• Hello MLAers! We've re-enabled auto-approval for accounts. If you are still waiting on account approval, please check this thread for more information.

What is your Favorite Compact Mac?

My favourite would be the SE/30. Blazingly fast, has an FPU, accepts a respectable amount of RAM, runs NetBSD, runs System 6.

The Colour Classic is a nice machine, but the colour screen is too small for most of the applications that need colour.

 
I'm gonna have to say the Classic II. Last of the B&W compacts, it was the second-best compact in most people's eyes. I just love mine to death; such a nifty little machine :)

 
I think there was a thread on this very topic posted within the past year. At least, it feels like it appear within a year or so.

Anyway, I cast my vote for the SE/30.

 
This topic comes up from time to time.
Thanks for the old links, Mac128. I think that *why* this question is asked so often defines us as Mac heads. The classic Mac OS runs on modular boxes, which we love too, but the compact form factor still defines the brand years later.

Getting Mac OS and MacPaint to run in 128KB of RAM was stupidly implausible. Once you'd done that, everything was possible.

 
Getting Mac OS and MacPaint to run in 128KB of RAM was stupidly implausible.
Very true, and I certainly wish Microsoft would have employed some of that "let's do the implausible" in their latest MS Office '08 product. Sadly, they like so many software developers now days assume users have the latest CPUs installed, contributing to a never ending stream of bloatware. While some may defend these bloatshops by crying "software portability," the fact still remains that the days of true software programming wizardry are now gone. The original Mac team (and Lisa team too) were a gang of amazing engineers.

I suppose I shall cast another vote, this time for the Mac Classic. I really like the industrial design of that model over any other compact Mac, and I absolutely love the fact it has System 6 in ROM -- what fun! They are also widely available on EBAY for very low prices. But alas, it's no SE/30 (mainly why EBAY prices are so low). But if you don't care about speed or upgradability, it's a fun Mac to use.

 
The classic Mac OS runs on modular boxes, which we love too, but the compact form factor still defines the brand years later.
It has been 15 years since the last black and white compact Mac was sold (the Mac Classic II was discontinued in late 1993) and amazingly the shape of the original Mac is still in use. With or without the Apple logo, everyone knows what it represents.

I have seen it on greeting cards, on a banner at a local school in the computer lab, on products (I think it was TechTool that used a Classic on their box) and even on programs (MacTracker uses a Classic as its icon despite the fact that it covers much more recent models). Some people still think of the Classic/SE when they hear "Mac".

I still use my SE (which was actually sitting in a closet for two years until recently) and still find it to be the most "Maclike" of all the computers I have (with the LC coming awfully close). The monochrome screen, square mouse, unit form factor, floppy drive placement, and old-fashioned operating system (the SE is running System 6) all make me think of a "real Mac".

 
It has been 15 years since the last black and white compact Mac was sold (the Mac Classic II was discontinued in late 1993) and amazingly the shape of the original Mac is still in use. With or without the Apple logo, everyone knows what it represents.
On a recent episode of "Chuck", they used a compact Mac as the console for the new Intersect. It even had the classic keyboard and mouse. I had a good chuckle when I saw that. :b&w:

 
It has been 15 years since the last black and white compact Mac was sold (the Mac Classic II was discontinued in late 1993) and amazingly the shape of the original Mac is still in use. With or without the Apple logo, everyone knows what it represents.
On a recent episode of "Chuck", they used a compact Mac as the console for the new Intersect. It even had the classic keyboard and mouse. I had a good chuckle when I saw that. :b&w:
They also had a compact Mac on the first episode of Chuck.

 
Back
Top