Adaptec Inc is offering users of the new Macintosh Portable an Ethernet link in the form of the Nodem local network interface unit, an external unit that connects to the computer’s SCSI port, thus not taking up limited expansion space or power from the Portable, and leaving the machine’s only available internal slot free for other functions; the unit means that in the office, the Apple Computer Inc machine can operate as a peer with the desktop machines that are directly attached to Ethernet, and the thing can be used with desktop Macs as well; it sells for $550 for the Thick Ethernet version, rising to $600 for Thin Ethernet, and to $650 for Ethernet over Twisted-Pair.
