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Apple Macintosh PowerBook 170

Apple · PowerBook

Macintosh PowerBook 170

Released October 1991

The PowerBook 170 was the fastest of Apple's first three PowerBooks, with a 25 MHz 68030, 68882 maths coprocessor and active-matrix monochrome display.

Size
10″
Display
–
Processor
68030 25 MHz (PowerBook 170)
Memory
4 MB
Weight
3.03 kg
Battery
3 h

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Screen size
10″
Resolution
640 × 400
Touchscreen
No
Display type
10-inch backlit active-matrix monochrome LCD, 640 × 400 pixels at 1-bit colour. Apple's 1991 product information rounds the diagonal to 10 inches; some later catalogues call it 9.8 inches.

Performance

Processor
68030 25 MHz (PowerBook 170)
CPU cores
1
Memory
4 MB
Storage
40 MB
CPU
25 MHz Motorola 68030 and 25 MHz Motorola 68882 floating-point coprocessor; a Power Saver mode could run the processor at 16 MHz on battery.
Memory type
4 MB original configuration, comprising 2 MB on the logic board and a 2 MB expansion card; 8 MB maximum. Apple's later support sheet lists 2 MB as the minimum across its service configurations.
Storage type
Original 40 MB internal SCSI hard drive with a built-in 1.4 MB SuperDrive floppy drive. Apple's later support sheet lists 40–80 MB drives.

Battery and size

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 3 hours
Weight
3.03 kg
Battery life detail
Removable nickel-cadmium battery; Apple claimed 2–3 hours of use, with about 30 minutes more in its 16 MHz Power Saver mode.

Connections

Operating system
macOS
Port detail
One Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) port, HDI-30 SCSI connector, two RS-422 serial ports, mono audio input and stereo output. A 2400-baud internal modem was standard.
Keyboard
Built-in keyboard with a centred 30 mm trackball below the keys.
Trackpad
Built-in trackball.
In the box
System 7.0.1, battery and AC adapter. Apple dates the model's introduction to 21 October 1991; the technical sheet does not state a separate first-sale day.

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorage
68030 25 MHz (PowerBook 170)4 MB40 MB

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Active-matrix display
  • 25 MHz 68030 with a 68882 floating-point coprocessor
  • Built-in 1.4 MB floppy drive and 2400-baud modem

Cons

  • Monochrome display
  • No built-in Ethernet or external video output
  • Maximum 8 MB RAM

Closest rivals

Model
SizeDisplayProcessorMemoryWeightBatteryReleased
AppleMacintosh PowerBook 140
10″–68030 16 MHz (PowerBook 140)2 MB – 4 MB3.03 kg3 hOct 1991
AppleMacintosh PowerBook 145B
10″–Motorola 68030 25 MHz (PowerBook 145B)4 MB3.1 kg3 hJun 1993
AppleMacintosh PowerBook 160
10″–Motorola 68030 25 MHz (PowerBook 160)4 MB3.1 kg3 hOct 1992

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-us/112146
  2. savagetaylor.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/Apple_Directions/Apple_Direct_199…
  3. macdat.net/files/pdf/apple/developer_notes/powerbook_140_170.pdf

Photo: macdat.net

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