Description

Restored/Recapped/Working  First Apple laptop: Mac Macintosh Portable M5120 /Charger/Case

One 1MB RAM expansion module (very rare);

One modern 7MB RAM expansion module;

One 2400 Baud modem expansion module (rare);

New working battery - 3D printed case and using readily available batteries (user replaceable);

Logic board recapped - both SMD and axial lead capacitors replaced;

Floppy drive serviced and restored to full working order;

Original AC adapter recapped and outputting a solid 7.5 V;

Hard disk replaced with BlueSCSI emulator with MacOS 6.0.8 installed along with many programs, utilities and games;

Original carrying case/bag with strap and name tag;  

Everything cleaned and detailed;

Extensively tested and confirmed working - sound, battery, charger/AC adapter, floppy drive, BlueSCSI drive, external floppy port, external SCSI port, ADB port, screen, keyboard, trackball, reset and programmer switches;

‍

This rare Macintosh Portable is in near-mint condition! It has been fully restored: it has been cleaned and detailed; all logic board electrolytic capacitors have been replaced (in 2022) by high quality, high reliability, immune to leakage, tantalum capacitors - where possible; the floppy drive has been fully cleaned, serviced and lubricated - it works flawlessly. The difficult to source battery has been replaced by a 3D-printed battery case which can hold an inexpensive (and included), readily available and user replaceable, standard, 6V lead-acid battery - note that the Portable will not power-on without a good battery! The keyboard, trackball and all plastic parts have been thoroughly cleaned and detailed. The keyboard and trackball have been fully tested and function flawlessly and as intended. This Portable’s logic board is in excellent condition and has no lifted printed circuit board traces, no trace repairs and no patches with bog wires - VERY rare for such a 30+  years old laptop!

In 1989, five years after introducing the revolutionary original Macintosh computer, Apple introduced its first laptop: the Macintosh Portable. The Portable was Apple's most notable Mac because it was Apple’s first attempt to produce a portable computer… and ultimately, a commercial failure. It was extremely expensive (over US $7300.00 - 1989 dollars!), very bulky (lug-able - not so portable) and VERY heavy (16  pounds/7.3 Kg!).

Despite it being a commercial failure, it was a technologically very sound computer with no-compromise, high-end components and a full complement of ports as on the Mac SE. It was one of the first laptops available with an active matrix LCD display; it was the first laptop with an "upside-down mouse" i.e.  a trackball, it had a full set of built-in ports, it used expensive, top quality and highly reliable low-power static memory, it had built-in expansion slots for adding an internal modem and another for additional memory; it even had a PDS expansion slot which provides full access to the processor.... and, with its monster-sized battery, the computer was able to operate for over 8 hours on a single battery charge - unheard of back then! It was the first ever Apple laptop and the grand-daddy of all Apple laptops. A unique feature of this laptop is that it was assembled without using any screws!

This laptop's mechanical keyboard is a classic and is considered to be an excellent mechanical keyboard with great tactile feedback.

This computer has been thoroughly tested: power on/off, sound, internal and external floppy ports, internal and external SCSI ports, floppy drive, solid-state hard disk drive, screen, keyboard, trackball, battery, charger, reset and programmer's pushbuttons. Everything is working as it should! It starts up and boots from the built-in solid-state hard disk at every attempt with a loud chime! (Note: the Portable has no "Power" switch. It is turned on by pressing any keyboard key.)

The overall cosmetic condition of this laptop is absolutely amazing! Considering its age, it looks almost brand new! Nothing missing, no battery leaks, no circuit board damage caused by electrolytic capacitors leakage. The laptop has no broken parts, no deep scratches, no cracks (other than a surface hairline crack in the carry handle), no chips, no dings, no dents, no missing parts, no sticker residue, no marker writings, no engravings, no pry marks and no corrosion.

These days, finding a Macintosh Portable in any condition is not easy; finding one in the same amazing condition as this one AND fully restored AND upgraded AND fully functional AND complete is almost impossible... but this is what's being offered here.

When powered on, this “laptop” starts up perfectly, with the typical Apple chime. The active matrix, black and white screen is in great condition and super sharp (despite this model not having a built-in backlight). It has no burnt or stuck pixels. The battery holds charge and can power the laptop for many hours. MacOS 6.0.8 is installed on the solid-state hard disk.

This Portable bears serial number F001W6LM59. It was manufactured in the first week of 1990 in Fremont, California.

Included are the Macintosh Portable with an SD memory card-based SCSI hard disk emulator, the correct, original, off-white/beige recapped Apple power adapter/charger, a working custom battery, the original black Apple carrying case (in good overall condition – one of its feet was missing and a replacement was 3D-printed), the rare original name-tag holder, a period-correct 1MB memory expansion card (doubling  the total memory to a whopping 2MB! yes, Mega Bytes!), a modern 7MB RAM expansion card (note: only one of the two RAM cards may be used at a time), an internal 2400 baud modem expansion card (untested), a low-power Apple ADB mouse, printed copies (not original) of the user manual and the service manual and copies (non-original) of the MacOS 6.0.8 installation diskettes.

Unlike almost all Portables available for sale which are in "as-is", "untested", “not working", “does not power on", "for parts or repair", in poor cosmetic condition, with damaged/un-repairable logic boards, with cracked cases, with little details about overall condition or internals, with missing or broken parts or incomplete, this laptop is in great condition, complete, fully restored, detailed and ready to use! You will not be disappointed!

Many useful programs, utilities and games are already installed on the solid-state BlueSCSI hard disk - not all programs were tested and not all programs are necessarly compatible with this model. Note: the first picture was taken with the mechanical hard disk and the last one with the solid-state BlueSCSI - the mechanical hard disk does not always work to boot the computer. The Portable will be delivered with the BlueSCSI installed.

During the early days of the Macintosh (128K, 512K and Plus), all Macs had the signatures of the development team members molded on the inside of the computer case; As far as I know, the Portable is the only laptop model, ever made by Apple, which has such signatures molded in its case... including Tim Cook's (see pictures).

This is a unique conversation piece and the first "laptop" ever made by Apple. It's a great, fully functioning and highly collectible piece of Apple memorabilia for serious collectors.

Despite this computer having been extensively tested and found to be fully functional, it IS over 30 years old technology and as such, there is no guarantee offered, or implied, for continued functioning. This lot is being sold as-is with no returns accepted.

Everything is included to start using it right away for a first class trip back in time to the late 1980s!

-----------------------

Tips and hints:

The power manager circuit included in this very first laptop made by Apple has a number of quirks. Here are a few tips to work around them:

1.     The Portable has no power switch. It can be powered on by pressing any key on the keyboard (except the trackball key).

2.     Turning off the Portable (since it has no power switch) can be accomplished by either selecting the shutdown command from the operating system or, physically, by simultaneously pressing both programmer and reset switches on the lower left side of the laptop.

3.     The Portable will NOT turn on without the battery cover in place (this is the grey piece of plastic that slides on top of the battery to hold it in place)! It also will NOT turn on without the main battery present and charged!

4.     If the main battery and backup battery are taken out of the laptop for storage, and the (still charged) main battery is then placed in the laptop, the laptop may not start up. If this happens, it is possible to start it up by simultaneously pressing both the programmer and reset switches for 5 seconds and then pressing any key on the keyboard. If this does not work, you may have to temporarly connect the power adapter to the laptop and repeat the procedure to power it up. The power adapter may then be disconnected and the laptop will continue functioning (powering on and off) without requiring the adapter (as long as the battery is charged).

5.     If the Portable has not been used for some time and the battery has been removed and if the battery still holds a charge, connect the 9V backup battery, connect the main battery and let the computer stand for 10-15 minutes then try to start it up. Once started up and the main battery is left inside it, it may be turned off and on without any issues.    

6.     It is NOT possible to use the Portable and charge it at the same time! It has to be charged while it's turned-off.

7. Portables use up the battery even when turned-off! If you're going to store the laptop for some time, it is advisable to fully charge the battery first and then remove it from the laptop for storage.

8.  The power manager electronics on this laptop are very sensitive. DO NOT use any charger other than the original charger. Some Powerbook chargers produce the same voltage and use the same plug as the Portable, however, it is not recommended to use those chargers as they produce more current than the power manager circuit can safely handle.

Did you know?

 1.     Did you know that this laptop is assembled without using a single screw? When it was introduced by Apple, it was assembled on stage in a few minutes by snapping together the different parts and without using a screwdriver!

 2.     Did you know that according to Apple, the mold used to produce the Portable shell was one of the most complex molds (as of 1989) ever designed by Apple?

 3.     Did you know that the Portable was one of the first laptops to feature “sleep” mode. This was achieved by using very expensive, very reliable and very low power static memory. 

 4.     Did you know that the Portable was one of the first laptops to use an active matrix black and white LCD? These LCDs had the advantage of having very fast response times, no shadowing (as was typical on passive matrix LCDs of the period) and being useable in bright sunshine (try doing that with a modern laptop!). Actually, the brighter the ambient light, the more visible the screen is.

 5.     Did you know that the Portable could be configured with the trackball on the right side or on the left side? This way both right and left handed people could use it! This also explains the two recesses for the trackball on either side of the screen.

 6.     Did you know that a numeric keypad was offered by Apple to replace the trackball? This way, numeric data entry was simplified... but the user had to contend with using a mouse connected to the ADB port to move the pointer.

 7.     Did you know that the Portable was Apple’s first attempt at making a laptop? The Portable is a unique, very rare, bulky, heavy and beautiful piece of superb engineering from the late 80s.