NeXTstation

The NeXTstation placed NeXT’s 68040 workstation architecture in a compact pizza-box enclosure. It provided the NeXTSTEP environment and 1120 x 832 MegaPixel display at a lower cost than the expandable NeXTcube.

The integrated motherboard retained NeXT’s DSP audio and Ethernet but omitted NeXTbus slots. Its elegant slab design, fast object-oriented development tools and strong networking made it popular in higher education, finance and software development.

Notable Features

• The low-profile slab enclosure reduced cost and desk space compared with the cube.
• Its integrated 2-bit framebuffer drove the sharp 1120 x 832 greyscale MegaPixel display.
• A 2.88MB floppy drive provided interchange with both high-density NeXT media and common DOS formats.

Historical Significance

• The NeXTstation brought NeXTSTEP to a more affordable workstation and became the company’s highest-volume hardware design.
• Its development environment helped establish interface and programming ideas later carried into OpenStep and Apple products.

Collector’s Notes

• The monochrome and colour NeXTstation boards use different memory types and display connections.
• The matching MegaPixel display carries sound, keyboard and mouse connections, so a bare slab needs the correct monitor or an adapter solution.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	NeXTstation
Manufacturer	Next
Launched	Saturday, September 1, 1990
Discontinued	1993
Launch Price	$4,995 in an introductory configuration
Country	United States
CPU	Motorola 68040 at 25 MHz
Units Sold
Power	Internal universal power supply; configuration varies by model and market
Networking	Built-in Ethernet
Additional CPU	Motorola DSP56001 at 25 MHz
Operating System	NeXTSTEP 2.x and later
Expansion / I/O	External SCSI-2, two serial ports, DSP port, printer port, thin Ethernet and twisted-pair Ethernet
Keyboard	NeXT keyboard with two-button optical mouse
Storage	Internal SCSI hard disk and 2.88MB floppy drive
Sound	16-bit stereo audio with built-in digital signal processing
Colours	Four-level greyscale
Graphics	Integrated two-bit framebuffer with four-level greyscale
Display	17-inch MegaPixel Display; 1120 x 832 pixels
ROM	128KB boot ROM
RAM	8MB standard; expandable to 32MB
CPU Speed	25 MHz