MacColby

[Peter.Howard]

Has anyone seen one of these before?

(hope its okay to post ebay links, I don't own it etc..)

http://cgi.ebay.com/MacColby-rare-first-portable-macintosh-1984-big-lot-/250729602893?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a60a61f4d

 

[Scott Baret]

I remember reading about these in the earliest Mac books, but have never actually seen one until now! I believe almost all of that Mac is made from the original parts, re-fit inside the case.

 

[Concorde1993]

I e-mailed the seller regarding the MacColby, as I live in the GTA. He agreed to let me come by his place to check out the unit. So, depending on how the bidding goes ($100 seems awfully inexpensive for such a "rare" system; others may have a different opinion), I may end up with this unit.

According to his ad, the floppy drives seem to be the only non-working components, but I am sure they can be repaired.

 

[Gorgonops]

Something about the "homebuilt" faceplate of that thing eerily reminds me of the work of some current homebuilders... the Apple IIgs laptop particularly comes to mind. It doesn't win too many points in the "fit and finish" competition. I particularly like how the ports are crudely shoehorned into the space where IBM PC card slots should be.

(I guess it's still prettier than the early Osborne I-s which had faceplates made out of molded cardboard. Yes, that's not a joke.)

 

[Byrd]

I'm guessing the MacColby didn't take off because a compact Mac is pretty much portable as is with Apple carry bag (this doesn't look considerably smaller). I'd also imagine you would have looked like a goof dragging around a Mac that's trying to look like one of the ugly PC x86 luggables of the time?

Oh yeah, I did find a Compaq Portable III recently - but this thing has grunt, 386DX under the hood! And a bright amber screen.

JB

 

[applefreak]

other colby :

Colby WalkMac SE and WalkMac SE-30

 

[jsarchibald]

I e-mailed the seller regarding the MacColby, as I live in the GTA. He agreed to let me come by his place to check out the unit. So, depending on how the bidding goes ($100 seems awfully inexpensive for such a "rare" system; others may have a different opinion), I may end up with this unit.
According to his ad, the floppy drives seem to be the only non-working components, but I am sure they can be repaired.

Try $280 now, and sure to go up from there. Wonder what the end figure will be?

 

[Dog Cow]

Wow. The first time that the Usenet archive has failed me. Found squat on MacColby, however, WalkMac was mentioned four times in 1989: http://macgui.com/usenet/search.php?q=walkmac

Best article so far:

Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!nmtsun!vogelei

From: vogelei@nmtsun.nmt.edu (Todd Vogelei)

Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac

Subject: Colby Walkmac

Keywords: Goin Mobile

Message-ID: <2651@nmtsun.nmt.edu>

Date: 19 May 89 19:21:21 GMT

References: <1043@sas.UUCP> <1551@cfa253.cfa250.harvard.edu> <1294@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM> <24622@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>

Reply-To: vogelei@nmtsun.nmt.edu (Todd Vogelei)

Distribution: usa

Organization: New Mexico Tech, Socorro NM

Lines: 37

I just saw the a release about the Colby Walkmac, a genuine macintosh

laptop. It is sold to dealers as a kit, the dealer is expected to install

a system board, and floppy drive. It uses a blue super twist backlit display

that appears to be at least as large as a classic mac display. It is

available in SE and SE30, comes with internal 2400 bd modem (Cellular phone

capability is coming!), 40M HD, 4M ram. It runs on rechargable bartteries

(4 hours), any house current worldwide, and with adaptor, car cigarette lighter

sockets. The case is the standard folding laptop config with a sort of

extended keyboard (numeric pad and alpha and Fkeys, no arrows or help/

home...stuff). Options include a cordless mouse, color board for 19"

monitor...

Basic price for SE starts at $5499 with the most maxed out units going

for over $15,000!

This thing looks really Good! Very well designed and layed out, I think

it should do well except for the price thing but when you figure that

this is not an emasculated PC Clone with limited firmware but a full

function *PORTABLE* mac with the power capability of this mac II I am

working on now (which takes up 1/2 my desk and fills a 5' stack of 2.5"

square cartons). Toss in one of those WriteMove printers and

the BriefCase Office is here!

If I owned Apple, I'd buy this Colby Company and put my name on it!

Give the business man on the go full access to his information processing

capabilities anywhere. Toss in the Super Drive and Soft PC and this guy

can be the hell on feet!

I'll Calm down soon, I wonder if I could seel my II and get a good enough

deal to....

Todd

vogelei@nmtsun

Disclaimer: I don't work for anybody and I'm not easily geeked but

this is too cool!

 

[Concorde1993]

Try $280 now, and sure to go up from there. Wonder what the end figure will be?

Yeah, thanks for the update, js. I am an eBay member, btw & I have been keeping a close track of this item.

$280 is definitely out of my league at this point. As I am composing this message, the cost for this unit is now $311.44 CDN. I can safely predict that this unit will hit the $1 000 mark in the next couple of days, if not sooner. There's always that one guy who seems to have a sh**load of money to burn.

 

[Concorde1993]

Just checked 5 minutes ago...it's current bidding price is $774.44 CDN.

I figure it's going to reach the $1 000 mark by tonight.

 

[Bunsen]

I'm guessing the MacColby didn't take off because a compact Mac is pretty much portable as is

I'm guessing the fact that you had to buy a Mac to stuff the Colby with was a factor, too.

It doesn't win too many points in the "fit and finish" competition.

It looks a lot different to the images at everymac /edit/ and those on Chuck Colby's site / - perhaps it's a prototype

 

[jsarchibald]

Who would want to take a Mac out of it's great body and stuff it in 'that thing'? I suppose the battery is the only benefit, but no reason you couldn't hook one up to your Mac and put it in the special carry bag.

 

[Concorde1993]

Not sure if anyone is following this thread anymore, but the current bidding price is now $980.26 CDN. There's still about 4 days left until the bidding officially concludes.

 

[Concorde1993]

Well, it's past the $1 000 mark now. Current bidding price is now $1 086.18 CDN, and there's three days left to bid.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Here you go, the MacColby, earlier than the WalkMac, Chuck Colby got a Macintosh motherboard in December 1983 to prototype with, because he was helping Woz at his house...

Definitely a collectors' item.

Available with a second internal floppy (three years before the SE,) also available with an internal hard drive! (a year before the Mac XL, three years before the SE.)

 

[Concorde1993]

Current bidding price= $1 111.44. 2 days left to bid.

 

[beachycove]

Yowsa.

 

[Scott Baret]

There were actually some pretty neat options on there. Built-in modems seven years before they were available directly from Apple, video out, and even bar code readers made the list. I'd like to know more about the video out on these machines, since it says "video board" on the sales document--meaning external monitors of some sort or perhaps composite? (I do remember a lot of aftermarket boards for compacts where one could connect external monitors, including one that used a IIGS display of some sort and could add color video output to an SE).

One can only wonder how many of these are left in the world. Between this, the Apple I, and the transparent SE recently listed on eBay, we've got all the bases covered in terms of obscure Macs. (No, I'm not planning on selling my pre-transparent prototype SE).

 

[Gorgonops]

I'd like to know more about the video out on these machines, since it says "video board" on the sales document--meaning external monitors of some sort or perhaps composite? (I do remember a lot of aftermarket boards for compacts where one could connect external monitors, including one that used a IIGS display of some sort and could add color video output to an SE).

The unit for sale on eBay has a somewhat mysterious RCA plug in the slot connector area, next to what appears to be a phone jack. I'm vaguely curious if that's a composite video plug or if it's just wired in parallel with the headphone jack for sound output.