July 18, 1994: Quadra 630 Introduced. Last of a Breed

by Chris Seibold Jul 18, 2008

The 680x0 processor by Motorola had served Apple well since the introduction of the original Mac based on a 8 MHz 68000. However, the elderly, in computer years, chips were in danger of being outclassed by offerings from Intel and other rival chip manufacturers.

Apple faced a decision, how to manage the transition from the venerable 680x0 series to the architecture of the PowerPC? Several options were considered including dual mixed chip machines. In the end, Apple went with emulation.

The last Apple desktop computer that could run pre PowerPC programs natively was the Quadra 630. The machine featured a 68040 processor and 4 MB of RAM, a 250MB hard drive and retailed for a mere $1280. The last desktop Mac that could truly be labeled an original Mac appeared on July 18, 1994.

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Comments

  • Actually the last of the 680x0 macs was the PowerBook 190, one of which I owned.  It was sold in 95 and 96, and had a 66MHz 68LC040.  The form factor was the same as the infamous 5300 series.

    macman had this to say on Jul 18, 2006 Posts: 6

  • quite right macman, the article has been updated.

    Chris Seibold had this to say on Jul 18, 2006 Posts: 354
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