3 ms·

I remember the macintosh portable had a terrible screen refresh rate. You would see multiple pointers every time you moved it.

by cm2187 3y ago

CharlesW 3y ago
Are you sure you're not thinking of other Mac laptops with passive-matrix screens? I remember that the active-matrix screen of the Macintosh Portable was so unbelievably sharp.
- cm2187 3y ago
  I must say that almost 30y later I can't be certain
  - iSnow 3y ago
    I think you must be confusing it with one of the later Powerbooks with passive matrix screens. I have a Portable in the attic somewhere, and I used to boot it up and play around with it a bit. The screen was dark (no backlight) but very crisp and relatively smooth for the era.
pmarreck 3y ago
I was in high school working after school at an Apple computer store and they let me take one home for a weekend (!!!). The refresh rate was actually one of the more outstanding features at the time as thanks to the active-matrix display, there was NO ghosting of what you speak of. But every other Mac (and non-Mac) laptop had the ghosting from the passive-matrix screens. I think you're confusing them. The Portable screen was crystal-clear as long as you were in a bright room (since it had no backlighting).
- CharlesW 3y ago
  Until it did! https://everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook/specs/mac_portable_bl.html https://everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook/specs/mac_porta... IIRC the backlight would effectively halve your battery life.
LordGrey 3y ago
I worked at an Apple dealer when the Portable came out. We called it the "Mac Luggable". Its carry bag had only a shoulder strap. It should have had a full-blown backpack to distribute the weight better.
- scelerat 3y ago
  I remember a single-panel comic from one of the Mac rags at the time -- MacWorld? MacUser? wasn't there an IT-oriented tabloid-format Mac mag? -- anyway, kind of reminiscent of a New Yorker cartoon, an adult with his arm moderately flexed and a child looking on in awe, perhaps grasping his bicep, with the caption, "That's the arm daddy uses to carry his Mac Portable"
musicale 3y ago
The original Macintosh Portable[1] seems like a pretty high quality machine all the way through: Reflective active matrix LCD screen (fast response, no ghosting), full-travel mechanical keyboard, movable trackpad, built-in floppy and hard drives, expansion slots, all-day battery life. And an attractive and clever industrial design (note the cutouts for left-handed or right-handed trackball placement.) Fantastic design for someone who didn't mind a bulky, 16-pound "portable". ;-) In 2024, portable Macs are better in nearly every way (including battery life) but the keyboards aren't nearly as nice, and the screens aren't great in broad daylight (unlike a reflective LCD.) (And didn't Apple subsequently invent the "palm rest" laptop design where you move the keyboard back toward the screen?[2]) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_Portable https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_Portable [2] https://techland.time.com/2014/01/24/mac-thirtieth-anniversary/ https://techland.time.com/2014/01/24/mac-thirtieth-anniversa...

I remember the macintosh portable had a terrible screen refresh rate. You would see multiple pointers every time you moved it.

by cm2187 3y ago

I remember the macintosh portable had a terrible screen refresh rate. You would see multiple pointers every time you moved it.

CharlesW 3y ago

Are you sure you're not thinking of other Mac laptops with passive-matrix screens? I remember that the active-matrix screen of the Macintosh Portable was so unbelievably sharp.

cm2187 3y ago
I must say that almost 30y later I can't be certain
- iSnow 3y ago
  I think you must be confusing it with one of the later Powerbooks with passive matrix screens. I have a Portable in the attic somewhere, and I used to boot it up and play around with it a bit. The screen was dark (no backlight) but very crisp and relatively smooth for the era.

pmarreck 3y ago

I was in high school working after school at an Apple computer store and they let me take one home for a weekend (!!!). The refresh rate was actually one of the more outstanding features at the time as thanks to the active-matrix display, there was NO ghosting of what you speak of. But every other Mac (and non-Mac) laptop had the ghosting from the passive-matrix screens. I think you're confusing them. The Portable screen was crystal-clear as long as you were in a bright room (since it had no backlighting).

CharlesW 3y ago
Until it did! https://everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook/specs/mac_portable_bl.html https://everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook/specs/mac_porta... IIRC the backlight would effectively halve your battery life.

LordGrey 3y ago

I worked at an Apple dealer when the Portable came out. We called it the "Mac Luggable". Its carry bag had only a shoulder strap. It should have had a full-blown backpack to distribute the weight better.

scelerat 3y ago
I remember a single-panel comic from one of the Mac rags at the time -- MacWorld? MacUser? wasn't there an IT-oriented tabloid-format Mac mag? -- anyway, kind of reminiscent of a New Yorker cartoon, an adult with his arm moderately flexed and a child looking on in awe, perhaps grasping his bicep, with the caption, "That's the arm daddy uses to carry his Mac Portable"

musicale 3y ago

The original Macintosh Portable[1] seems like a pretty high quality machine all the way through: Reflective active matrix LCD screen (fast response, no ghosting), full-travel mechanical keyboard, movable trackpad, built-in floppy and hard drives, expansion slots, all-day battery life. And an attractive and clever industrial design (note the cutouts for left-handed or right-handed trackball placement.) Fantastic design for someone who didn't mind a bulky, 16-pound "portable". ;-) In 2024, portable Macs are better in nearly every way (including battery life) but the keyboards aren't nearly as nice, and the screens aren't great in broad daylight (unlike a reflective LCD.) (And didn't Apple subsequently invent the "palm rest" laptop design where you move the keyboard back toward the screen?[2]) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_Portable https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_Portable [2] https://techland.time.com/2014/01/24/mac-thirtieth-anniversary/ https://techland.time.com/2014/01/24/mac-thirtieth-anniversa...