Macintosh Classic

● Obsolete 1990 · Mac era Classic Macintosh

Introduced

1990

Original price

$ 999

Processor

Motorola 68000

Original OS

System 6.0.7

Max OS

System 7.5.5

1976

1984

1998

2001

2007

2020

2026

Pre-Mac

Mac era

iMac era

iPod era

iPhone era

Silicon

Processor

ProcessorMotorola 68000

Speed8 MHz

Architecture16/32-bit

Memory & graphics

Standard RAM1 MB or 2 MB

Max RAM4 MB

Display9" monochrome CRT

Resolutions512 x 342 pixels

Storage

Storage1.44 MB floppy drive, optional 40 MB hard drive

Software

Original OSSystem 6.0.7

Max OSSystem 7.5.5

Apple statusObsolete

Identifiers

Model N°M0420

Lifecycle

Introduced1990

Discontinued1992

Apple statusObsolete

History

Presented on October 15, 1990, the Macintosh Classic was the first Apple Macintosh to be sold for less than 1,000 US dollars. The Classic's production was spurred by the success of the Macintosh Plus and Macintosh SE. The Classic's technical specifications were very similar to its predecessors, with the same 9-inch (23 cm) monochromatic CRT display, 512×384 pixel resolution and 4 megabyte (MB) memory limit of older Macintosh computers. Apple's decision not to update the Classic with more recent technologies, such as a 68010 processor, greater RAM capacity or a color display, ensured compatibility with the already established Mac software base and allowed it to be adapted to the lower price Apple intended to offer it at. Despite this, the Classic featured several improvements over the dated Macintosh Plus, which it replaced as Apple's low-end Mac computer. It was up to 25 percent faster than the Plus and included as standard a 3.5-inch (9 cm) Apple SuperDrive floppy disk drive. The Classic was an adaptation of the 1984 Macintosh 128K's industrial design, as the previous Macintosh SE had been. Apple released two versions with prices ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 dollars. Critical reactions were mixed; most focused on the slow processor performance and the lack of expansion slots. The general consensus was that the Classic was useful only for word processing, spreadsheets and databases. The price and availability of educational software led to the Classic's popularity in education. It was marketed alongside the more powerful Macintosh Classic II in 1991 until its discontinuation the following year.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_Classic · Wikipedia

Trivia

• The Macintosh Classic, unveiled on October 15, 1990, was the first Mac to cost less than 1,000 dollars, revolutionizing the accessibility of Apple computers to the general public. • Despite using the same 1984 design and technical specifications similar to its predecessors, the Classic was 25% faster than the Macintosh Plus and included the 3.5-inch SuperDrive floppy drive as standard. • Its popularity exploded in the education sector thanks to its competitive price and availability of educational software, even though critics considered it mainly suited for word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.

D149

D032 · APPLE HERITAGE MUSEUM · LUGANO

D043