Storage · The Beige Era · 1993

Apple PowerCD

PowerCD was peak 1990s multimedia: a portable CD-ROM drive for Macs that could also play audio CDs on its own.

Apple PowerCD (1993), Storage by Apple

Apple PowerCD: key facts

When was the Apple PowerCD released?

The Apple PowerCD was released in 1993. Apple discontinued it in 1996.

How much did the Apple PowerCD cost?

The Apple PowerCD launched at $499 in 1993 — about $1,088 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).

What are the Apple PowerCD’s specs?

The Apple PowerCD used a N/A, with None of memory and 650 MB of storage. It ran Driver / firmware support.

Why does the Apple PowerCD matter?

Portable SCSI CD-ROM drive that doubled as an audio CD player.

Full specifications

CPUN/A
Cores—
Memory (RAM)None
Storage650 MB
DisplayNone
GPUN/A
PortsSCSI, audio out
WeightVaries by model
DimensionsPortable CD-ROM / audio CD player
Operating systemDriver / firmware support
Released1993
Discontinued1996
Launch price$499

How the Apple PowerCD compares to today

All of this storage holds about 163 modern phone photos.

Launched at $499 in 1993 — about $1,088 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).

Cross-architecture speed figures are clock-only and approximate; inflation figures use US CPI.

Did you know?

It is the kind of model collectors use to map Apple’s complicated family tree.

Related Storage models

Apple Hard Disk 20 (1985)Apple 3.5 Drive (1986)Apple Hard Disk 20SC (1986)AppleCD SC (1988)

Open the Apple PowerCD in the interactive archive →

Last updated: 2026-06-27