Macintosh Classic II
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Developer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
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Product family | Compact Macintosh |
Release date | October 21, 1991 |
Introductory price | US$1,900 (equivalent to $4,250 in 2023) |
Discontinued | October 18, 1993 |
Operating system | System 6.0.8L - Mac OS 7.6.1 |
CPU | Motorola 68030 @ 16 MHz |
Memory | 2 MB, expandable to 10 MB (100 ns 30-pin SIMM) |
Display | 9 inches (23 cm) monochrome, 512 × 342 |
Dimensions | Height: 13.2 inches (34 cm) Width: 9.7 inches (25 cm) Depth: 11.2 inches (28 cm) |
Mass | 16 pounds (7.3 kg) |
Predecessor | Macintosh SE/30 Macintosh Classic |
Successor | Macintosh Color Classic |
The Macintosh Classic II (also sold as the Performa 200) is a personal computer designed and manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from October 1991 to September 1993. The system has a compact, appliance design with an integrated 9" monitor, typical of the earliest of the Macintosh range. A carrying handle moulded into the case added a degree of portability at a time when laptops were still relatively uncommon.
Like the preceding Macintosh SE/30, the Classic II was powered by a 16 MHz Motorola 68030 CPU but experienced about 30% slower performance due to the limitations imposed by a cost-reduced 16-bit data bus, versus the 32-bit bus used in the SE/30 design. The system had a base memory configuration of 2 MB, with a 10 MB upper limit and was supplied with either a 40 or 80 MB hard disk.[1]
While the Classic II was styled after the earlier Classic, architecturally it had more in common with the Macintosh LC. The use of custom ICs, identical to those used in the LC, enabled the Classic II to have a lower component count than older Macs, which reduced manufacturing costs. Unlike the LC and the SE/30 before it, the Classic II lacked an internal Processor Direct Slot, making it the second slotless desktop Macintosh after the Classic.
The Classic II is one of three machines to be originally repackaged as a Macintosh Performa when the brand was first introduced in September 1992 to compete in the home user space.[2] Called the "Performa 200", it was sold with the same specifications as the original Classic II but often supplied with bundled software. The exact packaged software varied by retailer but usually included the At Ease desktop alternative, which aimed to provide a simpler user interface experience than the standard Macintosh Finder. The Performa 200 was initially offered at a retail price of about $1,250 USD.[2]
The Classic II is the last black-and-white compact Macintosh, and the last desktop Macintosh to include an external floppy disk drive port. Apple discontinued support for the Classic II on January 1, 2001.
Models
- Macintosh Classic II:[3] Sold in two configurations:[4]
- 2/40: 2 MB RAM, 40 MB HDD. USD $1,899.
- 4/80: 4 MB RAM, 80 MB HDD. USD $2,399.
- Macintosh Performa 200:[5]
Hardware

Processor: 16 MHz (15.6672 MHz) Motorola 68030 (32-bit internally, 16-bit bus), with an optional Motorola 68882 FPU
RAM: 2 MB, expandable to 10 MB using two 100 ns 30-pin SIMMs
Display: 9" monochrome screen, 512 × 342 pixels
Audio: 8-bit mono 22 kHz
Hard drive: 40 or 80 MB
Floppy: 1.44 MB double-sided
Addressing: 24-bit or 32-bit
Battery: 3.6 V lithium
Expansion: Connectors on the rear panel include an ADB port for keyboard and mouse, two mini-DIN-8 RS-422 serial ports, DB-25 SCSI, DB-19 External floppy drive, and two 3.5 mm minijack audio sockets for audio in and headphone out.
The Classic II has a 50-pin internal expansion slot intended for either an FPU co-processor or additional ROM.[6] The socket is unsuited for use as a general purpose expansion slot. Apple never produced an expansion card for this slot,[7] although third-party FPUs were available including the FastMath Classic II by Applied Engineering[8] and Sonnet offered a synchronous (16 MHz) and asynchronous (50 MHz) 68882 FPU. Retro computing hobbyists have also subsequently produced open-source designs for this slot.[9]

The main board from the Classic II (left) contains the logic for the system. High voltage components such as the PSU and CRT driver circuitry were on a separate "analogue" board. The 68030 CPU can be seen on the right, which is next to the FPU/ROM expansion slot. Two ROM chips in sockets are below the CPU. The RAM is to the bottom left. This model contains 4MB, of which 2MB is soldered to the board and 2MB is in SIMM sockets. Just above the RAM is the Apple "Eagle" chip which contains video interface circuitry and glue logic. Above that is an AMD manufactured SCSI controller and serial chip, close to an internal and external SCSI connector used to attach hard disks or other peripherals. There is a PRAM battery carrier to the left of the CPU (the battery is not present) with an internal floppy drive connector just above it with the floppy controller chip on the left. To the right of the floppy connector is an 8-bit microcontroller which manages the ADB bus.
Gallery
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Back of the Classic II |
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The interrupt (left) and reset (right) buttons protruding from the air vent on the lower left hand side of the Classic II. The interrupt button (also called the programmer's key) is used to access a debugger. |
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The ADB keyboard that shipped with the Classic II. On many Macs the large button at the top near the Apple logo was used to power on the machine. However, this feature was unsupported by the Classic II. The keyboard contained two ADB connectors. One connected into the back of the Macintosh, the other was used for connecting the mouse or other peripherals. The mouse could be connected to either side for left- or right-handed use. |
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The ADB mouse that shipped with the Classic II. |
Timelines
Timeline of Compact Macintosh models |
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<timeline>
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1983 till:07/01/1995 Define $skip = at:end # Force a blank line Define $dayunknown = 15 # what day to use if it's actually not known ImageSize= width:800 height:auto barincrement:22 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:20 bottom:60 top:5 Colors = id:bg value:white id:classic2 value:rgb(1,0.9,0.9) id:classic value:rgb(1,0.85,0.85) legend:Motorola_68000 id:lisa value:rgb(1,1,0.55) legend:Motorola_68000,_Lisa-derived id:lisa2 value:rgb(1,1,0.6) id:mot030a value:rgb(0.75,0.85,1) legend:Motorola_68030 id:mot030b value:rgb(0.8,0.9,1) id:lightliney value:rgb(0.5,0.5,0.5) id:lightlinem value:rgb(0.8,0.8,0.8) id:current value:rgb(0.95,0.95,0.95) id:current2 value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) legend:Reference BackgroundColors = canvas:bg ScaleMajor = gridcolor:lightliney unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/1983 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightlinem unit:month increment:4 start:01/01/1983 Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:1 BarData = Barset:classic Barset:reference PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black barset:classic shift:(1,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s color:classic from:01/24/1984 till:09/01/1984 text:"Orig" color:classic from:09/10/1984 till:04/14/1986 text:"512K “Fat Mac”" $skip $skip color:lisa from:01/01/1983 till:12/30/1984 text:"Apple Lisa" barset:break color:classic2 from:09/01/1984 till:10/01/1985 text:"“128K”" color:classic2 from:04/14/1986 till:10/01/1987 text:"512Ke" $skip color:classic from:02/03/1987 till:08/01/1988 text:"SE" color:lisa2 from:01/01/1985 till:05/01/1985 text:"Mac XL" barset:break $skip $skip color:classic from:01/16/1986 till:01/01/1987 text:"Plus" color:classic2 from:08/01/1988 till:08/01/1989 text:"SE 1/40" barset:break $skip $skip color:classic2 from:01/01/1987 till:10/15/1990 text:"(Platinum Plus)" color:classic2 from:10/15/1990 till:09/14/1992 text:"Classic" color:mot030a from:01/19/1989 till:10/21/1991 text:"SE/30" barset:break $skip $skip $skip color:classic from:08/01/1989 till:10/15/1990 text:"SE SuperDrive" color:mot030b from:10/21/1991 till:09/13/1993 text:"Classic II" color:mot030a from:02/10/1993 till:05/16/1995 text:"Color Classic / II" barset:reference color:current from:start till:04/01/1987 text:"Apple IIe" barset:break color:current2 from:04/02/1987 till:09/01/1989 text:"Macintosh II" barset:break color:current from:09/01/1989 till:10/01/1990 text:"Portable" barset:break color:current2 from:10/01/1990 till:10/01/1991 text:"LC" barset:break color:current from:10/02/1991 till:06/01/1993 text:"PowerBook" barset:break color:current2 from:06/28/1993 till:03/01/1994 text:"LC 520" barset:break color:current from:03/02/1994 till:end text:"Power Macintosh" </timeline> |
Timeline of Macintosh Centris, LC, Performa, and Quadra models, colored by CPU type |
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<timeline>
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:10/01/1990 till:12/31/1997 Define $skip = at:end # Force a blank line Define $dayunknown = 15 # what day to use if it's actually not known ImageSize= width:800 height:auto barincrement:21 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:20 bottom:75 top:5 Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:1 Colors = id:bg value:white id:020 value:rgb(1,0.5,0.4) legend:Motorola_68020 id:0301 value:rgb(1,1,0) legend:Motorola_68030 id:0302 value:rgb(1,1,0.5) id:0401 value:rgb(0.8,1,0.8) legend:Motorola_68040 id:0402 value:rgb(0.8,1,0.95) id:LC0401 value:rgb(0.75,0.85,1) legend:Motorola_68LC040 id:LC0402 value:rgb(0.8,0.9,1) id:ppc601 value:rgb(0.8,0.6,0.9) legend:PowerPC_601 id:ppc603 value:rgb(1,0.85,0.85) legend:PowerPC_603 id:ppc603e value:rgb(1,0.6,0.6) legend:PowerPC_603e id:linem value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) id:liney value:rgb(0.5,0.5,0.5) BackgroundColors = canvas:bg ScaleMajor = gridcolor:liney unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/1991 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:linem unit:month increment:3 start:10/01/1990 BarData = Barset:one Barset:two Barset:three Barset:four PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black barset:one shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s color:020 from:10/15/1990 till:03/23/1992 text:"LC" barset:break color:0301 from:03/23/1992 till:03/15/1993 text:"LC II" color:0302 from:02/10/1993 till:02/14/1994 text:"LC III" color:ppc603 from:04/03/1995 till:04/13/1996 text:"Power Macintosh 5200 LC" barset:break color:lc0401 from:10/21/1993 till:07/15/1996 text:"LC 475" color:lc0401 from:07/18/1994 till:04/01/1995 text:"LC 630" color:0301 from:06/28/1993 till:02/02/1994 text:"LC 520" barset:break $skip color:lc0402 from:04/03/1995 till:03/02/1996 text:"LC 580" color:0302 from:02/02/1994 till:03/23/1995 text:"LC 550" barset:two color:0301 from:10/18/1993 till:02/14/1994 text:"LC III+" color:0302 from:10/25/1993 till:02/01/1994 text:"TV" barset:break color:lc0401 from:11/03/1994 till:03/02/1996 text:"LC 575" barset:break]]" $skip color:ppc603e from:08/28/1995 till:04/13/1996 text:"Power Macintosh 5300 LC" barset:three shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s color:0302 from:09/14/1992 till:10/18/1993 text:"Performa 200" color:0302 from:09/14/1992 till:10/18/1993 text:"Performa 400" color:0302 from:09/14/1992 till:10/18/1993 text:"Performa 600" $skip $skip $skip $skip $skip color:0302 from:04/01/1993 till:03/01/1994 text:"Performa 250" color:0302 from:04/12/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 405" color:0301 from:04/12/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 430" color:0302 from:04/12/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 450" color:0302 from:06/28/1993 till:02/02/1994 text:"Performa 520" color:0301 from:10/18/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 410" color:0301 from:10/18/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 460" color:0301 from:10/18/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 466" color:0301 from:10/18/1993 till:11/01/1993 text:"Performa 467" $skip $skip color:ppc601 from:11/01/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 6110" color:ppc601 from:11/01/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 6112" color:ppc601 from:11/01/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 6115" color:ppc601 from:11/01/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 6117" color:ppc601 from:11/01/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 6118" barset:break color:0301 from:10/01/1993 till:11/01/1995 text:"Performa 275" color:0301 from:10/18/1993 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 550" color:0301 from:01/01/1994 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 560" color:lc0401 from:10/18/1993 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 475" color:lc0401 from:10/18/1993 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 476" color:lc0401 from:02/01/1994 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 575" color:lc0401 from:02/01/1994 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 577" color:lc0401 from:02/01/1994 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 578" color:lc0401 from:07/18/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 630" color:lc0402 from:07/18/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 631" color:lc0402 from:07/18/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 635" color:lc0402 from:07/18/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 636" color:lc0402 from:07/18/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 637" color:lc0402 from:07/18/1994 till:07/01/1995 text:"Performa 638" color:lc0402 from:04/01/1995 till:05/01/1996 text:"Performa 588CD" color:lc0402 from:05/01/1995 till:02/01/1996 text:"Performa 580CD" color:lc0401 from:05/14/1995 till:02/01/1996 text:"Performa 640CD" color:ppc603 from:05/01/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 5200" color:ppc603 from:05/01/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 5210" color:ppc603 from:07/14/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 5215" color:ppc603 from:07/14/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 5220" color:ppc601 from:07/17/1995 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 6116" color:ppc603 from:07/11/1995 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 6200" color:ppc603 from:07/11/1995 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 6216" color:ppc603 from:07/11/1995 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 6218" barset:break $skip $skip $skip $skip $skip $skip $skip $skip color:ppc603e from:10/01/1995 till:05/01/1996 text:"Performa 5300" color:ppc603e from:11/01/1995 till:08/01/1996 text:"Performa 5320" color:ppc603e from:01/27/1996 till:08/01/1996 text:"Performa 6290" color:ppc603e from:01/27/1996 till:10/01/1996 text:"Performa 6300" color:ppc603e from:01/27/1996 till:10/01/1996 text:"Performa 6310" color:ppc603e from:04/22/1996 till:09/01/1996 text:"Performa 6320" barset:break color:ppc603e from:04/22/1996 till:02/01/1997 text:"Performa 5260" color:ppc603e from:04/22/1996 till:02/01/1997 text:"Performa 5270" color:ppc603e from:04/22/1996 till:02/01/1997 text:"Performa 5410" color:ppc603e from:04/22/1996 till:03/01/1997 text:"Performa 5420" color:ppc603e from:04/22/1996 till:02/01/1997 text:"Performa 5400" color:ppc603e from:06/19/1996 till:12/01/1996 text:"Performa 6260" color:ppc603e from:08/01/1996 till:12/01/1997 text:"Performa 5400/160" color:ppc603e from:08/01/1996 till:06/01/1997 text:"Performa 5400/180 (DE)" color:ppc603e from:08/07/1996 till:08/01/1997 text:"Performa 6400/180" color:ppc603e from:08/07/1996 till:08/01/1997 text:"Performa 6400/200 (VEE)" color:ppc603e from:10/01/1996 till:02/01/1997 text:"Performa 5260/120" color:ppc603e from:10/17/1996 till:10/01/1997 text:"Performa 6360/160" color:ppc603e from:11/12/1996 till:06/01/1997 text:"Performa 5280" color:ppc603e from:11/12/1996 till:12/01/1997 text:"Performa 5430" shift:(25,-5) color:ppc603e from:11/12/1996 till:09/01/1997 text:"Performa 5440" color:ppc603e from:11/12/1996 till:10/01/1997 text:"Performa 6410/180" color:ppc603e from:11/12/1996 till:08/01/1997 text:"Performa 6420/200" barset:four shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s color:0401 from:10/21/1991 till:03/15/1993 text:"Quadra 700" color:0401 from:10/21/1991 till:05/18/1992 text:"Quadra 900" color:0402 from:07/18/1994 till:10/05/1995 text:"Quadra 630" barset:break $skip color:0402 from:05/18/1992 till:10/14/1995 text:"Quadra 950" color:lc0402 from:02/10/1993 till:10/21/1993 text:"Centris 610" color:0401 from:02/10/1993 till:10/21/1993 text:"Centris 650" color:0401 from:02/10/1993 till:03/14/1994 text:"Quadra 800" color:0402 from:07/29/1993 till:10/21/1993 text:"Centris / Quadra 660AV" barset:break color:lc0401 from:10/21/1993 till:10/17/1994 text:"Quadra 605" $skip color:0401 from:10/21/1993 till:07/18/1994 text:"Quadra 610" color:0401 from:10/21/1993 till:09/12/1994 text:"Quadra 650" $skip color:0401 from:10/21/1993 till:09/12/1994 # Quadra 660AV color:0401 from:07/29/1993 till:07/18/1994 text:"Quadra 840AV" barset:break color:ppc603 from:07/11/1995 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 6220" $skip $skip color:ppc603 from:07/11/1995 till:04/01/1996 text:"Performa 6230" color:ppc603 from:08/28/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 6205" color:ppc603 from:08/28/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 6210" color:ppc603 from:08/28/1995 till:07/01/1996 text:"Performa 6214" </timeline> |
References
- ^ Pogue, David; Schorr, Joseph (1999). MacWorld Mac Secrets, 5th Edition. IDG Books. ISBN 0-7645-4040-8.
- ^ 2.0 2.1 Seiter, Charles (November 1992). "Mass Market Macs - Apple's New Performa Series Is Coming To A Store Near You". MacWorld Magazine. pp. 110–115.
- ^ "Macintosh Classic II: Technical Specifications". Apple.
- ^ "Apple User Group Connection - December 1991". Apple.
- ^ "Macintosh Performa 200:Technical Specifications". Apple.
- ^ "Apple Macintosh Classic II Developer Note" (PDF). 1991. pp. 27–28.
{{cite magazine}}
: Cite magazine requires|magazine=
(help) - ^ Macintosh Classic II: Math Co-Processor Card Availability
- ^ Access my library [dead link]
- ^ Dymczyk, Marcin (May 2, 2023), Macintosh Classic II FPU card, retrieved July 9, 2023
External links
- Classic II (Performa 200)Information pages at Mac512.com
- CS1 errors: missing periodical
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- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Use mdy dates from October 2013
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- All articles lacking reliable references
- Compact Macintosh
- 68k Macintosh computers
- Macintosh Performa
- Computer-related introductions in 1991
- Products and services discontinued in 1993