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Second Class Macs & Road Apples

GeoPort 'Modems'

three

Dan Knight - 1998.04.10

Second Class Macs are Apple's somewhat compromised hardware designs. For the most part, they're not really bad - simply designs that didn't meet their full potential. (On our rating scale, the more brown apples, the worse the hardware.)

Some view the GeoPort Telecom Adapter as brilliant; others as a bizarre hardware kludge.

The Centris 660av (later Quadra 660av) and Quadra 840av were the first Macs with GeoPorts, an enhanced serial port. The DMA (direct memory access) ports can operate at up to 2 megabits per second (Mbps). By contrast, the typical Mac serial port ran at 230.4 Kbps or less than 1/4 Mbps. (For more on serial ports, read Macintosh Serial Throughput.)

With the GeoPort serial port, Apple introduced the GeoPort Telecom Adapter, commonly (though incorrectly) known as the GeoPort modem. Not only could the "GeoPod" be used as a 9600 bps modem, it could also fax and turn your Mac into a speakerphone.

Eventually software enabled the GeoPod to run at 14.4 Kbps, then 28.8 Kbps. No other modem ever offered such an upgrade path.

Of course, there was a cost. In the case of the GeoPort "modems," like the earlier Express Modems in early PowerBooks, the cost was CPU time. The faster it ran and the more it did, the more it slowed down your computer.

Worse, it tied up the serial port far more than a conventional modem, affecting printing, MIDI adapters, and LocalTalk networking adversely. And throughput never seemed as fast as with a conventional modem on the same computer and phone line. Never.

Like the Apple /// and the twiggy drives in the Lisa, the GeoPod was a clever hack that didn't live up to expectation. Well after the pod was discontinued, the idea resurfaced as an internal GeoPort Express modem in some Performa and Power Mac models.

Maybe Apple realized the folly of their ways and repented with the Power Mac G3, which explicitly doesn't support the GeoPort Telecom Adapter.

The Apple Patient, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 03.15. The used 12" PowerBook has a dead screen, missing key, damaged case, and minimal memory, but it does work.
Why Run Leopard on Slow G4 Macs?, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 03.15. Tiger has lower demands and runs more smoothly on low-end Macs, but Leopard gives you access to more up-to-date software.
Consumer Reports Rates Apple Tops, Macs Cost Less to Manage than PCs, 6 Core Mac Pro Soon?, and More, Mac News Review, 03.12. Also dreaming of a Mac mini on steroids, focus on word processiong, Ubuntu ditches brown for more Mac-like appearance, and more.
iPad Ships April 3, iPhone Stand Made from Cutlery, Apple's Draconian Developer Agreement, and More, iNews Review, 03.12. Also an open letter to Steve Jobs, Apple bans cell phone radiation app, wireless iPhone charging with Case-mate Hug, new apps, and more.
Apple Tops in Laptop Support, Rise of Netbooks Charted, 1 TB Bus Powered Hard Drive, and More, The 'Book Review, 03.12. Also Apple files for patent on notebook cooling technology, the Mac user and his i7 laptop, HP's latest Vivienne Tan netbook, and more.
OS X 10.4 Tiger Still Very Usable on a 500 MHz G3 Mac, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 03.11. For writing and basic Internet access, a 500 MHz G3 provides sufficient power and Tiger provides fairly up-to-date software.
WPA for Original AirPort, Stainless Browser, Multiple Input Bug Persists in Snow Leopard, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 03.11. Also kudos for Shiira, G3 vs. G4 upgrade for Pismo PowerBook, and 17" PowerBook still suffices.
iPad Gaming Potential, Dan Bashur, Apple, Tech, and Gaming, 03.11. Two years of developing games for the less powerful iPhone and iPod touch has prepared developers to unleash the iPad's potential.
More links in our archive.

Recent Deals

Best iPod classic Deals, 03.12. Used 20 GB, $119; 40 GB, $139; 60 GB, $159; 30 GB video, $129; 60 GB, $159; 80 GB, $169; refurb 120 GB, $189; new, $214; 160 GB, $228 shipped.
Best G3 iBook and AirPort Card Deals, 03.12. 366 MHz 12" clamshell, $89; 466, $125; 500 white CD, $100; 600, $199; 800 Combo, $239; 14" 900, $225.
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Best iPod touch Deals, 03.11. Refurb 8 GB, $149; 16 GB, $199; 32 GB, $249; 64 GB, $339; new 3G/8 GB, $184; close-out 2G/16 GB, $229; 3G/32, $270; 64, $355. Shipping included.
Best Mac OS X 10.5 Deals, 03.11. "Leopard" one user, $180; upgrade from 10.4, $150; 5 users, $400; Server, 10 users, $493; unlimited users, $600.
Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals, 03.11. Used 2.33 GHz, $1,099; 2.5, $1,349; refurb 2.66, $1,949; 2.93, $2,199; new 2.8, $2,249 after rebate; 3.06, $2,749.
Best iPod nano Deals, 03.10. Refurb 4G/8 GB, $99; 16 GB, $119; 4G/8 GB, $129; 16 GB, $139; new 5G/8 GB, $134; 16 GB, $160. Shipping included.
Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, 03.10. 1 GHz Combo, $400; 1.25 GHz, $460; 1.33 GHz SuperDrive, $539; 1.5 GHz, $550; 1.67 GHz, $589; hi-res, $800.
Best iPod shuffle Deals, 03.10. New 3G/2 GB, pink, $53; other, $55, 4 GB, blue, $71; other, $73. Shipping included.
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