Mac · The Beige Era · 1989
Macintosh Portable
Heavy, expensive, and a bit of a punchline — but its gorgeous active-matrix display pointed the way. Two years later the PowerBook got it right.
Macintosh Portable: key facts
When was the Macintosh Portable released?
The Macintosh Portable was released in September 1989. Apple discontinued it in October 1991.
How much did the Macintosh Portable cost?
The Macintosh Portable launched at $6,500 in 1989 — about $16,705 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the Macintosh Portable’s specs?
The Macintosh Portable used a Motorola 68000 running at 16 MHz, with 1 MB of memory and 40 MB of storage. It ran System 6.0.4.
Why does the Macintosh Portable matter?
Apple’s first battery-powered Mac, with a then-stunning active-matrix screen.
Full specifications
| CPU | Motorola 68000 · 16 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 1 MB (up to 9 MB) |
| Storage | 40 MB |
| Display | 9.8" active-matrix monochrome, 640×400 |
| GPU | Bitmapped framebuffer |
| Ports | SCSI, ADB, serial |
| Weight | 7.2 kg |
| Dimensions | Luggable clamshell |
| Operating system | System 6.0.4 |
| Released | September 1989 |
| Discontinued | October 1991 |
| Launch price | $6,500 |
How the Macintosh Portable compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 16,400× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 16 MHz, the clock is roughly 200× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro — and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
All of this storage holds about 10 modern phone photos.
Launched at $6,500 in 1989 — about $16,705 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Cross-architecture speed figures are clock-only and approximate; inflation figures use US CPI.
Did you know?
At over 7 kg, "portable" was doing a lot of work in the name.
Related Mac models
Open the Macintosh Portable in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-25