Early Mac Clones

From: Zane H. Healy <healyzh_at_ix.netcom.com>
Date: Sun Jun 7 20:52:55 1998

>What edition do you have? My 2nd edition book says a listing of clones
>is given in edition 1, as oppose to just saying they exist. I'd love to
>get a list of old Mac clones.

1st Ed, 4th printing, copyright 1991 (I wouldn't have thought it would rate
a 2nd Ed.)

Here are the applicable parts from the looks of things.

Powder Blue Computers and Akkord Technologies each used Mac 128k ROMs

--------------- pg 39 --------------------
"Powder Blue's BlueMAQ II and IIx clones use the Mac Plus logic board for
I/O port control and add a second logic board that allows them to achieve
up to 5x the performance of a Mac IIx. The company offers four models
ranging in price from $4799 to $7999. The base model BlueMAQ II includes a
16Mhz 68020, 1Mb RAM, 800k floppy, and a 85Mb HD. All models come with
built-in monochrome video and a monitor. I have not heard much from them
lately.

Akkord's Jonathan uses a 68000 housed in a case about the size and shape of
an external HD. It is sold only through European OEMs at a price 30% below
European prices for a Mac Plus and includes a 14" Phillips B&W monitor,
built-in AppleTalk connector, and external and internal SCSI ports. The
company says it plans to enter the U.S. market initially with a $3000 kit
with which purchasers can construct a 12 pound Mac portable by adding a
logic board and the 128k ROMs. This system will be in stores as soon as it
receives FCC certification. A future version of the system will use mac
compatible ROMs that Akkord plans to develop itself.

Unfortunately, Apple staged a sting of their operations and found illegally
copied ROMs in their products.(6) I would say they face an uphill battle.

(6)Carolyn Said, "Apple complaint prompts police raid on clone builders,"
MacWEEK, 4/3/90, p. 67."
--------------------

He also mentions portables on pg's 37 & 38. Atari, Colby Systems, Dynamic
Computer Products, and Outbound Systems, Inc. (formally Wallaby Systems)

Colby:
WalkMac SE -- $3999
WalkMac SE 30 -- $6699

Dynamic: (around for a few years)
Dynamac Plus $4995
Dynamac SE 30 - $79954

Outbound:
"Initailly touted as an add-on product ot the Plus and SE using it's ROMs.
At press time they announced their own ROM kit, approved by Apple legal"
(4) Raines Cohn, "Outbound: Have ROM will travel," MacWEEK, 1/16/90, p. 1
(4) Raines Cohn, "Outbound ROM set will make laptop's host into server,"
MacWEEK, 4/3/90, p. 6

------------------

The bit on Outbound shocked me, it seems they were actually working with
Apple. The Author was very impressed with the Atari Stacy laptop $1495,
and seemed to consider it with the "Spectre GCR" emulator a good solution.

                                Zane

| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
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Received on Sun Jun 07 1998 - 20:52:55 BST

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