Macintosh SE (1987)
Macintosh SE (1987): 7.8336 MHz Motorola 68000, 1 MB expandable to 4 MB, 9-inch monochrome display and, as key new features, an SE PDS expansion slot, ADB ports and an internal hard drive bay.
Specs
| Reference | Macintosh SE |
| Launch / discontinued | 1987-03-02 / 1990-10-15 |
| CPU | Motorola 68000 @ 7.8336 MHz |
| Memory | 1 MB RAM (expandable to 4 MB, SIMM) |
| Storage | 800 KB floppy; optional 20/40 MB SCSI hard drive |
| Display / graphics | Monochrome 9" 512×342 (72 PPI) |
| Expansion / ports | ADB ×2 (new), SCSI DB-25, 2× serial, external floppy; SE PDS slot |
| US launch price | USD 2,900 / 3,900 (dual floppy / HD20) |
| ROM | 256 KB |
| Dimensions | 34.5 × 24.6 × 27.7 cm |
| Weight | 7.7 kg |
| OS | System 3.3 – 7.5.5 |
Launch
Introduced at the AppleWorld Conference in Los Angeles on 2 March 1987, alongside the Macintosh II. It was the first compact Mac with a fan and an internal expansion slot (SE PDS) for accelerator, network or video cards. Production continued until August 1, 1989 (EveryMac).
Marketing
It debuted ADB ports for keyboard and mouse (inherited from the Apple IIGS) and offered a factory internal SCSI hard drive; the HD20 version cost USD 3,900. In August 1989 the floppies became MS-DOS-compatible 1.44 MB SuperDrive FDHD units.
Flaws and fixes
The Plus-derived chassis limited ventilation and slot clearance, and early units lacked a fan, with the usual heat-related failures. The FDHD SE succeeded it until the SE/30 arrived in 1989; the original SE was discontinued on 15 October 1990.
Indicative price
New (launch, US): $2,900 (dual floppy) · $3,900 (with 20 MB hard drive) · EveryMac (checked 2026-10-29).
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Updated: October October 29, 2026· Sources: Wikipedia · Compare this product · EveryMac