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Apple Macintosh LC III

The Macintosh LC III is the (not surprisingly) third version of the LC computer introduced in October 1990. The original LC was part of a trio of low-cost Macintosh computers intended to challenge the growing dominance of PCs and also stand up against the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST. The […]

Compaq Presario 3060

Compaq succeeded in getting the better of IBM throughout the 1980s. First, reverse-engineering the PC’s BIOS when creating the trailblazing Compaq Portable. Then, introducing Intel’s 80386 processor in the Compaq DeskPro computer. Finally, spearheading industry opposition to IBM’s proprietary Micro Channel architecture and developing the competing EISA bus. Though Compaq […]

Harpoon

Harpoon is a naval strategy software simulation adapted from Larry Bond’s paper-based tactical miniatures game. Bond, a navy veteran, was exposed to the classified Naval Tactical Game (NAVTAG) while serving aboard the destroyer, U.S.S. McKean. But Bond was frustrated by NAVTAG’s vague rules. He contacted NAVTAG’s designer, Neil Byrne, and […]

Apple Macintosh 512K

In January 1984, Steve Jobs triumphantly unveiled Macintosh. An “insanely great” computer for the rest of us. And while the original Macintosh was amazing, it also struggled to complete basic tasks. Limited to 128K of RAM and a single 400K floppy drive, the computer was a contradiction, with state-of-the-art software […]

Apple Macintosh Quadra 650

In the early 1990s, the processor wars were heating up. Intel was establishing its dominance thanks to its 80486 processor. Motorola had kept pace early on, moving briefly from the 68000 to the 68020 then finding success with the 68030 chips, providing a migration path for the Macintosh, Amiga, Atari, […]

Apple Macintosh SE SuperDrive

Steve Jobs was forced out of Apple in 1985.  In a now-famous boardroom brawl, Jobs was outmaneuvered by his chosen CEO, John Sculley.  Directing the Macintosh team had been Jobs’ most meaningful accomplishment to date, but Jobs and the team were exhausted by the rush to launch the Mac in […]