apple did not sell directly to consumers - they sold to authorised dealers and large computer resellers. They also didn't sell to mainstream places like Sears. Once they had the Performa, they did, they started selling via those other channels they'd been missing out on.

It didn't entirely end up working, because the Performa became associated with low-end spec models that were still expensive, and later on had quality issues. The average consumer wasn't going to buy a Performa when they could just go and buy an Intel PC for far far cheaper.

The 200 is just a Classic re-badged.

Curious how many folks out there are 9" Compact Completists, and to what degree.

Are you interested in hearing from people who are not 9" Compact Completists, and the reasons why? (I am one of these people, and I could share my story, but if you want to focus on completionism only that's OK).

 

[Phipli]

Are you interested in hearing from people who are not 9" Compact Completists

I love my SE because it was my first Mac of my very own. I otherwise don't collect compacts or AIOs at all (I have some because my dad had some and "had a clear out"). I'm not a huge AIO fan. They have limited expandability and and you can't just connect another monitor if something on that side fails.

 

[Scott Baret]

Don't forget the case variation of the Classic II. Some have the speaker grille, some (mostly very early ones from 1991) don't.

 

[ClassicGuyPhilly]

@cheesestraws wow! Thank you for sharing! Would you mind showing off your MacShelves too? Creative Compact presentation is on my mind as well, here's my floating corner Compact idea.

@LaPorta another wow! While I fundamentally agree with you about the CC's I think in service of the community I'll include them in this guide. After all the community just has one 68k Compact forum, so let's run with that philosophy. I'll let you and @jdlanza duke it out as to if the CC is or is not a Compact.

@joshc I always find your insights intriguing, so please do share your thoughts on Compact collecting. And thanks for the Performa 200 info!

All - I've got an idea of how to organize all the variants, going to work on hammering this out. Maybe @Cory5412 could pin the final list to the top of this forum?