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Apple Macintosh PowerBook 540c

Apple · PowerBook

Macintosh PowerBook 540c

Released May 1994

The PowerBook 540c was a 500-series notebook with an active-matrix colour screen, trackpad and built-in Ethernet.

Size
9.5″
Display
–
Processor
Motorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)
Memory
12 MB
Weight
3.3 kg
Battery
3 h

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Display

Screen size
9.5″
Resolution
640 × 480
Touchscreen
No
Display type
9.5-inch backlit active-matrix colour LCD; 256 colours at 640 × 480 or 32,768 colours at 640 × 400

Performance

Processor
Motorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)
CPU cores
1
Memory
12 MB
Storage
320 MB to 500 MB
CPU
Motorola 68LC040 running internally at 66 MHz with a 33 MHz bus; 8 KB L1 cache and no floating-point unit
Memory type
4 MB on the logic board, expandable to 36 MB; Apple's Japanese configurations supplied 12 MB
Storage type
Internal SCSI hard drive and 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy drive; Apple lists 240–500 MB in English support and 320/500 MB Japanese configurations

Battery and size

Battery life (maker's claim)
Up to 3 hours
Weight
3.3 kg
Thickness
57 mm
Width × depth
292 × 245 mm
Battery life detail
Two removable nickel-metal hydride intelligent batteries were supplied in Japan; Apple claimed three hours per battery. Published 3.3 kg weight includes both batteries.

Connections

Operating system
macOS
Port detail
ADB, RS-422 serial/LocalTalk, HDI-30 SCSI, AAUI Ethernet, mini-15 video and stereo audio input/output; an optional PCMCIA module supported two Type II or one Type III card
External displays
Built-in video output supports mirroring or an extended desktop with an optional Apple video adapter cable
Trackpad
Built-in solid-state trackpad in place of a trackball
Speakers
Two built-in stereo speakers and a microphone
In the box
Apple's Japanese 12 MB/320 MB configuration included two batteries, power adapter and PowerBook Mobility Bundle software

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorage
Motorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)12 MB320 MB
Motorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)12 MB500 MB

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Active-matrix colour display
  • Built-in Ethernet and external video output
  • Two removable intelligent batteries supplied in Apple's Japanese configuration

Cons

  • No internal CD-ROM drive
  • PC Cards require an optional expansion module
  • Weighs 3.3 kg with both batteries fitted

Closest rivals

Model
SizeDisplayProcessorMemoryWeightBatteryReleased
AppleMacintosh PowerBook 540
9.5″–Motorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)4 MB3.2 kg3 hMay 1994
AppleMacintosh Portable (Backlit, 1991)
9.8″–Motorola MC68HC000 16 MHz (Macintosh Portable)2 MB – 4 MB––1991
AppleMacintosh PowerBook 520
9.5″–Motorola 68LC040 50 MHz (PowerBook 520)12 MB2.9 kg3.5 hMay 1994

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-us/112132
  2. support.apple.com/ja-jp/112132

Photo: macdat.net

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