The Macintosh Classic II is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from October 1991 to September 1993. Like the Macintosh SE/30 it replaces, the Classic II was powered by a 16MHzMotorola 68030 CPU and 40 or 80 MBhard disk, but in contrast to its predecessor, it was limited by a 16-bit data bus and a 10 MB memory ceiling. The slower data bus resulted in the Classic II being 30% slower than the SE/30. While the Classic II shares a case with the earlier Classic, architecturally it is more similar to 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. Unlike the LC and the SE/30 before it, the Classic II does not have an internal Processor Direct Slot, making it the first slotless desktop Macintosh since the Macintosh Plus. The Classic II was one of the three machines Apple repackaged as a Macintosh Performa when the brand was introduced in September 1992. Called the "Performa 200", it was sold with the same specifications as the original Classic II, with the addition of a speaker grille on the left side for enhanced sound. A number of changes to the packaged software were included, such as the At Ease desktop alternative which aimed to provide a simpler user interface than the standard Macintosh Finder. The exact software included tended to vary from one retailer to the next. It was initially offered at a retail price of about $1,250 USD. 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: Sold in two configurations:
*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:
Hardware
Processor: 16 MHz Motorola 68030, with an optional Motorola 68882FPU RAM: 2 MB, expandable to 10 MB using two 100 ns 30-pin SIMMs Display: 9" b&w screen, 512 × 342 pixels Audio: 8-bit mono 22kHz Hard drive: 40 or 80 MB Floppy: 1.4 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-422serial ports, DB-25SCSI, 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. The socket is not designed to be used for any other purpose and is not suitable for use as a general expansion slot. Apple never produced an expansion card of any kind for this slot, although at least one third-party FPU was available: the FastMath Classic II by Applied Engineering. and Sonnet offered a synchronous and asynchronous 68882 FPU.
