We recovered the Apple Portrait Display
We return for another week with Apple Vintage, a section in which we will travel to the past with the intention of paying a small tribute to the products that Apple has been launching throughout its history. Today we will go back to March 7, 1989, the date when the Apple Portrait Display was born, the first portrait display manufactured by Cupertino’s people, which is now considered a true collector’s item.
We are back, one more week, in Apple Vintage, the retro section of Applesupportphonenumber in which we will recover the products that have marked the evolution of Apple to become the company we all know today. Today we will open the trunk of memories to dust off a true rarity: the Apple Portrait Display, the first monitor manufactured under the seal of the Californian multinational, designed to allow the user to work in vertical format.
Following the guidelines established two years earlier by the Radius Full Page Display, a pioneer in this field, the Portrait Display was presented together with the Macintosh IIcx and the Macintosh II Portrait Video Card, on 7 March 1989 . As the user manual made clear, its aim was to optimise the user’s workflow:
Obviously, the big difference between the Apple Portrait Display and the other monitors of its day was its 15-inch monochrome CRT screen , which had a resolution of 640 x 870 pixels . Another great innovation was the inclusion of the 13W3 video connector , instead of the company’s standard at that time: the DB-15.
While the brightness and contrast controls were located on the right side, the back was used to house the power button and 3 ADB ports . Although its design made it possible to place it on almost any Macintosh, it was designed to complement the 11.9-inch Macintosh IIcx .
However, it was possible to connect it to the Macintosh Performa 475, Macintosh II, Macintosh IIx, or Macintosh IIci, without having to resort to external video cards , or any other model thanks to the Macintosh II Portrait Display Video Card.
Their full specifications , were as follows:
- Screen size: 15 inches
- Useful screen: 14.2 inches
- Panel type: Monochrome CRT
- Resolution: 640 x 870 pixels
- Color depth: Up to 8 bits in grayscale
- Screen size: 203 x 276 millimeters
- Refresh Rate: 75 Hz
- Density: 80 dpi
- Dimensions: 310 x 290 x 375 millimetres
- Weight: 16 kg
Although its original price was set at 1,049 dollars , and it was aimed at a very specific user profile, the truth is that until it was finally discontinued on December 1, 1992 , its reception managed to be more than acceptable.
Today, because units that have managed to age in an acceptable state appear in droplet form, it is considered a true relic with a high demand among collectors of classic Apple devices.
Before saying goodbye, we leave you with an extensive photo gallery courtesy of the user of Picasa ukio.
That’s it for today. In 7 days we’ll continue with our particular review of Apple’s successful history. Don’t miss it! If you’d like us to dust off a particular product or if you have one at home that you’d like us to include in future deliveries, we invite you to share it with us.
