In the early 1990s, Orange Micro introduced what were described as "DOS compatibility cards". This was a concept first introduced in the Mac286 by AST Research, for which Orange Micro had purchased the rights. These cards essentially consisted of an entire PC on NuBus or PCI cards. They contained enough hardware in order to run PC software such as DOS and Windows at native hardware speeds: notably, an Intel-compatible CPU, RAM, sound cards, and video chipsets supporting CGA or VGA. Some hardware, such as disks, printers, modems and network interface cards, were emulated in software.
While Orange Micro sold their compatibility card under the Mac286 name for a time, later offerings were based on the 80386, 80486, and Pentium lines. Additional cards offered support for AMD, Cyrix, and IDT processors, offering a lower cost.
An example of such a PC compatibility card was the OrangePC Model 220. This card, for NuBus-based Macintoshes, included a 66 MHz 486DX2 and 8MB of preinstalled memory. In December 1995, its retail price was US$1127.[2]
A later model, the OrangePC 620 series, offered a 200 or 233 MHz processor. In 1998 it started at US$399, significantly less than previous incarnations. Various 620 models utilized processors from Intel, AMD, and IDT. High-end models included a Sound Blaster chipset, while more affordable options provided software emulation, with the caveat that sound could not be played in MS-DOS software.[3]
One of its last PC compatibility offerings was the PCfx!, introduced in late 1998. Sporting a 200 MHz Pentium processor, NVIDIA RIVA 128 chipset, and 32MB to 128MB of SDRAM, the PCfx! was marketed as a way for Macintosh users to play PC games.[4]
The need for such specialized compatibility hardware was eliminated after the Apple–Intel transition, particularly after the release of Boot Camp and virtualization software such as Parallels Desktop for Mac and VMware Fusion.
While Orange Micro sold their compatibility card under the Mac286 name for a time, later offerings were based on the 80386, 80486, and Pentium lines. Additional cards offered support for AMD, Cyrix, and IDT processors, offering a lower cost.
An example of such a PC compatibility card was the OrangePC Model 220. This card, for NuBus-based Macintoshes, included a 66 MHz 486DX2 and 8MB of preinstalled memory. In December 1995, its retail price was US$1127.[2]
A later model, the OrangePC 620 series, offered a 200 or 233 MHz processor. In 1998 it started at US$399, significantly less than previous incarnations. Various 620 models utilized processors from Intel, AMD, and IDT. High-end models included a Sound Blaster chipset, while more affordable options provided software emulation, with the caveat that sound could not be played in MS-DOS software.[3]
One of its last PC compatibility offerings was the PCfx!, introduced in late 1998. Sporting a 200 MHz Pentium processor, NVIDIA RIVA 128 chipset, and 32MB to 128MB of SDRAM, the PCfx! was marketed as a way for Macintosh users to play PC games.[4]
The need for such specialized compatibility hardware was eliminated after the Apple–Intel transition, particularly after the release of Boot Camp and virtualization software such as Parallels Desktop for Mac and VMware Fusion.
No comments:
Post a Comment