View source for Macintosh SE/30

{{Short description|Personal computer released by Apple Computer}}
{{Primary sources|date=May 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| name         = Macintosh SE/30
| aka          = 
| image        = Se30.jpg
| caption      =
| manufacturer = [[Apple Inc.|Apple Computer]]
| family       = [[Compact Macintosh]]
| type         = [[All-in-one PC|All-in-one]]
| releasedate  = {{Start date and age|1989|01|19}}
| price        = {{usd|4369|1989|round=-1}}
| discontinued = {{End date and age|1991|10|21}}
| unitssold    = 
| unitsshipped = 
| os           = [[System 6|System 6.0.3]] – [[System 7|System 7.5.5]]<br/>With a 32-bit clean [[Read-only memory|ROM]] upgrade, [[System 7|Mac OS 7.6]] - [[Mac OS 8|Mac OS 8.1]], [[A/UX]]
| cpu          = [[Motorola 68030]] @ 15.667 MHz<br />[[Motorola 68882]] [[Floating-point unit|FPU]]
| memory       = 1 [[Megabyte|MB]] RAM, expandable to 32 MB
| RAMtype      = 120 ns 30-pin [[SIMM]]
| storage      = 
| display      = {{convert|9|in|cm|abbr=on}} monochrome, 512 × 342
| graphics     = 
| sound        = 
| dimensions   = Height: {{convert|13.6|in|cm|abbr=on}}<br/>Width: {{convert|9.6|in|cm|abbr=on}}<br/>Depth: {{convert|10.9|in|cm|abbr=on}}
| weight       = {{convert|19.5|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
| predecessor  = [[Macintosh SE]]
| successor    = [[Macintosh Classic]]<br>[[Macintosh Classic II]]
| related      = [[Macintosh IIx]]<br>[[Macintosh IIfx]]<br>[[Macintosh II]]<br>[[Macintosh IIcx]]<br>[[Macintosh IIci]]<br>[[Macintosh Portable]]
}}

The '''Macintosh SE/30''' is a [[personal computer]] designed, manufactured and sold by [[Apple Inc.|Apple Computer]] from January 1989 to October 1991. It is the fastest of the original black-and-white [[compact Macintosh]] series.

The SE/30 has a black-and-white monitor and a single [[Processor Direct Slot]] (rather than the [[NuBus]] slots of the IIx, with which the SE/30 shares a common architecture) which supported third-party accelerators, network cards, or a display adapter. The SE/30 could expand up to 32 MB of [[Random-access memory|RAM]] (a significant amount of RAM at the time), and included a 40 or 80 MB [[hard disk drive|hard drive]]. It was also the first compact Mac to include a 1.44 MB high density [[floppy disk]] drive as standard (late versions of the SE had one, but earlier versions did not). The power of the SE/30 was demonstrated by its use to produce the ''[[This Week (newspaper)|This Week]]'' newspaper, the first colour tabloid newspaper in the UK to use new, digital pre-press technology on a personal, [[desktop computer]]. 

In keeping with Apple's practice, from the [[Apple II Plus|Apple II+]] until the [[Power Macintosh G3]] was announced, a logic board upgrade was available for US$1,699 to convert a regular [[Macintosh SE|SE]] to an SE/30. The SE would then have exactly the same specs as an SE/30, with the difference only in the floppy drive if the SE had an 800 KB drive. The set included a new front bezel to replace the original SE bezel with that of an SE/30.

Although this machine was succeeded in Q4 of 1990 by the [[Macintosh Classic]], the SE/30 wasn't discontinued until 1991 by the [[Macintosh Classic II]], which despite featuring the same processor and clock speed, was only 60% as fast as the SE/30 due to its 16-bit data path,<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 12, 2014 |title=Mac Classic II, a Compromised Mac |url=https://lowendmac.com/2014/mac-classic-ii-a-compromised-mac/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827181300/https://lowendmac.com/2014/mac-classic-ii-a-compromised-mac/ |archive-date=August 27, 2019 |access-date=August 27, 2019 |website=Low End Mac}}</ref> supported no more than 10 MB of memory, lacked an internal expansion slot, and made the [[Motorola 68881|Motorola 68882 FPU]] an optional upgrade.

==Hardware==
[[File:Macintosh_SE30_Mainboard.jpg|thumb|right|Mainboard of the SE/30]]
Although the [[Motorola 68030]] in the SE/30 supports 32-bit addressing, the SE/30 [[Read-only memory|ROM]], like the [[Macintosh IIx|IIx]] ROM, includes some code using 24-bit addressing, rendering the ROM "[[32-bit dirty]]". This limits the actual amount of RAM that can be accessed to 8 MB under System 6.0.8.<ref name="macworldsecrets">{{Cite book |last=Pogue |first=David |url=https://archive.org/details/macworldmacsecre00pogu/page/461 |title=MacWorld Mac Secrets, 5th Edition |last2=Schorr |first2=Joseph |date=1999 |publisher=[[IDG Books]] |isbn=0-7645-4040-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/macworldmacsecre00pogu/page/461 461-462] |author-link=David Pogue}}</ref> A [[Extension (Mac OS)|system extension]] called [[MODE32]] enables access to installed extra memory under System 6.0.8. Under System 7.0 up to System 7.5.5 the SE/30 can use up to 128 MB of RAM.  Alternatively, replacing the ROM SIMM with one from a Mac IIsi or Mac IIfx makes the SE/30 "32-bit clean" and thereby enables use of up to 128 MB RAM and System 7.5 through OS 7.6.1.

A standard SE/30 can run up to System 7.5.5,<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 19, 2014 |title=25 Years of the Mac SE/30 |url=https://lowendmac.com/2014/25-years-mac-se30/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827181300/https://lowendmac.com/2014/25-years-mac-se30/ |archive-date=August 27, 2019 |access-date=August 27, 2019 |website=Low End Mac}}</ref> since Mac OS 7.6 requires a "32-bit clean" ROM.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lowendmac |url=http://lowendmac.com/history/1997dk.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702220919/http://lowendmac.com/history/1997dk.shtml |archive-date=July 2, 2015 |access-date=July 2, 2015 |quote=Minimum requirements for Mac OS 7.6 included a 68030 CPU, "32-bit clean" ROMs, 8 MB of RAM (12-16 MB recommended), and 70 MB of hard drive space. It no longer supported 24-bit addressing or classic Mac networking (it used OpenTransport exclusively).}}</ref>

Additionally, the SE/30 can run [[A/UX]], Apple's older version of [[Unix]] that was able to run Macintosh programs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A/UX FAQ |url=https://christtrekker.users.sourceforge.net/doc/aux/faq.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008192945/http://christtrekker.users.sourceforge.net/doc/aux/faq.html |archive-date=October 8, 2011 |access-date=July 2, 2015 |quote=A/UX 3.0 works on the Mac II (with PMMU or 68030 upgrade with FDHD ROM's installed), IIx, IIcx, IIci, IIfx, SE/30, IIsi (with 68882 chip) and the Quadra 700/900/950 computers.}}</ref>

Though there was no official upgrade path for the SE/30, several third-party processor upgrades were available. A 68040 upgrade made it possible to run [[Mac OS 8|Mac OS 8.1]], which extended the SE/30's productive life for many more years. 
Also extending the useful life of the SE30 were [[Micron Technology]] video cards.  Three cards were available, which fit into the SE/30's [[Processor Direct Slot]]: the 8-bit Gray-Scale 30, the SE/306-48, 640x480 resolution 8-bit color, and SE/3010-78 1024x768 resolution 8-bit color.  With the first, the internal display was 8-bit [[greyscale]]; the latter two were used with 13" and 14", respectively, external color monitors, while retaining 1-bit (black and white) on the internal monitor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SE/30 GrayScale ScreenShots |url=http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/se30grayshots.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020612020539/http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/se30grayshots.html |archive-date=June 12, 2002 |access-date=July 20, 2020 }}; {{Cite web |date=September 2, 1999 |title=Micron Xceed for Mac SE/30 |url=https://lowendmac.com/1999/micron-xceed-for-mac-se30/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811214944/https://lowendmac.com/1999/micron-xceed-for-mac-se30/ |archive-date=August 11, 2019 |access-date=August 11, 2019 |website=Low End Mac }}; {{cite web |date=August 15, 2023 |title=Xceed SE/306-48 |url=https://vintageapple.org/macbooks/pdf/Micron_Technology_Xceed_SE-306-48_1989.pdf |access-date=March 28, 2023 |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031222253/https://vintageapple.org/macbooks/pdf/Micron_Technology_Xceed_SE-306-48_1989.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Models==
* '''Macintosh SE/30''':<ref>{{Cite web |title=Macintosh SE/30: Technical Specifications |url=https://support.apple.com/kb/sp195 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109155423/http://support.apple.com/kb/SP195 |archive-date=January 9, 2015 |access-date=October 16, 2017 |publisher=Apple}}</ref> Available in multiple configurations.
** {{usd|4,369|1989|round=-1}}: 1 MB RAM, No hard disk
** {{usd|4,869|1989|round=-1}}: 1 MB RAM, 40 MB hard disk
** {{usd|6,569|1989|round=-1}}: 4 MB RAM, 80 MB hard disk<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=January 24, 2014 |title=Mac flashback: Original InfoWorld review of the Macintosh SE/30 (3/27/1989) |url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/2604624/macs/mac-flashback-original-infoworld-review-of-the-macintosh-se-30-3-27-1989.html |url-status=live |magazine=[[InfoWorld]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703224139/http://www.infoworld.com/article/2604624/macs/mac-flashback-original-infoworld-review-of-the-macintosh-se-30-3-27-1989.html |archive-date=July 3, 2015 |access-date=July 2, 2015}}; {{Cite magazine |last=Green |first=Doug |last2=Green |first2=Denise |date=March 27, 1989 |title=Mac SE/30 Leapfrogs Past 68020 Generation of CPUs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DjoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT70 |url-status=live |magazine=[[InfoWorld]] |volume=11 |issue=13 |pages=71–73 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920134557/https://books.google.com/books?id=DjoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT70 |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |access-date=October 28, 2021}}</ref>

==Reception==
Nick Baran of ''[[BYTE (magazine)|BYTE]]'' in February 1989 approved of the SE/30's performance improvements over the SE and II, stating that the only reasons to instead buy a IIx were the latter's NuBus slots and official support for A/UX.<ref name="baran198902">{{Cite magazine |last=Baran |first=Nick |date=February 1989 |title=The Mac SE Takes Off |url=https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1989-02_OCR/page/n167/mode/2up?view=theater |magazine=BYTE |pages=113-116}}</ref> [[Bruce F. Webster]] wrote in ''[[Macworld]]'' in March 1989 that the SE/30 did not "break new ground. It does, however, establish Apple's commitment to the classic Mac product line, and it provides users with an Apple-supported alternative to either a small, slow Mac or a large, powerful one. More important, it fills a gap in the Macintosh family ... a new level of power and portability for the Macintosh community".<ref name="webster198903">{{Cite magazine |last=Webster, Bruce F. |date=March 1989 |title=The Mac SE Turns 030 |url=https://archive.org/stream/MacWorld_8903_March_1989#page/n121/mode/2up |magazine=[[Macworld]] |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=112–117 |access-date=20 August 2016}}</ref> <!-- In the title, "030" is correct, referring to the 68030 processor of the SE/30 -->

In a January 2009 ''[[Macworld]]'' feature commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Macintosh, three industry commentators – [[Adam C. Engst]] of [[Tidbits|TidBITS]], [[John Gruber]] of [[Daring Fireball]], and John Siracusa of ''[[Ars Technica]]'' – chose the SE/30 as their favorite Mac model of all time. "Like any great Mac," wrote Gruber, "the SE/30 wasn't just a terrific system just when it debuted; it remained eminently usable for years to come. When I think of the original Mac era, the machine in my mind is the SE/30."

The SE/30 remains popular with hobbyists, and has been described as “the best computer Apple will ever make,”<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=Benchoff |first=Brian |date=2018-09-26 |title=Apple's Best Computer Gets WiFi |url=https://hackaday.com/2018/09/26/apples-best-computer-gets-wifi/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810145641/https://hackaday.com/2018/09/26/apples-best-computer-gets-wifi/ |archive-date=August 10, 2019 |access-date=2019-08-10 |website=Hackaday |language=en-US}}</ref> with used models selling for a significant premium relative to other machines of the era. Contemporary PDS upgrades allowed an SE/30's internal monitor to be upgraded to support 256 shades of gray<ref>{{Cite web |date=1999-09-02 |title=Micron Xceed for Mac SE/30 |url=https://lowendmac.com/1999/micron-xceed-for-mac-se30/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811214944/https://lowendmac.com/1999/micron-xceed-for-mac-se30/ |archive-date=August 11, 2019 |access-date=2019-08-11 |website=Low End Mac |language=en-US}}</ref> (the only original-design Macintosh to support such an upgrade) or a 68040 processor, and the SE/30's standard RAM limit of 128 MB greatly exceeded even that of much later models such as the Color Classic and Macintosh LC II.  In 2018, add-ons and software became available to add WiFi<ref name="auto" /> and even make the SE/30 work as a remote control for [[Spotify]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coward |first=Cameron |date=2018-12-26 |title=A Macintosh SE/30 Spotify Music Player |url=https://blog.hackster.io/a-macintosh-se-30-spotify-music-player-77b4852b7965 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920134518/https://www.hackster.io/news/a-macintosh-se-30-spotify-music-player-77b4852b7965 |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |access-date=2019-08-10 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
In the NBC TV series ''[[Seinfeld]]'', Jerry has an SE/30 sitting on the desk of his apartment during the first few seasons. This would be the first of many Macs to occupy the desk, including a [[PowerBook Duo]] and a [[Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Christina |date=2015-06-23 |title=Hulu's 'Seinfeld' apartment is now perfect |url=https://mashable.com/archive/jerry-seinfeld-used-a-mac |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Mashable |language=en}}</ref>

In the FX series ''[[It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia]]'', the Waitress is seen with a Macintosh SE/30 on her bedroom desk in the episode "The Gang Gives Back".

In the film ''[[Watchmen (2009 film)|Watchmen]],'' Ozymandias has an all-black [[Tempest (codename)|TEMPEST]]-shielded SE/30 on his desk.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Diaz |first=Jesus |date=2009-03-06 |title=Watchmen's Old School Macintosh SE/30 |url=https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2009/03/watchmens_old_school_macintosh_se30-2/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702202137/https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2009/03/watchmens_old_school_macintosh_se30-2/ |archive-date=2012-07-02 |access-date=2020-09-02 |website=Gizmodo |language=en}}</ref>

== Timeline ==
{{Timeline of compact Macintosh models}}

==References==
{{commons category|Macintosh SE/30}}
{{reflist}}

{{Apple hardware before 1998}}

[[Category:Compact Macintosh|SE 30]]
[[Category:68k Macintosh computers|SE 30]]
[[Category:A/UX-capable Macintoshes|SE 30]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1989]]
[[Category:Products and services discontinued in 1991]]

[[sv:Macintosh SE#SE/30]]