Released alongside the Powerbook Duo 230, the Powerbook Duo 210 was the first (and model with the lowest specifications) in a range of sub-notebooks developed by Apple. It’s impressive speficications weren’t exactly the selling point though, it was the lack of them -albeit the cut-down light weight miniaturised nature of the Powerbook- that helped it gain brand recognition. Released alongside the Powerbook 160 and Powerbook 180, the Duo 210 offered a different solution to portability, particularly when purchased in conjunction with it’s dock and associated peripherals.
Specs:
The Apple PowerBook Duo 210 features a 25 MHz 68030 processor with 0.5k of level 1 cache. It lacked an FPU and the CPU cannot be upgraded as it is soldered to the motherboard.
Memory:
With a base of 4 MB of RAM, a memory card can be added, upgrading the memory to a total of 28 MB. A 32 MB card was available, although it’s addition disabled the on-board RAM and not all available memory was addressed. The Powerbook Duo 210 took a single 70 ns DRAM card.
Storage:
The original powerbook Duo was equipped with an 80 MB SCSI hard drive. It could be technically upgraded but the size of the drive coupled with it’s SCSI interface made sourcing a replacement difficult.
Video & Graphics:
The Duo 210 shipped with a 9.1″ grayscale passive-matrix (4-bit, 16 grays) Supertwist LCD with a 640×400 native resolution. An exteranl screen was supported via a compatible Duo Dock which (full sized) included additional VRAM to drive various sized screens at colors up to 16 bit.
Ports & connectivity:
The Powerbook Duo 210 was supplied with a 152-pin Processor Direct Slot that offered connectivity to compatible docks. The Duo Dock added further functionality to the laptop when “docked”. The PDS slot to the laptop meant that peripherals had a direct connection to the processor itself, meaning that the Dock could incorporate an FPU, NUBUS cards, floppy drive, additional hard drive and more VRAM. The dock also supported an external monitor at higher resolutions than the laptop’s built ins sreen. Screens attached to the dock also functioned in color. Two full sized Docks were manufactured by Apple- The Duo Dock and Duo Dock II.
The Powerbook Duo 210 also shipped with an integral Serial port for connection to a printer.
| Introduction Date: |
October 19, 1992 |
Discontinued Date: |
October 21, 1993 |
| Processor Speed: |
25 MHz |
Processor Type: |
68030 |
| Processor Upgrade: |
Soldered |
FPU: |
None |
| System Bus Speed: |
25 MHz |
Cache Bus Speed: |
N/A |
| ROM/Firmware Type: |
Macintosh ROM |
ROM/Firmware Size: |
1 MB |
| L1 Cache: |
0.5k |
L2 Cache: |
N/A |
| RAM Type: |
DRAM Card |
Min. RAM Speed: |
70 ns |
| Standard RAM: |
4 MB |
Maximum RAM: |
28 MB* |
| Motherboard RAM: |
4 MB |
RAM Slots: |
1 (Duo) |
| Video Card: |
Dedicated |
VRAM Type: |
Onboard |
| Standard VRAM: |
N/A |
Maximum VRAM: |
N/A |
| Built-in Display: |
9.1″ Grayscale |
Native Resolution: |
640×400 |
| Standard Hard Drive: |
80 MB |
Int. HD Interface: |
SCSI |
| Standard Optical: |
None |
Standard Disk: |
None |
| Standard Modem: |
None |
Standard Ethernet: |
None |
| Expansion Slots: |
Modem, Dock (PDS) |
Expansion Bays: |
None |
| Case Type: |
Notebook |
Form Factor: |
PowerBook Duo 210 |
| Apple Order No: |
M4161LL/A |
Apple Subfamily: |
PowerBook Duo 210 |
| Apple Model No: |
M7777 |
Gestalt ID: |
29 |
| Battery Type: |
Duo NiMH Type I |
Battery Life: |
2.5-4.0 Hours |
| Original Mac OS: |
7.1 |
Supported Mac OS: |
7.1-7.5.1, 7.5.3-7.6.1 |
| Dimensions: |
1.4 x 10.9 x 8.5 |
Avg. Weight: |
4.2 lbs (1.9 kg) |
Memory:
