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Encyclopedia > Macintosh LC
Macintosh LC "pizza box" computer, circa 1990.
Macintosh LC "pizza box" computer, circa 1990.

The Macintosh LC (meaning low-cost color) was Apple Computer's product family of low-end consumer Macintosh personal computers in the early 1990s. The original Macintosh LC was released in 1990, primarily for the education and home markets, and notable for being the first affordable color Macintosh to the average first-time computer buyer. Together with the Mac IIsi, it introduced built-in audio input on the Mac. The "LC" name was subsequently used for a line of low-end Macintosh computers for several years and spanned the 68k to PowerPC transition. Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Macintosh LC ... Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Macintosh LC ... Apple Inc. ... The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ... Macintosh IIsi rear showing ports, including 10base2, 10baseT and AUI ethernet card. ... The Motorola 680x0/0x0/m68k/68k/68K family of CISC microprocessor CPU chips were 32-bit from the start, and were the primary competition for the Intel x86 family of chips in personal computers of the 1980s and early 1990s. ... PowerPC is a RISC microprocessor architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM. Originally intended for personal computers, PowerPC CPUs have since become popular embedded and high-performance processors as well. ...

Contents

History

Macintosh computers, especially the color Macs starting with the Macintosh II in 1987, had always been rather expensive computers with large profit margins. The original LC was an attempt at an affordable Macintosh. Compared with earlier Macs, Apple cut some corners on performance and features in order to keep the price down. Notably, the LC used a very small "pizza box" case with no NuBus slots, had a 16 MHz 68020 microprocessor and no floating-point coprocessor running on a 16-bit data bus (a major bottleneck as the 68020 was a 32-bit CPU), a limit of 10 mebibytes RAM and shipped with only 256 KiB of VRAM therefore only supporting a display resolution of 512 pixels by 384 pixels at 8-bit color on Apple's 12" RGB monitor. The VRAM was upgradeable to 512 KiB though, supporting a display resolution of 512 pixels by 384 pixels at 16-bit color or, on a VGA-compatible display, 640 pixels by 480 pixels at 8-bit color. Nevertheless, most LCs were purchased with an Apple 12" RGB monitor with a fixed resolution of 512 pixels by 384 pixels. Many software programs that had been designed for other color Macs assumed that the minimum screen size was 640 pixels by 480 pixels. As a result, some programs simply would not function correctly on the LC, and for several years software developers had to add support for this smaller screen resolution in order to guarantee that their software would run on LCs. Overall, general performance of the machine was disappointing due to the crippling data bus bottleneck, making it run far slower than it should have been (e.g. the same 16 MHz 68020 based Macintosh II ran almost twice as fast as the Macintosh LC). Macintosh II was the first personal computer model of the Macintosh II series in the Apple Macintosh line. ... NuBus is a 32-bit parallel computer bus, originally developed at MIT as a part of the NuMachine workstation project, and eventually used by Apple Computer and NeXT Computer. ... The Motorola 68020 is a microprocessor from Motorola. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A mebibyte (a contraction of mega binary byte) is a unit of information or computer storage, abbreviated MiB. 1 MiB = 220 bytes = 1,048,576 bytes = 1,024 kibibytes 1 MiB = 1024 (= 210) kibibytes (KiB), and 1024 MiB equal one gibibyte (GiB). ... According to the International Electrotechnical Commission a kibibyte (a contraction of kilo binary byte) is a unit of information or computer storage. ...


Despite the LCs lack of NuBus slots, it did come with a Processor Direct Slot (PDS). This was primarily intended for the Apple IIe Card, which was offered with education models of the LCs. The card allowed the LCs to emulate an Apple IIe. The combination of the low-cost color Macintosh and Apple IIe compatibility was intended to encourage the education market's transition from Apple II models to Macintoshes. LC PDS Ethernet card. ... The Apple IIe Card (Apple Computer part #820_0444_A) was the smallest Apple II computer ever designed. ... The Apple IIe was the third model in the Apple II line of personal computers, produced by Apple Computer. ...


The Mac LC sold well, and in 1991 was replaced by the LC II, which replaced the 68020 with a 68030 (one difference bettwen the Mac II and the Mac LC is the latter had no socket for a 68851 MMU, therefore it could not take advantage of System 7's virtual memory features), and sold even better. This spawned a whole series of LC models, most of which later were sold both with the LC name to the education world and to consumers via traditional Apple dealers, and as Performa to the consumer market via electronics stores, and department stores such as Sears. (For example, the LC 475 was also known as the Performa 475.) All PowerPC-based LC models were sold as "Power Macintosh xxxx LC" (and as "Performa xxxx"). The LC line lived on until the iMac was released in 1998. The LC 580 was notable for being the last desktop Motorola 68k-based Macintosh of any kind. All systems after that one used PowerPC processors. Several things are called System 7: System 7, a Macintosh operating system System 7 (band), a techno band Unix version 7 is sometimes called System 7. System 7, an IBM Minicomputer for process control in the 1970s This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages... A Macintosh Performa 5200, an all-in-one desktop similar to the iMac. ... PowerPC is a RISC microprocessor architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM. Originally intended for personal computers, PowerPC CPUs have since become popular embedded and high-performance processors as well. ... The original Bondi Blue iMac G3 was introduced in 1998. ... The Motorola 680x0, 0x0, m68k, or 68k family of CISC microprocessor CPU chips were 32-bit from the start, and were the primary competition for the Intel x86 family of chips. ...


LC models

"Pizza boxes"

  • Macintosh LC (1990)
  • Macintosh LC II (1992) — also known as Performa 400, Performa 405, Performa 410, Performa 430
  • Macintosh LC III (1993) — also known as Performa 450
  • Macintosh LC III+ (1993) — also known as Performa 460, Performa 466, Performa 467
  • Macintosh LC 475 (1993) — officially sold as Quadra 605, also known as Performa 475, Performa 476

Ports at the rear of a Quadra 605, including RJ45 Ethernet expansion. ...

All-in-one

The all-in-one case of the Macintosh LC 500 series The Macintosh LC 500 series is a series of personal computers that is a part of Apple Computers LC line of Macintosh computers. ... The all-in-one case of the Macintosh LC 500 series The Macintosh LC 500 series is a series of personal computers that is a part of Apple Computers LC line of Macintosh computers. ... The Macintosh LC 575 (also marketed as the Performa 575) was an Apple Macintosh computer manufactured from 1994 to 1996. ... The Macintosh LC 580 was one of Apple Computers low cost all in one type of personal computers that had all of the hardware integrated into a single unit, minus the mouse and keyboard, that became very popular in schools for their small footprint and durablity. ... The Macintosh Performa 5200, first of the 5200 series. ... The Macintosh Performa 5200, first of the 5200 series. ... The Macintosh Performa 5200, first of the 5200 series. ... The Power Macintosh 5400 series (also sold under variations of the name Performa 5400 and Power Macintosh 5400 LC) is a series of lower midrange all-in-one (meaning the cases feature an integrated monitor) personal computers that are a part of Apple Computers Macintosh LC, Power Macintosh and...

Regular desktop

  • Macintosh LC 630 (1994) — officially sold as Quadra 630, also known as Performa 630, Performa 630CD, Performa 631CD, Performa 635CD, Performa 636, Performa 636CD, Performa 637CD, Performa 638CD, Performa 640CD

The Macintosh Quadra 630 (Codenames: Crusader, Show Biz, Show & Tell; also sold with minor variations as the Macintosh LC 630 in the educational market and as the Macintosh Performa 630 in the consumer market) is a personal computer that is a part of Apple Computers Quadra series of Macintosh...

Timeline of Macintosh LC models

See also: Timeline of Apple Macintosh models

This timeline of Macintosh models lists all major types of Macintosh computers produced by Apple Computer in order of introduction date. ...


External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
  • Apple-History.com
  • Macintosh LC Series at Low End Mac
  • Macintosh LC technical specification at apple.com
  • Macintosh LC II technical specification at apple.com
  • Macintosh LC III technical specification at apple.com
  • Macintosh LC III+ technical specification at apple.com
v • d • e
Apple hardware before 1998
Apples Apple I · Apple II family (II, II Plus, II Europlus, IIe, IIc, IIGS, IIc Plus) · Apple III, III Plus
Lisas Lisa · Lisa 2/10
Macintosh desktops Compact Macintosh family (128K, 512K, XL, Plus, 512Ke, SE, SE/30, SE FDHD, Classic, Classic II, Color Classic, Color Classic II) · Macintosh II family (II, IIx, IIcx, IIci, IIfx, IIsi, IIvi, IIvx) · LC family (LC, LC II, LC III, LC 475, LC III+, LC 520, LC 550, LC 575, LC 580, LC 630, 5200 LC, 5260 LC, 5300 LC, 5400 LC) · Performa family · Macintosh TV · Quadra family (700, 900, 950, 800, 840AV, 610*, 650*, 660AV*, 605, 630) · Centris family (610, 650, 660AV) · Power Macintosh family (6100, 7100, 8100, 6200, 5200, 9500, 7200, 7500, 8500, 6300, 5260, 5300, 5400, 7600, 6400, 4400, 5500, 6500, 7300, 8600, 9600, G3) · 20th Anniversary Mac
Laptops Macintosh Portable · PowerBook family: 100 series (100, 140, 170, 145, 160, 180, 165c, 145B, 180c, 165, 150) · Duo series (210, 230, 250, 270c, 280, 280c, 2300c) · 500 series (520, 520c, 540, 540c, 550c) · 190, 190cs · 5300, 5300cs, 5300c, 5300ce · 1400c, 1400cs · 3400c · 2400c · G3
Servers Apple Workgroup Servers (95, 60, 80, 6150, 8150, 9150, 7250, 8550, 7350, 9650) · Apple Network Servers (500, 700)
Other projects and accessories 80 column card · Adjustable Keyboard · AppleCD · Disk II, Disk IIc · Apple Fax · IIe Card · Interactive Television Box · Newton, eMate 300 · Paladin · Pippin · PowerCD · Printers (Color Printer, Dot Matrix Printer, ImageWriter, LaserWriter, Scribe Printer, SilenType, StyleWriter, Portable StyleWriter) · QuickTake

  Results from FactBites:
 
Macintosh LC - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (740 words)
The original Macintosh LC was released in 1990, primarily for the education and home markets, and notable for being the first affordable color Macintosh to the average first-time computer buyer.
Macintosh computers, especially the color Macs starting with the Macintosh II in 1987, had always been rather expensive computers with large profit margins.
This spawned a whole series of LC models, most of which later were sold both with the LC name to the education world and to consumers via traditional Apple dealers, and as Performa to the consumer market via electronics stores, and department stores such as Sears.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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