NeXTstation

NeXTstation computer, monitor, keyboard, and mouse
Developer	NeXT
Manufacturer	NeXT
Type	Workstation computer
Release date	September 18, 1990 (1990-09-18)
Introductory price	NeXTstation US$4,995 (today $11649.06) NeXTstation Color US$7,995 (today $18645.5) NeXTstation Turbo US$6,500 (today $15158.94)
Discontinued	1993 (1993)
Operating system	NeXTSTEP, OPENSTEP, NetBSD (limited support)
CPU	Motorola 68040
Memory	8 MB - 32 MB 8 MB - 128 MB (Turbo)

A NeXTstation displaying its native desktop environment

NeXTstation is a high-end workstation computer developed, manufactured and sold by NeXT from 1990 until 1993. It runs the NeXTSTEP operating system. The NeXTstation was released as a more affordable alternative to the NeXTcube at about US$4,995 or about half the price. Several models were produced, including the NeXTstation (25 MHz), NeXTstation Turbo (33 MHz), NeXTstation Color (25 MHz) and NeXTstation Turbo Color (33 MHz). In total, NeXT sold about 50,000 computers (not including sales to government organizations), making the NeXTstation a rarity today.

The NeXTstation originally shipped with a NeXT MegaPixel 17" monitor (with built-in speakers), keyboard, and mouse. It is nicknamed "the slab", since the flat shape contrasts quite sharply with the original NeXT Computer's basic shape (otherwise known as "the cube").

Specifications

• Central processing unit: Motorola 68040, 25 MHz or 33 MHz (Turbo)
• Memory: 8 MB (8 MiB) (12 MB for a NeXTstation Color), up to 32 MB in non-Turbo models, 128 MB in Turbos
• Display resolution: 1120 × 832 px
• Colors: NeXTstation: 4 (black, white and two shades of gray)
  • NeXTstation Color: 4,096 colors (12-bit) with 4-bit alpha channel
• Digital signal processor Motorola 56001 @ 25 MHz (16 bits, 44.1 kHz, stereo, 24 kB (24 KiB) RAM upgradable to 576 kB)
• Speaker built-in the monitor
• Size/Weight: 39.8 (W) × 36.5 (D) × 6.4 (H) cm / 6 kg
• Input/Output: SCSI internal connector, SCSI2 external port, DSP, video output, proprietary port for NeXT laser printer, two RS-423 serial ports, 10BASE-T and 10BASE-2 Ethernet
• Media: 3.5 in floppy disk drive (2.88 MB (2880 KiB)), hard disk from 105 MB (105 million bytes) to 4 GB (4 billion bytes). (Larger sizes may work but the OS cannot use partitions larger than 4 GB)
• Operating System: NeXTSTEP, OPENSTEP. NetBSD supports some of the NeXTstation's hardware.
• Peripherals: Modem, Keyboard: Full-stroke mechanical(85 keys), Mouse: 2 button opto-mechanical

See also

• Previous, emulator of NeXT hardware

External links

• old-computers.com — NeXTstation
• NeXTstation brochure
• NeXTComputers.org