Editing NeXTstation

{{Short description|High-end workstation computer by NeXT}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| name         = NeXTstation
| logo         =
| image        = NeXT Pizzabox-IMG 7227.jpg
| caption      = NeXTstation computer, monitor, keyboard, and mouse
| developer    = NeXT
| manufacturer = NeXT
| carrier      = 
| family       =
| type         = [[Workstation|Workstation computer]]
| generation   =
| releasedate  = {{start date and age|1990|09|18}}<ref name="macworld199101_next">{{ cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/macworld00unse_54/page/160/mode/2up | title=Next on the Agenda | magazine=Macworld | last1=Webster | first1=Bruce F. | date=January 1991 | access-date=2 May 2024 | pages=160–166 }}</ref>
| lifespan     = 
| price        = {{USD|4995|1990|round=-2}} NeXTstation<br />{{USD|7995|1990|round=-2}} NeXTstation Color<br />{{USD|6500|1990|round=-2}} NeXTstation Turbo<!-- this is price at initial release, not the current price. -->
| discontinued = {{end date|1993}}
| unitssold    = 
| unitsshipped =
| media        = 
| os           = [[NeXTSTEP]], [[OPENSTEP]], [[NetBSD]] (limited support)<!-- operating system --> 
| power        = 
| cpu          = [[Motorola 68040]]
| storage      = 
| memory       = 8 MB - 32&nbsp;MB <br /> 8&nbsp;MB - 128&nbsp;MB (<small>Turbo</small>)
| display      = MegaPixel or MegaPixel Color, 1120 × 832 pixels
| graphics     = 4-level greyscale or 4,096 colors
| sound        = 
| input        =
| location     = <!-- GPS or Wi-Fi based -->
| controllers  =
| output       =
| camera       =
| touchpad     =
| connectivity = 
| service      = <!-- online service/s offered -->
| dimensions   = 
| weight       = 
| topgame      =
| compatibility =
| predecessor  = 
| successor    = 
| related      = 
| website      =
}}
[[File:NeXTstation @ Google Office NY.jpg|thumb|A NeXTstation displaying its native desktop environment]]
'''NeXTstation''' is a high-end [[workstation|workstation computer]] developed, manufactured, and sold by [[NeXT]] from 1990 until 1993. It runs the [[NeXTSTEP|NeXTSTEP operating system]]. The system was designed to be a lower-cost option compared to the company's upscale product, the [[NeXTcube]]. Compared to the cube, it removed a number of features and had limited expandability, allowing it to fit in a much smaller [[pizza-box form factor]] case.

There were two major series of the system released during its production run. The initial models were the NeXTstation and NeXTstation Color. Both were based on the [[Motorola 68040]] processor running at 25&nbsp;MHz. The Color units supported [[12-bit color]] graphics (4,096 colors) stored in a separate 1.5&nbsp;MB [[VRAM]] memory. Turbo versions were released in April 1992, which increased the speed of the processor to 33&nbsp;MHz and increased the maximum amount of [[main memory]] from 32 to 128&nbsp;MB of [[random access memory|RAM]].

Both the station and the cube initially used the same displays, the original MegaPixel display used on the original [[NeXT Computer]]. These used a single custom connector that included wiring for the monitor's built-in speaker and the [[Apple Desktop Bus]] connector for the keyboard. The mouse plugged into the keyboard. The MegaPixel Color Display moved to the (then) standard [[DB13W3]] monitor connector, and the sound, keyboard and mouse connections were moved to the external NeXT Sound Box.

==Overview==
The NeXTstation was released as a more affordable alternative to the [[NeXTcube]] at about {{USD|4,995}} or about half the price. Several models were produced, including the NeXTstation (25&nbsp;MHz), NeXTstation Turbo (33&nbsp;MHz), NeXTstation Color (25&nbsp;MHz) and NeXTstation Turbo Color (33&nbsp;MHz). In total, NeXT sold about 50,000 computers (not including sales to government organizations), making the NeXTstation a rarity today.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lowendmac.com/next/nextstation.html |title=NeXTstation |publisher=Lowendmac.com |access-date=2012-02-08}}</ref>

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

The Pyro accelerator board increases the speed of a NeXTstation by replacing the standard 25&nbsp;MHz processor with a 50&nbsp;MHz one.<ref>[http://www.nextcomputers.org/NeXTfiles/Docs/Rare_NeXT_Hardware/pyro_installation.pdf Spherical Solutions, Pyro Installation & Ordering]</ref><ref>[https://www.nextcomputers.org/NeXTfiles/Docs/Rare_NeXT_Hardware/pyro_accelerator_card.pdf Spherical Solutions, Pyro 50&nbsp;MHz Accelerator Card]</ref> There was also a very rare accelerator board known as the Nitro; between 5 and 20 are estimated to have been made. It increased the speed of a NeXTstation Turbo by replacing the standard 33&nbsp;MHz processor with a 40&nbsp;MHz one.<ref>[http://www.channelu.com/NeXT/Black/Nitro/index.html NeXT Nitro Information]  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990424102817/http://www.channelu.com/NeXT/Black/Nitro/index.html |date=April 24, 1999 }}</ref>

[[John Carmack]] developed the PC Game ''[[Doom (video game)|Doom]]'' on a NeXTStation Color.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quora |title=Why John Carmack Chose NeXT For Developing 'Doom' And Other Favorites |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/09/01/why-john-carmack-chose-next-for-developing-doom-and-other-favorites/ |date=2016-09-01 |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

After NeXT ceased manufacturing hardware in 1993, [[Canon Computer Systems]] (a subsidiary of [[Canon Inc.]]) acquired the rights to the design of and patents pertaining to the NeXTstation.<ref>{{cite web | last=Staff writer | date=March 10, 1994 | url=https://techmonitor.ai/techonology/canon_computer_systems_forms_advanced_technology_unit_in_the_us_for_nextstation_powerhouse_boxes | title=Canon Computer Systems Forms Advanced Technology Unit in the US for NeXTstation, PowerHouse Boxes | work=Computer Business Review | publisher=New Statesman Media Group | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127215053/https://techmonitor.ai/techonology/canon_computer_systems_forms_advanced_technology_unit_in_the_us_for_nextstation_powerhouse_boxes | archivedate=November 27, 2021}}</ref> They later released the Object.Station, an [[x86]]-based workstation using the NeXTstation design, in 1994.<ref>{{cite web | last=Staff writer | date=n.d. | url=https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=1153 | title=Canon Object.Station | work=Old-Computers.com | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803094635/https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=1153 | archivedate=August 3, 2021}}</ref><ref name=canonnext /> Canon had been a large stakeholder in NeXT since 1989.<ref name=canonnext>{{cite web | last=Staff writer | date=March 2, 1994 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-02-fi-29142-story.html | title=Canon Computer to Ship NextStation  | work=Los Angeles Times | agency=Bloomberg Business News | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127211928/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-02-fi-29142-story.html | archivedate=November 27, 2021}}</ref>

== Specifications ==
* CPU: [[Motorola 68040]], 25&nbsp;MHz or 33&nbsp;MHz (Turbo)
* Memory: 8&nbsp;MB (12&nbsp;MB for NeXTstation Color, 16&nbsp;MB for NeXTstation Turbo Color)
** NeXTstation: Eight 30-pin [[SIMM]] slots (up to 32&nbsp;MB)
** NeXTstation Color: Eight 72-pin SIMM slots (up to 32&nbsp;MB)
** NeXTstation Turbo/Turbo Color: Four 72-pin SIMM slots (up to 128&nbsp;MB)
* Display resolution: 1120 × 832 px
* Color Depth: 
** NeXTstation/Turbo (256&nbsp;KB [[VRAM]]): 4 colors (black, white and two shades of gray)
** NeXTstation Color/Turbo Color (1.5&nbsp;MB VRAM): 4,096 colors ([[12-bit color|12-bit]])
* [[Digital signal processor]]: [[Motorola 56000|Motorola 56001]] @ 25&nbsp;MHz (16-bit, 44.1&nbsp;kHz, [[stereo]], 24&nbsp;KB RAM, upgradable to 576&nbsp;KB)
* [[Computer speaker|Speaker]] built into the monitor
* Input/Output:
** Floppy internal connector
** [[SCSI]] internal connector
** SCSI-2 external connector (MD50)
** DSP port ([[D-subminiature#DE-15_connectors|DA-15]])
** NeXTstation/Turbo: MegaPixel Display port ([[D-subminiature#Other|DB-19]])
** NeXTstation Color/Turbo Color: Display port ([[13W3]])
** Proprietary [[NeXT Laser Printer]] port (DE-9)
** Two [[RS-423]] serial ports (Mini-DIN 8)
** [[10BASE-T]] and [[10BASE-2]] [[Ethernet]]
* Media: 3.5 in 2.88&nbsp;MB [[floppy disk]] drive
* Storage: [[hard disk]] from 105&nbsp;MB, 250&nbsp;MB, 340&nbsp;MB, 400&nbsp;MB to 4&nbsp;GB (Larger sizes may work but the OS cannot use [[disk partition|partitions]] larger than 4&nbsp;GB)
* Operating System: [[NeXTSTEP]], [[OPENSTEP]]. [[NetBSD]] supports some of the NeXTstation's hardware.
* Peripherals: 
** [[Modem]]
** [[Computer keyboard|Keyboard]]: Full-stroke mechanical (85 keys)
** [[Computer mouse|Mouse]]: 2 button opto-mechanical
* Size/Weight: 39.8 (W) × 36.5 (D) × 6.4 (H) cm / {{cvt|6|kg}}

==See also==
* [[Previous (software)|Previous]], emulator of NeXT hardware
* [[NeXT Computer]]
* [[NeXTcube Turbo]]
* [[NeXT character set]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|NeXTstation}}
* [https://old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=555&st=1 old-computers.com — NeXTstation]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010628224119/http://www.channelu.com/NeXT/History/NeXTPub/N6030/index.html NeXTstation brochure]
* [http://www.nextcomputers.org NeXTComputers.org]
* [https://de.ifixit.com/Teardown/NeXTstation+Teardown/1467 ifixit NeXTstation Teardown]

{{NeXT Computer}}

[[Category:Computer workstations]]
[[Category:NeXT]]
[[Category:68k-based computers]]