| Manufacturer | NeXT, Redwood City, California |
|---|---|
| Type | Workstation |
| Release date | October 12, 1988 |
| Introductory price | US$6,500 (equivalent to $16,700 in 2023) |
| Discontinued | 1991 |
| Operating system | NeXTSTEP, OPENSTEP |
| CPU | Motorola 68030 @ 25 MHz, 68882 FPU @ 25 MHz, 56001 DSP @ 25 MHz |
| Memory | Shipped with 8 MB, expandable to 64 MB using 4 MB SIMMs |
| Storage | 256 MB magneto-optical drive, optional 330 MB or 660 MB hard disk |
| Display | MegaPixel 17" monitor |
| Graphics | 1120×832, four-level grayscale |
| Sound | Built-in speaker |
| Input | 85-key keyboard, 2-button mouse |
| Connectivity | Ethernet |
| Power | 300 Watts, 3 Amperes |
| Dimensions | 1-foot (305 mm) die-cast magnesium cube-shaped case |
| Successor | NeXTcube |
NeXT Computer (also called the NeXT Computer System) is a workstation computer that was developed, marketed, and sold by NeXT Inc. It was introduced in October 1988 as the company's first and flagship product, at a price of US$6,500 (equivalent to $16,700 in 2023), aimed at the higher-education market.[1] It was designed around the Motorola 68030 CPU and 68882 floating-point coprocessor,[1] with a clock speed of 25 MHz. Its NeXTSTEP operating system is based on the Mach microkernel and BSD-derived Unix, with a proprietary GUI using a Display PostScript-based back end. According to the Science Museum Group, "The enclosure consists of a 1-foot (304.8 mm) die-cast magnesium cube-shaped black case, which led to the machine being informally referred to as 'The Cube'."[1]
The NeXT Computer was renamed NeXTcube in a later upgrade. The NeXTstation, a more affordable version of the NeXTcube, was released in 1990.