The Macintosh Quadra 610, originally sold as the Macintosh Centris 610, is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from February 1993 to July 1994. The Centris 610 was introduced alongside the larger Centris 650 as the replacement for the Macintosh IIsi, and it was intended as the start of the new midrange Centris line of computers.[2] Later in 1993, Apple decided to follow an emerging industry trend of naming product families for their target customers – Quadra for business, LC for education, and Performa for home – and folded the Centris 610 into the Quadra family.[3]

Centris 610 / Quadra 610 / Workgroup Server 60
A Macintosh Quadra 610
Also known as"Speedbump 610"[1]
DeveloperApple Computer
Product familyCentris, Quadra, Workgroup Server
Release dateFebruary 10, 1993 (1993-02-10)
Introductory priceUS$2,520 (equivalent to $5,315 in 2023)
DiscontinuedJuly 18, 1994 (1994-07-18)
Operating systemSystem 7.1 to Mac OS 8.1
Mac OS 9.1 with PowerPC upgrade
CPUMotorola 68LC040 or 68040 @ 20 or 25 MHz
Memory4 or 8 MB, expandable to 68 MB (80 ns 72-pin SIMM)
DimensionsHeight: 3.4 inches (8.6 cm)
Width: 16.3 inches (41 cm)
Depth: 15.6 inches (40 cm)
Mass14 pounds (6.4 kg)
PredecessorMacintosh IIsi
SuccessorMacintosh Quadra 630
Macintosh Quadra 660AV
Power Macintosh 6100
Workgroup Server 6150
RelatedMacintosh Quadra 650

The 610 is the second Macintosh case design (after the Macintosh LC family) to use a pizza box form factor; it was later used for the Centris / Quadra 660AV and the Power Macintosh 6100. A server variant, the Workgroup Server 60, was introduced in July 1993 with a 20 MHz processor, which received the same 25 MHz upgrade in October.

In February 1994,[1] a "DOS Compatible" version of the Quadra 610 was introduced as a way for Apple to judge whether the market would be interested in a Macintosh that could also run DOS, providing this DOS compatibility using an additional 486SX processor running at 25 MHz on a card installed in the Processor Direct Slot of the machine.[4] The product was deemed a success by Apple, selling all 25,000 units that were produced within months of its launch.[5] Having proven the demand for such capabilities, Apple developed a successor for the Power Macintosh 6100 and exhibited a "technology demonstration" of a card for the Quadra 630, although Apple indicated that follow-up products for earlier models might be delegated to third-party suppliers.[6]

The Quadra 610 was replaced with the Quadra 630 in July 1994, and the Workgroup Server 6150 replaced the Workgroup Server 60 as Apple's entry-level server offering.

Hardware

edit

Standard equipment on all Centris 610 models includes onboard video (with VGA support via an adapter), two ADB and two serial ports, and an external SCSI connector. There are two SIMM slots that support 4, 8, 16, and 32 MB SIMMs, allowing for a 68 MB of RAM. Ethernet-capable models have an AAUI port. There are no NuBus slots; an optional expansion card was offered that plugs into the Processor Direct Slot and allows a single 7-inch NuBus card to be installed in a horizontal orientation. This arrangement initially precluded the use of the full 68040 processor as there was insufficient clearance for a heat sink, something the 68LC040 does not require.[2] This was no longer an issue by the time the Quadra 610 DOS Compatible was released, which included a full 68040 CPU.

When the Centris 610 was first introduced, only a few 7-inch NuBus cards existed; most were 12 inches. The smaller size was part of an upcoming update to the NuBus standard.

System 7.1 was included as standard, with Mac OS 8.1 being the highest supported version.[7] Versions with a full 68040 processor can also run A/UX with the appropriate Enablers.

Models

edit

Introduced February 10, 1993:

  • Macintosh Centris 610:[8] Sold in four configurations:[2]
    • 68LC040, 4 MB RAM (on board), 512 KB VRAM (on board), 80 MB HDD, no Ethernet
    • 68LC040, 8 MB RAM (4 MB onboard + 4 MB SIMM), 512 KB VRAM (on board), 80 MB HDD, Ethernet
    • 68LC040, 8 MB RAM (4 MB onboard + 4 MB SIMM), 512 KB VRAM (on board), 230 MB HDD, Ethernet
    • 68LC040, 8 MB RAM (4 MB onboard + 4 MB SIMM), 1 MB VRAM (512 KB onboard + 512 KB SIMM), 230 MB HDD, Ethernet, AppleCD 300i and microphone

Introduced July 26, 1993:

  • Workgroup Server 60: 68040 at 20 MHz, 8 MB ram (on board), 250 or 500 MB HDD.[9] The 500 MB model was sold for US$2,699 as of early 1994.[10]

Introduced October 21, 1993:

  • Macintosh Quadra 610: 68LC040 or 68040 at 25 MHz, 160 or 230 MB HDD.[11]

Introduced February 28, 1994:

  • Macintosh Quadra 610 DOS Compatible: 68040 at 25 MHz, 160 or 230 MB HDD; the DOS card occupies the PDS slot and includes an Intel 486SX-25 and has a 72-pin SIMM slot which supports up to 32 MB RAM.[12]

Timelines

edit
Timeline of Macintosh Centris, LC, Performa, and Quadra models, colored by CPU type
Macintosh Performa 6214Macintosh Performa 6210Macintosh Performa 6205Macintosh Performa 6230Macintosh Performa 6220Macintosh Quadra 840AVMacintosh Quadra 650Macintosh Quadra 610Macintosh Quadra 605Macintosh Quadra 660AVMacintosh Quadra 800Macintosh Centris 650Macintosh Centris 610Macintosh Quadra 950Macintosh Quadra 630Macintosh Quadra 900Macintosh Quadra 700Macintosh Performa 6420Macintosh Performa 6410Macintosh Performa 5440Macintosh Performa 5430Macintosh Performa 5260Macintosh Performa 6360Macintosh Performa 5260Macintosh Performa 6400Macintosh Performa 6400Macintosh Performa 5400Macintosh Performa 5400Macintosh Performa 6260Macintosh Performa 5400Macintosh Performa 5420Macintosh Performa 5410Macintosh Performa 5270Macintosh Performa 5260Macintosh Performa 6320Macintosh Performa 6310Macintosh Performa 6300Macintosh Performa 6290Macintosh Performa 5320Macintosh Performa 5300Macintosh Performa 6218Macintosh Performa 6216Macintosh Performa 6200Macintosh Performa 6116Macintosh Performa 5220Macintosh Performa 5215Macintosh Performa 5210Macintosh Performa 5200Macintosh Performa 640CDMacintosh Performa 580CDMacintosh Performa 588CDMacintosh Performa 638Macintosh Performa 637Macintosh Performa 636Macintosh Performa 635Macintosh Performa 631Macintosh Performa 630Macintosh Performa 578Macintosh Performa 577Macintosh Performa 575Macintosh Performa 476Macintosh Performa 475Macintosh Performa 560Macintosh Performa 550Macintosh Performa 275Macintosh Performa 6118Macintosh Performa 6117Macintosh Performa 6115Macintosh Performa 6112Macintosh Performa 6110Macintosh Performa 467Macintosh Performa 466Macintosh Performa 460Macintosh Performa 410Macintosh Performa 520Macintosh Performa 450Macintosh Performa 430Macintosh Performa 405Macintosh Performa 250Macintosh Performa 600Macintosh Performa 400Macintosh Performa 200Power Macintosh 5300 LCMacintosh LC 575Macintosh TVMacintosh LC IIIMacintosh LC 550Macintosh LC 580Macintosh LC 520Macintosh LC 630Macintosh LC 475Power Macintosh 5200 LCMacintosh LC IIIMacintosh LC IIMacintosh LC

Timeline of Macintosh servers
Mac transition to Apple siliconCascade Lake (microprocessor)Ivy Bridge (microarchitecture)Westmere (microprocessor)Nehalem (microarchitecture)Harpertown (microprocessor)Apple Intel transitionPowerPC 970PowerPC G4PowerPC 7xxPowerPC 600Motorola 68040Mac Pro#Mac Pro ServerMac Mini#Mac Mini ServerMac Pro#Mac Pro ServerMac Mini#Mac Mini ServerApple Macintosh Server G4Apple Macintosh Server G4Apple Macintosh Server G4Apple Macintosh Server G4Apple Macintosh Server G3Apple Macintosh Server G3Apple Workgroup Server 9650Apple Workgroup Server 7350Apple Workgroup Server 8550Apple Workgroup Server 7250Apple Workgroup Server 9150Apple Workgroup Server 8150Apple Workgroup Server 6150Intel XserveXserve G5 Cluster NodeXserve G5XserveXserveXserveApple Network Server 700Apple Network Server 700Apple Network Server 500Apple Workgroup Server 60Apple Workgroup Server 95Apple Workgroup Server 80

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Pogue, David; Schorr, Joseph (1999). MacWorld Mac Secrets, 5th Edition. IDG Books. pp. 478–480. ISBN 0-7645-4040-8.
  2. ^ a b c Gruman, Galen (April 1993). "Centris 610 & 650 - Two new midrange performers replace the venerable Mac II line". Macworld. Vol. 10, no. 4. pp. 106–113.
  3. ^ Seiter, Charles (December 1993). "New 040 Macs - We sort out the complex new lineup". Macworld. Vol. 10, no. 12. pp. 92–98.
  4. ^ Thompson, Tom (January 1994). "Apple Provides PC on a Mac". Byte. p. 19. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Thompson, Tom (April 1995). "One Box, Two Computers". Byte. pp. 165–166. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  6. ^ "Houdini Reappears". Byte. December 1994. p. 56. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  7. ^ "Quadra 610 DOS Compatible". Low End Mac. February 14, 1994. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  8. ^ "Macintosh Centris 610: Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  9. ^ "Workgroup Server 60: Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  10. ^ "Apple advertisement: "They do more. They cost less."". InfoWorld (advertisement). Vol. 16, no. 8. February 21, 1994. pp. 74–79. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  11. ^ "Macintosh Quadra 610: Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  12. ^ "Macintosh Quadra 610 DOS Compatible: Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
edit