Object.Station
| Company type | Product line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer workstations |
| Predecessor | NeXTcube |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | NeXT |
| Defunct | 1993 |
| Fate | Discontinued; design and patents acquired by Canon Computer Systems |
| Successor | Object.Station (by Canon Computer Systems) |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | John Carmack (notable user) |
| Products | NeXTstation, NeXTstation Color, Turbo editions |
| Owner | NeXT Inc. |
| Parent | NeXT Inc. |
NeXTstation represents a high-performance workstation computer produced and marketed by NeXT between 1990 and 1993, operating on the NeXTSTEP OS. Designed as a cost-effective alternative to the top-tier NeXTcube, it offered reduced functionality and limited expansion options, all within a compact pizza-box form factor chassis.
The product line comprised two primary variants: the original NeXTstation and the NeXTstation Color, both equipped with a Motorola 68040 processor clocked at 25 MHz. The Color version provided support for 12-bit color visuals (4,096 distinct colors) through dedicated 1.5 MB VRAM. In April 1992, Turbo editions were introduced, featuring a faster 33 MHz CPU and increasing maximum RAM capacity from 32 to 128 MB.
Initially, both NeXTstation and NeXTcube models utilized the MegaPixel display from the first NeXT Computer, incorporating an integrated connector for monitor speakers and compatibility with Apple Desktop Bus keyboards. Subsequently, the MegaPixel Color Display adopted a standard DB13W3 connector, transferring audio, keyboard, and mouse connections to an external NeXT Sound Box.
Overview
Launched as a budget-friendly counterpart to the NeXTcube, the NeXTstation was priced at approximately , nearly half the price of its premium sibling. Available configurations 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, rendering the NeXTstation relatively uncommon today.
The system was bundled with a 17" NeXT MegaPixel Display monitor featuring integrated speakers, keyboard, and mouse. Commonly referred to as "the slab," its pizza box design marked a departure from the original cube-shaped NeXT Computer.
Performance enhancements were available through add-ons such as the Pyro accelerator board, which doubled CPU speed from 25 MHz to 50 MHz. A particularly rare Nitro accelerator increased the NeXTstation Turbo’s clock rate from 33 MHz to 40 MHz, with production limited to fewer than twenty units.
A notable highlight includes John Carmack’s development of the PC game Doom on a NeXTstation Color, underscoring its role in software innovation.
Following the end of hardware manufacturing in 1993, rights to the NeXTstation design and patents were acquired by Canon Computer Systems, a branch of Canon Inc.. In 1994, Canon launched the Object.Station, an x86-architecture workstation inspired by NeXTstation designs. Canon had held a substantial investment in NeXT since 1989.
Specifications
- Processor: Motorola 68040, running at either 25 MHz or 33 MHz (Turbo models)
- Memory:
- Base: 8 MB (12 MB in NeXTstation Color, 16 MB in NeXTstation Turbo Color)
- NeXTstation: Eight 30-pin SIMM slots supporting up to 32 MB
- NeXTstation Color: Eight 72-pin SIMM slots allowing up to 32 MB
- Turbo/Turbo Color variants: Four 72-pin SIMM slots expandable 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 4,096 colors (12-bit color)
- Digital Signal Processor: Motorola 56001 at 25 MHz (16-bit audio at 44.1 kHz stereo), equipped with 24 KB RAM upgradeable up to 576 KB
- Built-in monitor speaker
- Connectivity:
- Internal floppy disk and SCSI interfaces
- External SCSI-2 port (MD50 connector)
- DSP interface (DA-15)
- Display connectors: MegaPixel (DB-19) for standard models, (13W3) for color versions
- Proprietary port for NeXT Laser Printer (DE-9)
- Two serial ports using RS-423 standard (Mini-DIN 8)
- Network interfaces supporting both 10BASE-T and 10BASE-2 Ethernet
- Storage media: 3.5 inch floppy drive with 2.88 MB capacity
- Hard drive options ranged from 105 MB up to 4 GB (operating system limits partitions to maximum of 4 GB)
- Operating systems supported: NeXTSTEP, OPENSTEP, with partial compatibility via NetBSD
- Peripherals included:
- Full-sized mechanical keyboard featuring 85 keys
- Two-button opto-mechanical mouse
- Optional modem accessory
- Physical dimensions and weight: Width: 39.8 cm × Depth: 36.5 cm × Height: 6.4 cm /
See also
- Previous, an emulator for NeXT hardware
- NeXT Computer
- NeXTcube Turbo
- NeXT character set