The $21,000 Apple Laptop from 1989 - First Apple Laptop - Macintosh Portable

[@cuentaeliminada7176]

Honestly, 700 Australian Dollars for a barely sold product from 30 years ago that started on what now converts to over $21,000 is one heck of a deal

[@metromodernism]

Nowadays you can find Mac Portables for less than that, seems like he slightly overpaid

[@cuentaeliminada7176]

@@metromodernism I... I meant as a collector's item... Who would buy this for daily use in 2021...

[@metromodernism]

@@cuentaeliminada7176 I know that, i’m not really sure what point you’re trying to make here. He overpaid for his Mac Portable because they usually go for much less, I didn’t mention anything about it being a main computer.

[@metromodernism]

Also he said $520 US, not Australian

[@jensenvolkar9772]

@@cuentaeliminada7176 try again

[@h0rze423]

Make an appointment with Apple and see what their genius bar would recommend

[@Emobullymaguire]

Full logic board repair for $50000 with 1 pixel damaged on the screen so another so another $30000. Let's not forget the keyboard has one spec of dust so another $5000 for deep cleaning that. Ooh I almost forgot to mention that this is retro tech and our first ever laptop so another $35000 for that.

[@h0rze423]

@@Emobullymaguire sounds about accurate lol

[@STingyWasTaken]

@@h0rze423 lol

[@cybercat1531]

@@Emobullymaguire Apple cleaning a keyboard?? Never. Replaces outright. :P

[@Emobullymaguire]

@@cybercat1531 oh yeah I forgot. We are going to e replace your keyboard with an extremely durable polycarbonate with a beautiful and luscious black finish with the particular letters intricately etched on to the key right at its center. Also, our ribbons which are present underneath the keys are a slightly different and more elegant shade of color than which other companies primarily use. Due to this we feel entitled to receive at least $50000 for our hard work. PS: the polycarbonate in question is plastic.

[@sirsavagethe21st56]

these old laptops fascinate me, great to see how portable looked 32 years ago.

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

same goes for TVs, death used to be a risk when moving one them around lol. and now I can just one arm carry my 43inch TV

[@adelaideinvigilation5230]

The nicest thing about that era Apple Product were the user manuals, they were well designed and were in themselves a collectable item

[@dan_jd78]

It’s amazing how technology has changed over the years and how things are a lot smaller. only for collectors now

[@dan_jd78]

Enjoying your videos 😊

[@KetwunsGamingPad]

With Apple it was always a work of art in presentation.

[@sirsquirrel6176]

The interrupt switch is actually intended for developers. If you press it while the system is booting up, you’ll get a Sad Mac.

[@memsom]

The important point is that all Macs up till the iMac had the reset and interrupt buttons, so no, the Mac Portable wasn’t special. My PowerMac 9500 has both for example. Pretty sure my Beige G3 does too.

[@NobelTech]

@@memsom I’ll mention the PCI PowerMacs including the 9500 do not have a sad Mac, and the only way to cause the crash sound is if there is a genuine hardware issue (eg no RAM).

[@nebulouscat5477]

that must of been a good prank back then 😈💾

[@epicpandareviews]

@@memsom My G4 Cube had one

[@TorutheRedFox]

specifically it'll get you a sad mac because the system is supposed to set up the address in the vector table that the 68k uses upon that interrupt to jump to, with it just pointing to a routine that displays a test sad mac screen by default

[@JesusGarcia-kj5lg]

I love watching your videos at work keep up the great work much love!!!!

[@elpigeon943]

Yeeeaaahh Me too

[@real_III]

Do your job

[@cas05005]

Those clicks keys though…made me smile.

[@budgetguitarist]

Great video! My first Mac was a Mac Plus. I've seen a 512 Mac before, but I've never seen the 89 Laptop - it's really interesting! When I was teaching, we had 10 Mac Plus computers connected with LocalTalk to an ImageWriter II printer with a network card in it. Those were the days! Thanks for the trip down memory lane. :)

[@Flor-ian]

Would absolutely love to see a full restoration video on this, maybe with the updated hard drive and battery so that you can do a full OS reinstall. Keep up the great content!

[@kimsivv204]

Something about old tech in general is so mesmerizing for some reason

[@wintherr3527]

the power of nostalgia Rolling Stones earn tons of money thanks to that

[@CrazyPlayer-pf2hv]

he thicc.(the laptop not Hugh :D) Yes I stole it from Mrwhosetheboss (unboxing the forgotten samsung phone, 0:19)

[@littlehero360]

The laptop pretty thick, but Hugh ain't too bad either

[@SuperToRee]

Oof

[@superdiego.g]

lets be real hugh probably a whole snack

[@prismstudios001]

Ahhh, the good old days, when you could easily break down and repair a computer

[@pegg5404]

You can still do that as long as you dont have an apple computer

[@ps5hasnogames55]

@@pegg5404 eh... hardly. even many new windows laptops are barely upgradeable anymore

[@CilusseYT]

You could try soldering some connections in the battery tray inside the laptop and power it with a bench power supply. This might help deliver constant voltage and power to those finicky electronics :)

[@Iristallite]

And also recap it.

[@chomiktelewizyjny8567]

Recap PSU

[@sortysciaofiscia]

it had a GUI?! it's so smooth! Please do more videos on this amazing relic!

[@TorutheRedFox]

I mean it's a full 68k based Mac

[@williamharris8367]

I love this look at some forgotten history of technology. I have limited experience with a Mac (just in the computer lab at university), but I dimly recall this system from coverage in Byte magazine. I hope you will eventually be able to get it working -- and produce a follow-up video.

[@leonardodavini3904]

Please never stop this chanel it is one of the best Repair Chanel and i watch your videos now 4 years.

[@lucek333]

Didn't knew this one existed and now you're trying to fix it somehow. Can't wait for more!

[@dwrowley]

Great video, amazing to see how the technology has evolved over the years

[@AndrewAlanDavidson]

I always wanted one of these. Looking straight on the screen was amazingly clear compared to other things at the time. I remember in 1990 I was lucky enough to go to watch the Commonwealth Games in Auckland and at the swimming event a Journalist had one of these sitting right in front of me. I was spellbound at the time on how clear the screen was. It was super rare even back then due to the price. Journalism at least paid something back then!

[@Leonix98pier]

I love the rainbow apple logo!

[@eli-y]

Amazing Videos! Keep up the amazing work!

[@Skyrocket-mv1hp]

I love how it says good night.

[@DanLoudShirts]

My dad used one from the college he taught at in 1990. I must have been the first person in my school to do some design work homework on a portable computer!

[@abhibhoir027]

Damn, that Macbook and Sd card comparison looks as if we are using Sorcery for our products now.

[@Aphelia.]

This is so true

[@mr.eugene5754]

Facts, like imagine time traveling back and showing a computer a nerd the SD card💀

[@LexYeen]

Look into how SSDs work. We kinda _are_ using sorcery.

[@TheUnknown-rs5el]

Woowowow this is the laptop that I first wanted to buy.

[@FoxintoshPlus]

I'll give you a hint that will solve all of your issues with this laptop capacitors yes shocking

[@FS--ew3se]

Lol

[@Tropicality.]

I get it!

[@asussome]

The hard drive is dying 100%. It is impossible to find a working model of such hdd

[@inqmusician2]

At least, you can find alternatives, like SD2SCSI for compact Macs.

[@tombuck]

I’ve never seen such a close look at one of these! Awesome. Seems like they used the same keyboard font until the mid 2000’s (my 2006 iMac looked almost identical).

[@lucy4666]

I kinda love that font. It's so retro

[@putering1994]

def not first but ik it’s gonna be good

[@Joe-qq7yr]

Nice video Hugh Jeffery you have inspired me to start my own repair business

[@johnDingoFoxVelocity]

So let me explain the drawback with the Macintosh portable is the Macintosh portable has no stop charge feature what that means is that the battery won’t stop charging once it’s full causing the battery to explode remove the battery before it goes boom

[@graealex]

As long as the charging current is below a certain value, both Ni-Cd as well as Ni-MH will just get warm, without causing further damage.

[@johnDingoFoxVelocity]

@@graealex thats not it that laptop was stopped being made because the battery explodes the charging circuit doesnt stop charging the battery when the battery is fully charged it continues to charge the battery until it explodes

[@graealex]

@@johnDingoFoxVelocity But the the reason is that the charging voltage is too high, which in lead acid batteries leads to electrolysis, with the hydrogen produced being explosive. But continually charging lead acid batteries is normal practice in cars for decades, without risk of explosion.

[@johnDingoFoxVelocity]

@@graealex Correct because the circuit tells the battery to except a charge then when the battery is full the charger stops charging the battery until the battery is drained this is how a normal charging system works in this laptop it doesn’t do this it continues to feed high voltage into the battery causing the battery to explode there is tons of documentation online about this specific model of Apple laptop There’s a reason why Apple stop making it because it exploded

[@graealex]

@@johnDingoFoxVelocity That's how a modern lithium charger works, but in the past, it was enough to put a current of 0.1C in, and the battery would simply not accept any more charge after it is full, and instead just dissipate the energy as heat. That's done with a simple LM317 constant current source. I'm not sure what the reason for the failure is with this specific laptop, but continually charging a battery has been the default mode of operation for decades and doesn't indicate a faulty charger.

[@Bushidounohana]

Beautiful specimen-would love to see more on it as you endeavor onwards with it!

[@JeffPerson]

Great video Hugh! I hope you get it fully working.

[@RiccardoConturbia]

Looking for a full restoration of this behemoth! 😊

[@MichaelAStanhope]

Calling this a "laptop" is a stretch. I sure wouldn't want to use this on my lap! Great machines though if you can get them working!

[@araigumakiruno]

Macintosh Portable,name for a reason

[@oOblackeaglleOo]

I’d use it, looks amazing

[@ednaemode5762]

Well you can’t expect to have a MacBook Air on your lap in 1989..

[@raine_tay]

back then, laptop's are called portables they aren't light nowadays, but they are lighter, smaller than your traditional BASIC/MS-DOS computer portable's main goal is to be small so it would be easy enough to travel with.

[@KennethPlaysOfficial]

its just a more portable computer, you don't have to plug in as many cables and stuff, its like an all in one including the keyboard and mouse.

[@bogdanenache3371]

Good luck to you! I have been looking for that for a long time ago...

[@davidpeterson5647]

My first memories of an Apple product was my grandma's Macintosh Apple IIGS and playing various MS-DOS games on it. Damn, those were some experiences...

[@Plainapple287]

would be interesting to see you bring this to the apple store

[@DemeDemetre]

-Error screen- "sad mac icon"

[@soggypizza3365]

That’s pristine. Thank-you.

[@matthewpalm7484]

Those are some ALPs switches inside that laptop, I thought I recognized that sound! Excellent switches, that board came with SKCM Salmons or SKCM Oranges, both are excellent tactile switches that were popular at the time. No wonder that keyboard feels good! Enjoy your sample of vintage Mac glory. I have a Macintosh Classic, SE and SE/30 as well as an old Apple IIGS and a few Amigas. Vintage computers are an expensive but worthwhile hobby, I hope you'll find.

[@phillysteak-t5v]

watching this on my 2021 macbook pro. this really just shows how far apple has come and this also made me realize that apple gets less credit for their newer laptops than they actually deserve. wow.

[@sootmassi]

hugh then: fix pc ok ok hugh now: pc temporary. *apple is eternal.*

[@XanderPlayzIsBack]

This is the best video yet

[@TurboPikachu]

I never knew about that bag. Looks extremely finely crafted

[@davidsidrak]

Watching this on my hackintosh. Oh how times have changed.

[@Alexander_l322]

It’s amazing how the OS is instantly recognisable as Apple 🍎 and that the look and layout hasn’t changed much!

[@mekenna6214]

omg seeing the card really put things in perspective 😭😭 i love old computers

[@sittingstill3578]

My dad’s coworker had one. It wasn’t impressive to me in the day. It just seemed odd. The PowerBook 100 however was mind blowing. I remember loving the compact Macs, they were just so well designed.

[@MantisssssssMan]

For the battery, I happen to work at a battery store, and while that battery would technically work it was definitely not the right one for longevity. You’re going to want a 6v 5ah DEEP CYCLE battery, that way it can handle being used by the laptop. The PowerSonic one you have is actually something we sell, but that is a float battery, simply used for backup power and not meant to be the primary battery for its application. I can try to get my hands on one and send it to you, let me know.

[@nigel-Rollercam-channel]

I have some digital magnetic core memory that blows me away when I compare it to any type of modern memory let alone micro sd cards. I always look forward to your exploration, deconstruction and repair, Cheers I just noticed that 6V battery is the same size and capacity as the type required for my 1984 Tomy Omnibot

[@jockeyjeon9532]

This project will be the ultimate test to Mr. Jeffrey’s YT career. If he succeeds, he will be remembered as those prestigious and professional KZbinrs like Adrian’ Digital Basement and Louis Rossmann. If he fails, he will be just like “those people”, like that kid who made the fake rusted BMW restoration video, Jerry Rig Everything, and Jayztwocent’s repair videos, which are an utter joke.

[@unowastaken3903]

Huh? You made horrible points and liked ur comments on 4 account

[@jockeyjeon9532]

@@unowastaken3903 lol I don't have 4 accounts. If that's April fools for me than good for you. Anyway, what I meant was that If he succeed, he will be praised. If he fails, it might damage his reputation, because fixing old computers is a whole new level from replacing broken screens off of phones.

[@computationalerror69]

ok...

[@Tropicality.]

Y’know those last two content creators you just mentioned have a fairly good reputation.

[@jockeyjeon9532]

@@Tropicality. We are entertained by their personality, not the skill. I’m sure we can agree Hugh is more focused on the latter.

[@x80s]

Back at it again

[@silverburn55]

Would be great to see a recap, a battery replacement and a hard drive replacement. That retrobrite job though - its perfect.

[@amandawright1372]

Literally the best thing about this laptop (although I wouldn’t want to put it on my lap at 7 kilos) is, in my opinion, the keyboard. Current laptop keyboards can’t come close to that as far as I’m concerned.

[@Mr_MVpg394]

It is beautiful to see old laptop working

[@prismstudios001]

The tiny storage/RAM of vintage computers is fascinating,and hilarious !

[@sarabjitsingh2652]

This is a nice job 👏

[@hugogonzalez2426]

Hello Hugh, what a incredible viedeo! I have one mac Portable too! I purchased it to a friend of mine by 1994, I worked with the Mac and were memorable days, same fail occurs, the original battery was dead, no charge anymore, and I worked just only withe the charger connected since I got it. I am a mac user since 1992 and think is the HDD the fail, but thera are many comments with goos points of view to consider, I am thinking to get out this beautiful piece to check it again and give a second chance, greetings form Mexico.

[@carlw6158]

Cool Video

[@jeff2tc99]

Looking forward to the continuing saga. Could end up being a movie length feature😀

[@aydeniz9762]

Macintosh Portable

[@FortaDinamo]

3:10 but if the device dosen t have power button, how did u restarted it?

[@VietMy123]

Yup, agree with you.

[@TechHowden]

It has a reset button

[@FortaDinamo]

@@TechHowden You are right, now I saw that the laptop has a reset button

[@bokexd3173]

finaly found a good vid,thanks hugh :D

[@KristianNowak]

0:38 you just lost your accent for 1 second

[@Nerdistmaximus]

What an amazing find. I so wish I could find one. Would love to have this.

[@Niko69420]

It’s incredible how the trackpad has changed over the years!

[@DarkBlockz]

Bruh you honestly get the best deals!

[@RuviaPawz]

Yea I was thinking this would cost like 2 grand or something

[@Techlifeandmore]

That hard drive sounds disgracefully old, and, I just generally do not like the sound of it. Also, when you’re watching on a device that can fit inside this laptop, literally, and that has 128 gigs of storage, four gigs of RAM, and, a six core CPU! iPhone 12!

[@SupreetKothuri]

7:22 probably that is playing a role of CMOS battery

[@ntinakoz4725]

Greeting from Greece. You are awesome, keep it up!

[@meyerfauth935]

Why the hell should I care that you are from Greece?

[@ntinakoz4725]

@@meyerfauth935 Ok racist.

[@meyerfauth935]

How is that racist? I just don’t care that you are from Greece. Congratulations? The Parthenon is cool.

[@-someone-.]

@@meyerfauth935 why should anyone care for you with that attitude. We still love you, no matter what problems you are going through... we are one world, it’s good to know how many countries follow Hugh.

[@meyerfauth935]

Yes. I enjoy hugh as well. And I am sorry off insulting the Greece. Hello from Montana. Which is basically saying hello form Canada. Because USA wanted to sell Montana to Canada.

[@angkhoavo8004]

Just realized the Acer Predator 21X from 2017 bear some resemblances in number pad/touchpad module design with this Mac! I am amazed.

[@inmatejason]

Wow the screen is super sharp looking and clear.

[@RoachEditz-911]

Because it is monochrome.

[@jedivader20]

Some quick research shows these had a 6V 5AH battery composed of three 2V 5AH cells. Alternatively, using a PowerBook 100 Series AC Adapter will allow you to use the machine without the battery as these run with a higher current at the same voltage.

[@WanderingAroundAZ]

That keyboard! 😍🥰❤️

[@wakeupgeoff]

The gui is really snappy for 1989!

[@Apple2gs]

Always wanted a Macintosh Portable for my collection, but settled on a Powerbook 170. Essentially it's a Macintosh Portable in a laptop form-factor, complete with the same type of active-matrix backlit LCD! (the back light can even toggle off/on so it looks like the original Mac Portable!). Much like the 1984 Apple IIc (Apple's very first attempt at a portable computer), I consider the Macintosh Portable a "luggable" computer. In some sense so was the original Mac 128, with it's top recessed handle. And yes, the original Mac 128 and Apple IIc came with their own unique carrying cases.

[@hamzaagolli7812]

damn thats a smooth hz sheeshh!

[@964cuplove]

A friend of mine had one of these…. It was crazy at the time. He was writing his articles on the beach !!

[@zUltra3D]

I find it sorta cute how the laptop said "Good Night" when it wanted to go to sleep

[@gavinisdie]

Ah yes, the Laptop with the Car Battery

[@Tam00393]

You need to show us the finished results! I also want to see what you did with that big blue computer from the 70s!!!

[@AveragePootis]

I seriously love how that thing looks, would love to have one. i know that my PowerBook 180 Macintosh is a nice retro portable but its nothing compared to this

[@jeffreyhughes7301]

Thank you for watching, For questions, guidance and support at anytime just DM on WhatsApp *+*1* *8*7*3* *5*0*2* *0*0*1*5* ✓

[@DualJ512]

Another great vid!

[@illegalsmirf]

Worth every penny no doubt

[@TheodoroDML]

the bag is actually sick drip huahauahua

[@jamiecranton]

How odd the first apple laptop came out the year I was born and I've just started saving for a Mac laptop

[@Those2menoverthere]

Happy Marchintosh!

[@wadeisfit5121]

i love how it says "good night" when it dies

[@Melechtna]

There is something about classic LCDs, a crispness they have, that just never feels the same as what we have today.

[@KayvonJavid]

That keyboard is alps SKCM salmon which are very nice switches that are not being made anymore.

[@Peter.Jensen]

Too noisy perhaps 🙉

[@Dedicatedtolivinginthepast]

I would love to see a repair video on this

[@Smilomaniac]

...What's a huge effry? My old man had one of these along with other macs. This and the 'Apple Macintosh' from 84 both weighed the same... The ball mouse was excellent for playing 'Shufflepuck' back in the day and as you've noted, the keyboard felt excellent.

[@ewanwickward8587]

Please do a video on retro-fitting a new battery! I have yet to find a goid video on KZbin that shows tou how to do it

[@sdfjsd]

It is absolutely amazing how far we have come in tech. I wonder what tech will look like 30 years from now! Reply to this comment 30 years later please!!

[@alisonsmith4436]

Well thank you so much amazing 🤩

[@TheBasementChannel]

Looks snappy

[@Wdfzf]

How are you supposed to put this on your lap?

[@abdullahsallinonechannel.6736]

my leg will be crushed😂

[@oOblackeaglleOo]

It doesnt, it puts you on its lap

[@abdullahsallinonechannel.6736]

@@oOblackeaglleOo 😂

[@cdos9186]

I would run the test utilities on the RAM and everything since it all looks original! Hard to believe that hard drive is still going along!

[@RoachEditz-911]

Old things are very robust. I have a 10 mb MFM Hard drive on my Tandy 1000 and it is still chugin along just fine.

[@cdos9186]

@@RoachEditz-911 Those old drives never seem to fail, is it a Seagate ST-412? I wish I had a computer that old I could test my Magnetic Peripherals 94155-86 with although it seeks fine and sounds great. How did you get your Tandy 1000 and was I correct about the hard drive in it? The longevity of those older drives is amazing.

[@RoachEditz-911]

@@cdos9186 I don't exactly know the label on the drive has faded but it is segate. I got my tandy 1000 back in 1993 since my typewriter was failing and I wanted a computer. It has some issues which I now need to fix.

[@cdos9186]

@@RoachEditz-911 Wow I'm really surprised you still have it. Those Tandy machines are really collectable now so happy to see you still have it.

[@johneygd]

If you had this laptop back in 1989, you were ahead of the time.