Macintosh SE

Apple's compact-form-factor expandable Mac — launched at AppleWorld '87 on March 2, 1987 alongside the Mac II. The SE kept the integrated-monitor form factor of the Mac Plus but added a single internal PDS expansion slot + internal SCSI hard-disk bay.

Specs

• Motorola 68000 CPU, 8 MHz (faster ROMs than Mac Plus)
• 1 MB RAM standard (expandable to 4 MB)
• Internal 20 MB SCSI hard disk option
• One internal PDS expansion slot — accelerator cards, video display cards, etc.
• $2,899 base

Pi coverage

• 1987-04 — V09 N04 — AppleWorld '87 coverage
• 1987-06 — V09 N06 — "Development Team for the Mac SE" (Paul N. Jenner)
• Through later 1987-1990 — the SE becomes the workhorse compact Mac

Significance

The Mac SE was the mainstream-business Mac for the late 1980s. Pi members on Pi-budget Macs adopted SEs more than Mac IIs. The SE/30 (Jan 1989, 68030, more RAM ceiling) extended the line.

Connections

• Mac II Mac SE Launch
• Macintosh II — sibling launch
• Macintosh Plus — predecessor form factor
• AppleWorld 87