Macintosh Color Classic
The Macintosh Color Classic, released on February 10, 1993, is the first color compact Apple Macintosh computer. It has an integrated 10″ Sony Trinitron color display with the same 512×384 pixel resolution as the Macintosh 12″ RGB monitor. It can display 256 colors (can upgrade to thousands colors with "Mystic" 68040 upgrade). This integrated unit resembles the original Mac series, albeit redesigned to accommodate the larger screen and conform to Apple's "neoclassical" design language of the era.
Features
Like the Macintosh SE and SE/30 before it, the Color Classic has a single expansion slot: an LC-type Processor Direct Slot (PDS), incompatible with the SE slots. This was primarily intended for the Apple IIe Card (the primary reason for the Color Classic's switchable 560x384 display, essentially quadruple the IIe's 280x192 High-Resolution graphics), which was offered with education models of the LCs. The card allowed the LCs to emulate an Apple IIe. The combination of the low-cost color Macintosh and Apple IIe compatibility was intended to encourage the education market's transition from Apple II models to Macintoshes. Other cards, such as CPU accelerators, ethernet and video cards were also made available for the Color Classic's PDS slot.
The Color Classic shipped with the Apple Keyboard known as an Apple Keyboard II (M0487) which featured a soft power switch on the keyboard itself. The mouse supplied was the Apple Mouse known as the Apple Desktop Bus Mouse II (M2706).
The name "Color Classic" was not printed directly on the front panel, but on a separate plastic insert. This enabled the alternative spelling "Colour Classic" to be used in appropriate markets.
Color Classic
| Release date | February 10, 1993 |
|---|---|
| Introductory price | 1400 US$ (today $2297.21) |
| Discontinued | May 16, 1994 |
| Operating system | System 7.1–Mac OS 7.6.1 |
| CPU | Motorola 68030 @ 16 MHz |
| Memory | 4 MB, expandable to 10 MB (100 ns (max) 30-pin SIMM) |
The Color Classic was essentially a Macintosh LC II, using a Motorola 68030 running at 16 MHz. The Color Classic was also sold to consumers in the United States as the Performa 250.
Models
- Color Classic
- Performa 250
Color Classic II
| Release date | October 1, 1993 |
|---|---|
| Introductory price | 1400 US$ (today $2297.21) |
| Discontinued | May 16, 1995[1] (CC II) |
| Operating system | System 7.1–Mac OS 7.6.1 |
| CPU | Motorola 68030 @ 33 MHz |
| Memory | 4 MB, expandable to 36 MB (CC II) (80 ns 72-pin SIMM) |
In Japan, Canada[2] and some other markets — but not the US — Apple later released the Color Classic II which was essentially the same case but with the LC 550 logic board that doubled both RAM and speed. The Color Classic II was also sold as the Performa 275. The Color Classic II was the final model of the original "compact" Macintosh family of computers.
Models
- Color Classic II
- Performa 275
Legacy
The Color Classic has a certain cult following, and some enthusiasts have upgraded them with motherboards from Performa/LC 575 units ("Mystic" upgrade),[3] while others have put entire Performa/LC/Quadra 630 or successor innards into them ("Takky" upgrade).[4] A common modification to this unit was to change the display to allow 640 × 480 resolution, which was a common requirement for many programs (especially games) to run.
The Color Classic series was eventually replaced by the larger-display LC 5x0 & 5xx0 series and ultimately paved the way for the iMac, which popularized much of the same passion and enthusiasm the original Macintosh and Color Classic generate among their fans.
Timeline of compact Macintosh models
See also
References
- ↑ Paul Kunkel (August 24, 2000). "A Long-Discontinued Macintosh Still Thrills Collectors to the Core - New York Times". The New York Times.
- ↑ http://lowendmac.com/compact/macintosh-color-classic-ii.html
- ↑ ""Mystic" Upgrade Questions".
- ↑ ""Takky" Upgrade Questions".
External links
- Colour Classic FAQ
- Color Classic Information pages at Mac512.com
- Color Classic profile at Low End Mac
- Colour Classic II profile at Low End Mac
| Preceded by Macintosh Classic II |
Macintosh Color Classic/Performa 250 Macintosh Color Classic II/Performa 275 February 10, 1993 |
Succeeded by Macintosh LC 520 |