Description

The PowerCD is CD-player introduced by Apple in 1993. It is a rebranded version of the Philips CDF-100. It could be connected to a Mac via a SCSI connector. While most desktop Macs at the time allready included built-in CD-ROMs, the PowerCD was designed to match the PowerBook series which would not include a built-in CD-ROM for several more years. But, it could also be used as a stand alone CD-player when connected to external speakers. Its ability to be operated under battery power alone made it even a portable CD-player. The PowerCD however drained a lot of power during audio playback and six fully charged batterries only lasted approximately an hour.

The PowerCD was capable of reading audio CD’s, data CD’s and Kodak Photo CD’s. With a spacial Kodak scanning device photo negatives could be digitalized and via the PowerCD displayed on a tv or monitor. The general public however was not very interested in the PowerCD. With a price tag of $499 it was an expansive Mac peripheral/digital Photo player. It wound up being the only product released by the Apple design subgroup, Mac Like Things, which Cupertino established following the launch of the Newton. Apple discontinued the PowerCD just a few years after the device’s launch.