Macintosh Performa: Difference between revisions

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The Macintosh Performa series was Apple Computer's consumer product family of Apple Macintosh personal computers from 1992 until 1997, when the iMac's release ended this product line. The Performa series of computers was not in actuality a new line of computers per se but simply renamed models from their regular line of computers sold in computer stores, such as Quadra, Centris, LC, Power Mac, and so on. The series was introduced in 1992 with the Performa 200, which was essentially a renamed Macintosh Classic II. Nearly every member of the Mac LC series existed as a Performa version, as did the Power Macintosh 6100. Systems that were not branded as Performas were largely intended for the education market.

The Performa versions sold as a package deal that included a monitor, external modem, and typically a software bundle of some sort. These items were not generally included with the non-Performa Mac models of the time. Performa software bundles usually included ClarisWorks, educational software, and some games, pre-installed over a slightly customized version of the Mac System software, denoted by a 'P' in the version number (e.g. System 7.1P5). The Performa versions of the System software introduced some useful features that were later rolled to the mainstream release, most notably the Launcher. System 7.5 ended the separate Performa releases.

The Performa series of Macintosh computers was Apple's attempt to increase its market share among families and individuals. Apple attempted wide retail distribution of the Performas in the early 1990s, through major electronics store chains, short television commercials and numerous brochures and paper ads. The marketing failed due to not having attractive self-running demos at stores, and the fact that many retailers that carried Performas seemed more interested in pushing customers towards Windows PCs. It was not uncommon to see the demo machines crashed and the mouse missing, or to see the units not turned on.

List of 68k Based Performa Models

Performa 200 (1992, aka Macintosh Classic II)
Performa 250
Performa 275 (1993, aka Macintosh Color Classic)
Performa 400
Performa 405
Performa 410
Performa 430
Performa 450
Performa 460
Performa 466
Performa 467
Performa 475 (aka Macintosh LC 475)
Performa 476
Performa 520
Performa 550
Performa 560
Performa 575
Performa 577
Performa 578
Performa 580CD
Performa 588CD
Performa 600/600CD
Performa 630/630CD
Performa 631CD
Performa 635CD
Performa 636/636CD
Performa 6360
Performa 637CD
Performa 638CD
Performa 6400/6410/6420
Performa 640CD
Performa 640CD DOS Compatible

List of PowerPC Based Performa Models

Performa 5200CD
Performa 5210CD
Performa 5215CD
Performa 5220CD
Performa 5260CD
Performa 5270CD
Performa 5280
Performa 5300CD
Performa 5320CD
Performa 5400CD
Performa 5400 Series (5410/5420/5430/5440CD)
Performa 6100 Series (6110/6112/6115/6116/6117/6118CD)
Performa 6200 Series (6200/6205/6210/6214/6216/6218/6220/6230/6260/6290CD)
Performa 6300 Series (6300/6310/6320CD)
Performa 6360
Performa 6400/6410/6420

External links

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-[[Image:Macintosh Performa 5200.jpg|right|thumb|A Macintosh Performa in the form of an All-In-One desktop similar to the [[iMac]].]]
+[[Image:Macintosh Performa 5200.jpg|right|thumb|A Macintosh Performa 5200,  an all-in-one desktop similar to the [[iMac]].]]
 [[Image:Macintosh Performa 6300.jpg|right|thumb|A Macintosh Performa 6300.]]
 The '''Macintosh Performa''' series was [[Apple Computer]]'s [[consumer]] product family of [[Apple Macintosh]] [[personal computer]]s from [[1992]] until [[1997]], when the [[iMac]]'s release ended this product line. The Performa series of computers was not in actuality a new line of computers per se but simply renamed models from their regular line of computers sold in computer stores, such as [[Macintosh Quadra|Quadra]], [[Macintosh Centris|Centris]], [[Macintosh LC|LC]], [[Power Mac]], and so on. The series was introduced in 1992 with the Performa 200, which was essentially a renamed [[Macintosh Classic II]]. Nearly every member of the [[Macintosh LC|Mac LC series]] existed as a Performa version, as did the [[Power Macintosh]] 6100.  Systems that were not branded as Performas were largely intended for the [[education]] market.