NeXTstation
| Company type | Product |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer workstations |
| Predecessor | NeXTcube |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Defunct | 1993 |
| Successor | Object.Station (by Canon Computer Systems) |
| Owner | NeXT |
| Parent | NeXT |
NeXTstation represents a premium workstation introduced and marketed by NeXT between 1990 and 1993. Operating on the NeXTSTEP platform, it was designed as a more budget-friendly counterpart to the higher-end NeXTcube. By reducing certain features and limiting expansion capabilities, it was housed in a compact pizza-box form factor chassis, appealing to professionals mindful of cost.
There were two primary variants: the original NeXTstation and the NeXTstation Color, both equipped with a 25 MHz Motorola 68040 processor. The Color version offered 12-bit color support (4,096 colors) through dedicated 1.5 MB VRAM. In April 1992, Turbo editions were introduced, featuring a faster 33 MHz CPU and increased maximum RAM capacity from 32 to 128 MB, providing enhanced capabilities for resource-intensive tasks.
Initially, both the NeXTstation and NeXTcube utilized the MegaPixel display from the original NeXT Computer, incorporating monitor speaker wiring and Apple Desktop Bus keyboard connections via a specialized connector. Later on, the MegaPixel Color Display adopted the standard industry DB13W3 interface, while sound, keyboard, and mouse connections were relocated to an external NeXT Sound Box, enhancing modularity and peripheral flexibility.
Overview
Launched as an economical alternative to the NeXTcube, the NeXTstation was priced at roughly , approximately half that of its premium counterpart. The lineup included the NeXTstation (25 MHz), NeXTstation Turbo (33 MHz), NeXTstation Color (25 MHz), and NeXTstation Turbo Color (33 MHz). Sales reached around 50,000 units excluding government purchases, making surviving models uncommon today.
The system was bundled with a 17" NeXT MegaPixel Display monitor featuring built-in speakers, along with a keyboard and mouse. Known colloquially as "the slab" due to its pizza box design, it presented a stark contrast to the original cube-shaped NeXT Computer.
Performance enhancements were available through add-on accelerator cards such as the Pyro board, which doubled processor speed from 25 MHz to 50 MHz. A rare Nitro accelerator board was also produced in limited numbers, boosting the NeXTstation Turbo’s clock from 33 MHz to 40 MHz.
Significantly, John Carmack developed the acclaimed PC game Doom using a NeXTStation Color.
Following termination of hardware manufacturing in 1993, rights to the NeXTstation design and patents were acquired by Canon Computer Systems, a subsidiary of Canon Inc.. Canon subsequently launched the Object.Station in 1994—an x86-based workstation inspired by the NeXTstation’s architecture. Canon had held a substantial investment stake in NeXT since 1989.
Specifications
- Processor: Motorola 68040, running at either 25 MHz or 33 MHz (Turbo models)
- Memory:
- Standard: 8 MB (12 MB for NeXTstation Color; 16 MB for Turbo Color)
- NeXTstation: Eight slots for 30-pin SIMM modules (maximum 32 MB)
- NeXTstation Color: Eight slots for 72-pin SIMMs (maximum 32 MB)
- Turbo/Turbo Color: Four slots for 72-pin SIMMs (up to 128 MB)
- Screen resolution: 1120 × 832 pixels
- Color capabilities:
- NeXTstation/Turbo (256 KB VRAM): monochrome with four shades (black, white, two grays)
- NeXTstation Color/Turbo Color (1.5 MB VRAM): supports up to 4,096 colors (12-bit color)
- Digital signal processor: Motorola 56001 at 25 MHz (16-bit audio processing at 44.1 kHz stereo), with onboard RAM of 24 KB expandable to 576 KB
- Integrated speaker located within the monitor
- Connectivity:
- Internal floppy disk connector
- Internal SCSI connector
- External SCSI-2 connector (MD50)
- DSP port (DA-15)
- Display interface:
- Proprietary port for NeXT Laser Printer (DE-9)
- Two serial ports conforming to RS-423 standard (Mini-DIN 8)
- Ethernet support via both 10BASE-T and 10BASE-2
- Media drives: built-in 3.5 inch floppy drive with 2.88 MB capacity
- Storage options: hard drives ranging from 105 MB up to 4 GB (limited by OS partition size)
- Operating systems supported: NeXTSTEP, OPENSTEP, with partial compatibility under NetBSD
- Included peripherals:
- Full-travel mechanical keyboard featuring 85 keys
- Two-button opto-mechanical mouse
- Dimensions and weight: Width – 39.8 cm; Depth – 36.5 cm; Height – 6.4 cm /
See also
- Previous, a NeXT hardware emulator
- NeXT Computer
- NeXTcube Turbo
- NeXT character set