Motorola (later Freescale, now part of NXP) produced influential microprocessors starting in the 1970s. The 6800 series powered early microcomputers and embedded systems, while the 68000 family dominated 1980s/1990s workstations and home computers. Motorola co-developed PowerPC with IBM and Apple, transitioning to RISC before shifting focus. Below is a chronological overview of major models, including transistor count (where known), initial clock speed, key features, multiprocessor capabilities, and notable uses.
Transistor count: ~4,000; Initial clock speed: 1 MHz (up to 2 MHz later); Key features: 8-bit NMOS, simple architecture, two accumulators; Multiprocessor: None; Notable computers/uses: Early microcomputer kits (e.g., Southwest Technical Products), MEK6800 evaluation board, embedded controllers.
Transistor count: ~9,000; Initial clock speed: 1 MHz (up to 2 MHz); Key features: 8-bit with 16-bit operations, enhanced instructions, position-independent code; Multiprocessor: None; Notable computers/uses: Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer, Dragon 32/64, Vectrex game console.
Transistor count: 68,000; Initial clock speed: 8 MHz (up to 16-20 MHz later); Key features: 16-bit external/32-bit internal, 24-bit addressing (16 MB), orthogonal registers; Multiprocessor: Limited; Notable computers/uses: Apple Macintosh (1984), Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, Sun-1 workstations, Sega Genesis.
Transistor count: ~70,000; Initial clock speed: 8-10 MHz; Key features: Virtual memory support, loop mode; Multiprocessor: Limited; Notable computers/uses: Early Macintosh upgrades, Sun workstations.
Transistor count: 190,000; Initial clock speed: 16 MHz (up to 33 MHz); Key features: Full 32-bit data/address buses, instruction cache; Multiprocessor: Yes (with 68851 PMMU); Notable computers/uses: Apple Macintosh II, Amiga 1200 (with accelerator), Sun-3 workstations.
Transistor count: 273,000; Initial clock speed: 20 MHz (up to 50 MHz); Key features: Integrated MMU and data/instruction caches; Multiprocessor: Yes; Notable computers/uses: Apple Macintosh SE/30, IIx/IIcx, Amiga 3000.
Transistor count: 1.2 million; Initial clock speed: 25 MHz (up to 40 MHz); Key features: Integrated FPU, larger caches; Multiprocessor: Yes; Notable computers/uses: Apple Macintosh Quadra, Amiga 4000.
Transistor count: 2.5 million; Initial clock speed: 50 MHz (up to 75 MHz); Key features: Superscalar, branch prediction; Multiprocessor: Yes; Notable computers/uses: Amiga accelerators, high-end workstations (last major 68k CPU).
Transistor count: 2.8 million; Initial clock speed: 60-80 MHz; Key features: 32-bit RISC, superscalar; Multiprocessor: Yes; Notable computers/uses: Apple Power Macintosh 6100/7100/8100 (first PowerPC Macs).
Transistor count: 1.6-2.6 million; Initial clock speed: 66-100 MHz (603e up to 300 MHz); Key features: Low-power, aimed at laptops; Multiprocessor: Yes; Notable computers/uses: Apple PowerBook 500 series, embedded systems.
Transistor count: ~5 million; Initial clock speed: 100-200 MHz; Key features: Higher performance superscalar; Multiprocessor: Yes; Notable computers/uses: Apple Power Macintosh desktops, servers.
Transistor count: ~6.5 million; Initial clock speed: 233-366 MHz; Key features: Larger L2 cache support; Multiprocessor: Yes; Notable computers/uses: Apple iMac G3, PowerBook G3.
Transistor count: 10.5-33 million; Initial clock speed: 350-733 MHz; Key features: AltiVec (SIMD), faster FPU; Multiprocessor: Yes (up to dual); Notable computers/uses: Apple Power Mac G4, iBook, high-end workstations.
Transistor count: Up to 58 million; Initial clock speed: Up to 2.7 GHz; Key features: 64-bit; Multiprocessor: Yes; Notable computers/uses: Apple Power Mac G5 (last PowerPC Macs before Intel transition in 2006).
After spinning off Freescale in 2004 (merged with NXP in 2015), PowerPC continued in embedded/auto applications (e.g., QorIQ series) but shifted away from desktop/personal computing dominance.