Background and Information

The Macintosh Classic was a personal computer produced by Apple Computer, Inc. between 1990 and 1992. The Macintosh Classic was the first Macintosh computer to sell for less than US$1,000. “Classic Mac” is also the name for a series of operating systems developed for the Macintosh family of personal computers from 1984 to 2001 by Apple.

The Macintosh Classic was produced because of the success of the Original Macintosh, the Macintosh Plus, and the Macintosh SE. The Classic’s system specifications are similar to the original Macintosh computers and include the same 9-inch monochrome CRT display, 512 by 342-pixel resolution, and 4-megabyte memory of the older Macintosh personal computers. By not updating the Classic with newer technology, Apple ensured compatibility with Mac’s software base and enabled a lower price. The Classic was 25 percent faster than the Macintosh Plus computer and featured a standard Apple SuperDrive 3.-inch floppy disk drive.

The comparatively low price of the Classic and the availability of education software led to the Classic’s popularity in education. The Classic was sold alongside the Macintosh Classic II, which was more powerful, in 1991.

Macintosh Classic personal computers include the name “Macintosh Classic” in the bottom left-hand corner of the device’s display. They also generally include the Apple logo from the 1990s, which depicted an apple with colorful stripes and a bite taken out of it.

Additional Information

Service Documents

powermac_7200_series.pdf

classic_ii.performa_200.pdf

Power Macintosh/Performa 5000 Series