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Macintosh Classic

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This article is about a particular model of computer. For the "classic" Macintosh operating system, see Mac OS.
Macintosh Classic
Macintosh Classic
DeveloperApple Computer
TypeDesktop
Release dateOctober 15 1990[1]
Introductory priceUS$999
DiscontinuedSeptember 14, 1992[1]
Operating system6.0.7–6.0.8L, 7.0-7.5.5[1]
CPUMotorola 68000 8 MHz[1]

The Macintosh Classic (code-named XO[2]) was a personal computer manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in October 1990.[3] It was the first Apple Macintosh sold for under US$1,000.[3] Demand for another Compact Macintosh, such as the popular Macintosh Plus and the SE, spurred the introduction of the Classic. Due to limited innovation, this model was similar to its predecessors. The Classic used the same 9-inch Monochrome CRT display, 512×342 pixel resolution and had the same 4 MB memory limit as its predecessors.[1] Two configurations were available ranging in price from $1,000 to $1,500. The Classic featured several improvements over the Macintosh Plus, which it replaced as Apple's low-end Mac computer. It was up to 25% faster than the Plus and used an Apple SuperDrive 3.5" floppy disk drive as standard.

The Classic used an adaptation of Jerry Manock and Terry Oyama's Macintosh 128K industrial design, which was similar to the Macintosh SE's design. Reviewers' reactions were mixed. Most reviewers focused on the slow processor performance and lack of expansion slots. The general consensus was that the Classic was ideal only for word processing, spreadsheets and databases. Both educators and software developers reacted well to the Macintosh Classic. It was superseded by the Macintosh Classic II in 1991 and was discontinued on September 14, 1992.

History

MacWEEK magazine reported on July 10, 1990 that Apple paid $1 million to Modular Computer Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Daimler-Benz AG, for the right to use the 'Classic' name, as part of a five-year contract.[4] Apple did not renew the contract when it ended.[5] MacWEEK speculated the Macintosh Classic would use the same 8 MHz Motorola 68000 microprocessor and 9-inch display as its predecessors. MacWEEK expected the Classic to be priced from $1,500 to $2,150.[4] It was introduced on October 15, 1990 by then-Apple CEO John Sculley at a press conference with prices starting at $1,000.[6] At the conference, Sculley said: "To reach new customers, we didn't just lower the prices of our existing products. We redesigned these computers from the ground up with the features customers have told us they value most".[7] Apple's new pricing strategy caused concern among investors, who felt it would reduce profit margins.[8] Brodie Keast, an Apple product marketing manager, stated: "We are prepared to do whatever it takes to reach more people with Macintosh...The plan is to get as aggressive on price as we need to be."[8] After the release, Apple's share price closed at $27.75 per share. This was down 50 cents from October 12, 1990 and was far below its previous 12-month high of $50.37.[8]

The Classic was also released in Europe and Japan, concurrently with the United States release. In Japan, the Classic retailed for 198,000 yen ($1,523).[9] Although this price was higher than in the US, it was considered reasonable because it matched the price of the Toshiba Dynabook laptop computer.[9]

Apple spent $40 million marketing the Classic to first-time buyers.[10] Apple subsequently had difficulty meeting orders after launch because of high demand.[11] Apple doubled its manufacturing space in 1990 by expanding its Singapore and Cork, Ireland facilities, where the Classic was assembled.[11] The facilities used air freight, rather than sea shipping, to improve delivery times.[11] The shortage caused concern among dealers, who blamed Apple's poor business planning.[10]

Macintosh Classics and LCs were provided to Scholastic Software twelve months before being officially announced.[12] Scholastic planned to release sixteen new Macintosh products in 1991.[12] Peter Kelman, Scholastic's publisher, predicted that the Macintosh would become "the school machine of the nineties."[12] The Classic was sold to educational institutions for $800.[6] The education price and availability of education software lead to the Classic's popularity in the education sector.[13]

Features

The low-end model had 1 MB memory, no hard disk, and cost $1,000. The $1,500 model used 2 MB memory and a 40 MB hard disk. The Classic featured several improvements over the Macintosh Plus, which it replaced as Apple's low-end Mac computer. The Classic was up to 25% faster than the Plus and used an Apple SuperDrive 3.5" floppy disk drive as standard.[14] The SuperDrive was capable of reading and writing to Macintosh disks, as well as MS-DOS, OS/2, and ProDOS disks.[14]

The Classic used the System 6.0.7 operating system, with support for all versions up to System 7.5.5. A hidden ROM disk on the Classic included System 6.0.6.[15] It could be accessed by holding down the Command + Option + X + O keys during boot.[15] This would boot the Mac Classic into System 6.0.6.[15] The Classic was the last compact Mac to use the Motorola 68000 central processing unit component.

Some dealerships sold a software bundle called Smartbundle with the Classic.[16] The Smartbundle was sold separately for $349, and included T/Maker's WriteNow word processor, Ashton-Tate's Full Impact spreadsheet program, RecordHolderPlus database, and Silicon Beach Software's SuperPaint 2.0 paint and draw program.[16]

Design

The Apple Keyboard II was the Macintosh Classic's standard keyboard.

The Macintosh Classic was the final adaptation of Jerry Manock and Terry Oyama's Macintosh 128K industrial design. It returned some aspects of the original design, while retaining much from the Snow White design language used in the Macintosh SE's design.[17] The rounded corners of the SE and the strip across the front bezel for the floppy drive were also kept. The distinctive front bezel lines of the SE were not used on the Classic, and the vertical lines around its base were replaced by vents through four horizontal lines.[17] This simple design relates to the original Macintosh design and to the original Snow White design used for the Apple IIc, an earlier Apple computer.[17]

The logic board, the central circuit board of the computer, was based on the Macintosh SE design.[18] The size was reduced using surface mount technology.[18] The logic board is 9×5 inches, measuring half the size of the SE board. This redesign, and the absence of expansion slots, kept manufacturing costs low.[18] The curve of the front bezel was increased to the same 50-inch radial curve on the front of both the Macintosh LC and Macintosh IIsi.[17] This curved front bezel later became a signature of subsequent Apple products.[17] The Classic design was used once more in 1991 for the Classic II which succeeded the Classic and replaced the Macintosh SE/30.

Reception

Some reviewers of the Macintosh Classic focused on the processor performance and lack of expansion slots. Liza Schafer of Home Office Computing praised the Classic's ease of use and price.[19] The 9-inch display was criticized because a full U.S. letter page (8½ × 11 inches) would not fit at full size.[19] Schafer warned that those who required high-end graphics and desktop publishing capabilities should not buy the Classic.[19] Schafer concluded: "The Classic's value is more impressive than its performance, but its performance will get you working on that novel, database, or spreadsheet."[19] PC Week criticized the lack of a faster processor, stating, "The 7.8MHz speed is adequate for text applications and limited graphics work, but it is not suitable for power users. As such, the Classic is appropriate as a home computer or for limited computing on the road."[20] Similarly, PC User's review concluded, "The slow processor and lack of expansion slots on the Macintosh Classic offset the low prices."[21] MacWEEK described it as a "fine, inexpensive replacement for the Macintosh Plus that best embodies the original Macintosh vision six and a half years later."[22]

Electronic Learning journal stated in February 1991: "Teachers, educational administrators and software developers are enthusiastic about the new, lower cost Apple Macintosh computers".[23] Steve Taffe, manager of instructional strategy at MECC, a developer and publisher of educational software, explained his excitement of the Classic: "The Classic," he said, "is terrific — both because it's a Mac and because of that low price. Everyone can now afford a Macintosh."[23] Scholastic, an education software developer, also felt confident in Apple's ability to compete with MS-DOS machines, stating: "They are just as cost-effective and as powerful as MS-DOS computers, but the Apples will have a superior comfort-level."[23] Sue Talley, Apple's manager of strategic planning in education, said of the Classic: "As for the Classic, we see it going into applications where you need a fair number of powerful stations, but where color is not a big issue".[23] Talley mentioned that the Classic was most suited for writing labs and other basic productivity uses.[23] Many schools decided not to purchase Classics because of the lack of a color monitor, which the more highly priced Macintosh LC had.[23]

Specifications

Component Specification[1]
Display 9-inch Monochrome CRT display, 512×342 pixel resolution
Storage 40 MB SCSI hard disk drive optional
Processor 8 MHz Motorola 68000
Random Access Memory 1 MB, expandable to 2 or 4 MB using 120 ns 30-pin SIMMs
Read-only Memory 512 KB
Networking AppleTalk
Optical storage Built-in SuperDrive 3.5" floppy disk drive
Battery 3.6 V lithium
Physical dimensions 13.2 in D × 9.7 in W × 11.2 in H
16 lb (7.26 kg)
Port connections 1× ADB
2× mini-DIN-8 RS-422 serial ports
1× DB-25 SCSI connector
1× Headphone 3.5 mm jack socket
Audio 8-bit mono 22Khz
Gestalt ID 17
Timeline of Mac model families
Apple Vision ProApple WatchiPadiPhoneiPodApple NewtonApple IIMacBook Air (Apple silicon)MacBook Pro (Apple silicon)12-inch MacBookMacBook (2006–2012)MacBook Air (Intel-based)MacBook Pro (Intel-based)PowerBook G4PowerBook G4PowerBook G4PowerBook G3PowerBookiBookPowerBook 500 seriesPowerBook 2400cPowerBookApple IIe CardPowerBook DuoMacintosh PortableMac ProMac StudioXserveMac ProXservePower Mac G5XservePower Mac G4Power Mac G4 CubePower Macintosh G3Twentieth Anniversary MacintoshPower MacintoshMacintosh QuadraMacintosh LC familyMacintosh II seriesMacintosh XLApple LisaMac MiniiMac (Apple silicon)Mac MiniiMac ProiMac (Intel-based)Mac MinieMaciMac G5Macintosh TViMac G4Macintosh Color ClassicMacintosh Classic IIiMacMacintosh ClassicMacintosh SE/30Macintosh PerformaMacintosh SE FDHDMacintosh 512KeMacintosh PlusMacintosh SEMacintosh 512KMacintosh 128KApple siliconUEFINew World ROMOld World ROM
See also: Timeline of the Apple II series, List of Mac models, and Timeline of Apple Inc. products

Source: Glen Sanford, Apple History, apple-history.com

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Joannidi, Christine (2002-03-15). "Macintosh Classic: Technical Specifications". Apple Inc. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  2. ^ Linzmayer, Owen W (1999). Apple Confidential (1st Edition). No Starch Press. p. 27. ISBN 188641131X.
  3. ^ a b Ould, Andrew (August 6, 1990), "Mac Classic to debut at under $1,000.", PC Week, p. 17
  4. ^ a b Farber, Daniel (July 10, 1990), "Apple shells out $1 million for 'Classic' name", MacWEEK, p. 1 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Linzmayer, Owen W (1999). Apple Confidential (1st Edition). No Starch Press. p. 208. ISBN 188641131X.
  6. ^ a b Hertzberg, Lanny (Nov–Dec 1990), "New Macs from Apple", Electronic Learning, p. 6{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  7. ^ "Apple Computer: lower cost Mac PCs target new customers. 50 percent less for entry-level system.", EDGE: Work-Group Computing Report, p. 3, October 22, 1990 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ a b c "Apple Unveils Low-Cost Macs", Albany Times Union (Albany, NY), October 16, 1990 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ a b Yazawa, Naoyuki (October 18, 1990), "Japan: Apple prices new Macs, cuts old prices", Newsbytes (Newswire) {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ a b Zachary, G. Pascal (November 21, 1990), "Demand turns new Macintosh into rare Apple", Wall Street Journal (Western Edition) {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ a b c Borrell, Jerry (March 1991), "How does Apple deal with success? In fiscal 1991 Apple Computer will ship over 1 million Macintoshes", Macworld, p. 23
  12. ^ a b c "Macs for the masses", COMPUTE!, pp. Vol. 13 Issue 4, p26, April 1991.
  13. ^ Krey, Michael (March 25, 1991), "Classic is on backorder", The Business Journal, p. 18
  14. ^ a b "Macintosh Classic: Description (Discontinued)". Apple Inc. June 02, 1994. Retrieved 2008-04-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ a b c Judson, Jeremy (1996). The Macintosh Bible 6th Edition. Peachpit Press. p. 56. ISBN 0201886367. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ a b Schafer, Liza (April, 1991). "Apple Macintosh Classic 2/40 - Hardware Review (pp.2)". Home Office Computing. BNET. Retrieved 2008-05-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ a b c d e Kunkel, Paul (October 1, 1997). Appledesign: The Work of the Apple Industrial Design Group. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 288. ISBN 1888001259. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ a b c "Macintosh Classic Computer Developer Note" (PDF). Developer Technical Publications. Apple Computer. 1990. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
  19. ^ a b c d Schafer, Liza (April, 1991). "Apple Macintosh Classic 2/40 - Hardware Review (pp.1)". Home Office Computing. BNET. Retrieved 2008-05-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Bethoney, Herb (October 15, 1990), "Mac Classic could be faster, but it fits the bill. (Hardware Review)", PC Week, p. 16 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Chadwin, John (October 24, 1990), "Mac to the future (Apple's Macintosh LC, Classic, and IIsi microcomputers) (Hardware Review)", PC User, p. 44 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Ford, Ric (October 30, 1990), "Mac Classic (Hands on the new Macs) (Hardware Review)", MacWEEK, p. 2 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ a b c d e f Robert, McCarthy (February, 1991), "The new Macs go to school", Electronic Learning, p. 19 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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