Apple PowerBook 140

Apple PowerBook 140 was introduced in 21 October 1991 as the midrange model in Apple's first purpose-designed PowerBook family. It used a Motorola 68030 at 16 MHz with 2MB standard; expandable to 8MB. Central trackball and rear keyboard established the classic laptop arrangement.

Its 68030 processor, internal floppy and influential palm-rest layout made it a practical mainstream portable Macintosh.

Notable Features

• Central trackball and rear keyboard established the classic laptop arrangement.
• Internal floppy and hard disk made it self-contained.
• Passive-matrix screen reduced cost compared with the PowerBook 170.

Historical Significance

• Its 68030 processor, internal floppy and influential palm-rest layout made it a practical mainstream portable Macintosh.
• Its place in the range reflects Apple's progression from the original compact Macintosh toward broader professional, educational and portable markets.

Collector’s Notes

• Tunnelled plastics, failing displays and leaking batteries make intact examples increasingly difficult to preserve
• Original keyboards, mice, storage devices and model-specific accessories help document a complete period configuration.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Apple PowerBook 140
Manufacturer	Apple
Launched	Monday, October 21, 1991
Country	United States
CPU	Motorola 68030 at 16 MHz
Units Sold
Operating System	System 7.0.1 through System 7.6.1
I/O	SCSI, two serial, modem and audio
Keyboard	Integrated keyboard and central trackball
Storage	Internal 1.44MB floppy and SCSI hard disk
Sound	Eight-bit mono sound
Graphics	640 x 400 one-bit graphics
Display	Built-in 9.8-inch 640 x 400 monochrome passive-matrix LCD
ROM	1MB ROM
RAM	2MB standard; expandable to 8MB
CPU Speed	16 MHz