Macintosh LC
Encyclopedia
The Macintosh LC 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 and was the first affordable color-capable Macintosh. Due to its affordability and Apple II compatibility
the LC was adopted primarily in the education and home markets. 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.
left Apple in 1985, product development was handed to Jean-Louis Gassée
, formerly manager of Apple France. Gassée consistently pushed the Apple product line in two directions, towards more "openness" in terms of expandability and interoperability, and towards higher price. Gassée long argued that Apple should not market their computers towards the low end of the market, where profits were thin, but instead concentrate on the high end and higher profit margins. He illustrated the concept using a graph showing the price/performance ratio
of computers with low-power, low-cost machines in the lower left and high-power high-cost machines in the upper right. The "high-right" goal became a mantra among the upper management, who said "fifty-five or die", referring to Gassée's goal of a 55 percent profit margin.
This policy led to a series of ever more expensive computers. This was in spite of strenuous objections within the company, and when a group at Claris
started a low-end Mac project called "Drama", Gassée actively killed it. By the 1990, with sales slumping, arguments broke out over whether or not the high-right goal should be maintained. In the end, Gassée was forced from the company and Michael Spindler
was given his position, with the job of producing a low-cost series of machines. The result was the Macintosh Classic
, Macintosh IIsi
, and the LC.
The original LC was an attempt at an affordable, modular, color-capable Macintosh. As such, when compared with earlier Macs Apple cut some corners on performance and features in order to keep the price down. The LC's system specifications nearly duplicated those of the 3 year old Macintosh II
. Nevertheless, the machine hit a sweet spot and, with the pent-up demand for a low-cost Macintosh, it was a strong seller. In 1991 was succeeded by the LC II, which replaced the LC's Motorola 68020
processor with a 68030. It retained the original LC's 16-bit system bus
however, making its performance roughly the same as the earlier model. The main benefit of the 030 processor in the LC II was the ability to use System 7
's virtual memory
feature. In spite of this, the new model sold even better than the LC.
The success of the LC II 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.) The last official "LC" was the Power Macintosh 5200/75 LC, which was released in 1995 and discontinued in 1996. The LC 580 was notable for being the last desktop 680x0-based Macintosh of any kind. All subsequent Macintoshes used PowerPC processors and, later, Intel processors.
slots. It had a 16 MHz 68020 microprocessor which lacked a floating-point coprocessor
(although one could be added via the PDS). The LC had a 16-bit data bus, which was a major bottleneck as the 68020 was a 32-bit CPU. The LC's memory management chipset placed a limit of 10MB RAM no matter how much was installed.
The LC shipped with 256KB of VRAM, only supporting a display resolution of 512x384 pixels at 8-bit color. The VRAM was upgradeable to 512KB though, supporting a display resolution of 512x384 pixels at 16-bit color or 640x480 pixels at 8-bit color. Most LCs were purchased with an Apple 12" RGB monitor which had a fixed resolution of 512x384 pixels, though an Apple 13" 640x480 Trinitron
display was also available. Until the introduction of the LC, every color Mac had supported, at a minimum, 640x480. Many programs assumed this, and some simply would not function correctly on the LC at the lower resolution. 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 (e.g. the 16 MHz 68020 based Macintosh II from 1987, with an identical processor, ran almost twice as fast as the Macintosh LC). One difference between 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.
The standard configuration included a floppy drive and a 40 MB or 80 MB hard drive, but a version was available for the education market which had an Apple II card in the PDS slot, two floppy drives, and no hard drive. The LC, as with a number of other Macs of the day, featured built-in networking via "PhoneNet" that used standard RJ11 phone cabling and connector boxes. Ethernet was also available as an option via the single PDS slot.
The successor model LC II's 68030 has a built-in MMU. The CPU was the only major change to the LC II; the bus remained 16 bits. A full 32-bit bus had to wait for the LC III successor a year later.
(PDS). This was primarily intended for the Apple IIe Card, which was offered in a bundle with education models of the LCs. The card allowed the LC to emulate an Apple IIe
. The combination of the low-cost color Macintosh and Apple IIe compatibility was intended to encourage the education market to transition from Apple II models to the Macintosh platform instead of to the new low-cost IBM PC compatibles. Despite the LC's minimal video specs with a 12" monitor, any LC that supports the card can be switched into 560x384 resolution for better compatibility with the IIe's 280x192 High-Resolution graphics (essentially doubled).
Other cards, such as CPU accelerators, ethernet
and video cards were also made available for the LC's PDS slot.
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
's product family of low-end consumer Macintosh personal computers in the early 1990s. The original Macintosh LC was released in 1990 and was the first affordable color-capable Macintosh. Due to its affordability and Apple II compatibility
Apple IIe Card
The Apple IIe Card is a compatibility card which allows compatible Macs to run software designed for Apple II computers...
the LC was adopted primarily in the education and home markets. Together with the Mac IIsi
Macintosh IIsi
The Macintosh IIsi was a compact three-box desktop unit, effectively a cut-down Macintosh IIci in a smaller case , made cheaper by the redesign of the motherboard and the deletion of all but one of the expansion card slots...
, 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
68k
The Motorola 680x0/m68000/68000 is a family of 32-bit CISC microprocessors. During the 1980s and early 1990s, they were popular in personal computers and workstations and were the primary competitors of Intel's x86 microprocessors...
to PowerPC
PowerPC
PowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM...
transition.
History
After Apple co-founder Steve JobsSteve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
left Apple in 1985, product development was handed to Jean-Louis Gassée
Jean-Louis Gassée
Jean-Louis Gassée is a former executive at Apple Computer, where he worked from 1981 to 1990. He is most famous for founding Be Inc., creators of the BeOS computer operating system. After leaving Be, he became Chairman of PalmSource, Inc. in November, 2004.-1980s: Apple Computer:Gassée worked for...
, formerly manager of Apple France. Gassée consistently pushed the Apple product line in two directions, towards more "openness" in terms of expandability and interoperability, and towards higher price. Gassée long argued that Apple should not market their computers towards the low end of the market, where profits were thin, but instead concentrate on the high end and higher profit margins. He illustrated the concept using a graph showing the price/performance ratio
Price/performance ratio
In economics and engineering, the price/performance ratio refers to a product's ability to deliver performance, of any sort, for its price. Generally speaking, products with a higher price/performance ratio are more desirable, excluding other factors....
of computers with low-power, low-cost machines in the lower left and high-power high-cost machines in the upper right. The "high-right" goal became a mantra among the upper management, who said "fifty-five or die", referring to Gassée's goal of a 55 percent profit margin.
This policy led to a series of ever more expensive computers. This was in spite of strenuous objections within the company, and when a group at Claris
Claris
Claris was a computer software developer formed as a spin-off from Apple Computer in 1987. It was given the source code and copyrights to several programs that were owned by Apple, notably MacWrite and MacPaint, in order to separate Apple's application software activities from its hardware and...
started a low-end Mac project called "Drama", Gassée actively killed it. By the 1990, with sales slumping, arguments broke out over whether or not the high-right goal should be maintained. In the end, Gassée was forced from the company and Michael Spindler
Michael Spindler
Michael Spindler , nicknamed "the Diesel" for his reputed around-the-clock work habits, was president and CEO of Apple from 1993 to 1996....
was given his position, with the job of producing a low-cost series of machines. The result was the Macintosh Classic
Macintosh Classic
The Macintosh Classic was a personal computer manufactured by Apple Computer. Introduced on October 15, 1990, it was the first Apple Macintosh to sell for less than US$1,000. Production of the Classic was prompted by the success of the Macintosh Plus and the SE...
, Macintosh IIsi
Macintosh IIsi
The Macintosh IIsi was a compact three-box desktop unit, effectively a cut-down Macintosh IIci in a smaller case , made cheaper by the redesign of the motherboard and the deletion of all but one of the expansion card slots...
, and the LC.
The original LC was an attempt at an affordable, modular, color-capable Macintosh. As such, when compared with earlier Macs Apple cut some corners on performance and features in order to keep the price down. The LC's system specifications nearly duplicated those of the 3 year old Macintosh II
Macintosh II
The Apple Macintosh II was the first personal computer model of the Macintosh II series in the Apple Macintosh line and the first Macintosh to support a color display.- History :...
. Nevertheless, the machine hit a sweet spot and, with the pent-up demand for a low-cost Macintosh, it was a strong seller. In 1991 was succeeded by the LC II, which replaced the LC's Motorola 68020
Motorola 68020
The Motorola 68020 is a 32-bit microprocessor from Motorola, released in 1984. It is the successor to the Motorola 68010 and is succeeded by the Motorola 68030...
processor with a 68030. It retained the original LC's 16-bit system bus
System bus
A system bus is a single computer bus that connects the major components of a computer system. The technique was developed to reduce costs and improve modularity....
however, making its performance roughly the same as the earlier model. The main benefit of the 030 processor in the LC II was the ability to use System 7
System 7
System 7 is the name of a Macintosh operating system introduced in 1991.System 7 may also refer to:* System 7 , a British dance/ambient band* System 7 , 1991 album* IBM System/7, a 1970s computer system...
's virtual memory
Virtual memory
In computing, virtual memory is a memory management technique developed for multitasking kernels. This technique virtualizes a computer architecture's various forms of computer data storage , allowing a program to be designed as though there is only one kind of memory, "virtual" memory, which...
feature. In spite of this, the new model sold even better than the LC.
The success of the LC II 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
Macintosh Performa
The Macintosh Performa series was Apple Computer's consumer product family of Apple Macintosh personal computers sold through department stores and mass-market retailers from 1992 until 1997, when it was superseded by the Power Macintosh 5x00 series...
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.) The last official "LC" was the Power Macintosh 5200/75 LC, which was released in 1995 and discontinued in 1996. The LC 580 was notable for being the last desktop 680x0-based Macintosh of any kind. All subsequent Macintoshes used PowerPC processors and, later, Intel processors.
Features
The LC used a very small "pizza box" case with a PDS (processor direct slot) but no NuBusNuBus
NuBus is a 32-bit parallel computer bus, originally developed at MIT as a part of the NuMachine workstation project. The first complete implementation of the NuBus and the NuMachine was done by Western Digital for their NuMachine, and for the Lisp Machines Inc. LMI-Lambda. The NuBus was later...
slots. It had a 16 MHz 68020 microprocessor which lacked a floating-point coprocessor
Coprocessor
A coprocessor is a computer processor used to supplement the functions of the primary processor . Operations performed by the coprocessor may be floating point arithmetic, graphics, signal processing, string processing, or encryption. By offloading processor-intensive tasks from the main processor,...
(although one could be added via the PDS). The LC had a 16-bit data bus, which was a major bottleneck as the 68020 was a 32-bit CPU. The LC's memory management chipset placed a limit of 10MB RAM no matter how much was installed.
The LC shipped with 256KB of VRAM, only supporting a display resolution of 512x384 pixels at 8-bit color. The VRAM was upgradeable to 512KB though, supporting a display resolution of 512x384 pixels at 16-bit color or 640x480 pixels at 8-bit color. Most LCs were purchased with an Apple 12" RGB monitor which had a fixed resolution of 512x384 pixels, though an Apple 13" 640x480 Trinitron
Trinitron
Trinitron is Sony's brand name for its line of aperture grille based CRTs used in television sets and computer display monitors. One of the first truly new television systems to enter the market since the 1950s, the Trinitron was announced in 1966 to wide acclaim for its bright images, about 25%...
display was also available. Until the introduction of the LC, every color Mac had supported, at a minimum, 640x480. Many programs assumed this, and some simply would not function correctly on the LC at the lower resolution. 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 (e.g. the 16 MHz 68020 based Macintosh II from 1987, with an identical processor, ran almost twice as fast as the Macintosh LC). One difference between 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
System 7
System 7 is the name of a Macintosh operating system introduced in 1991.System 7 may also refer to:* System 7 , a British dance/ambient band* System 7 , 1991 album* IBM System/7, a 1970s computer system...
's virtual memory features.
The standard configuration included a floppy drive and a 40 MB or 80 MB hard drive, but a version was available for the education market which had an Apple II card in the PDS slot, two floppy drives, and no hard drive. The LC, as with a number of other Macs of the day, featured built-in networking via "PhoneNet" that used standard RJ11 phone cabling and connector boxes. Ethernet was also available as an option via the single PDS slot.
The successor model LC II's 68030 has a built-in MMU. The CPU was the only major change to the LC II; the bus remained 16 bits. A full 32-bit bus had to wait for the LC III successor a year later.
Apple IIe Card
Despite the LC's lack of NuBus slots, it did come with a Processor Direct SlotProcessor Direct Slot
Processor Direct Slot or PDS introduced by Apple Computer, in several of their Macintosh models, provided a limited measure of hardware expandibility, without going to the expense of providing full-fledged bus expansion slots.Typically, a machine would feature multiple bus expansions slots, if any...
(PDS). This was primarily intended for the Apple IIe Card, which was offered in a bundle with education models of the LCs. The card allowed the LC to emulate an Apple IIe
Apple IIe
The Apple IIe is the third model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The e in the name stands for enhanced, referring to the fact that several popular features were now built-in that were only available as upgrades and add-ons in earlier models...
. The combination of the low-cost color Macintosh and Apple IIe compatibility was intended to encourage the education market to transition from Apple II models to the Macintosh platform instead of to the new low-cost IBM PC compatibles. Despite the LC's minimal video specs with a 12" monitor, any LC that supports the card can be switched into 560x384 resolution for better compatibility with the IIe's 280x192 High-Resolution graphics (essentially doubled).
Other cards, such as CPU accelerators, ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
and video cards were also made available for the LC's PDS slot.
"Pizza boxes"
| Model | Processor | Bundled Mac OS | Maximum Mac OS | Hard disk | RAM | Expansion | Video RAM | Equivalent | Released/Discontinued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LC | 16 MHz 68020 | 6.0.6/6.0.7 | 7.5.5 | 30–80 MB | 2 MB (max 10 MB) | LC PDS | 256 KB (max 512 KB) | N/A | October, 1990/ March, 1992 |
| LC II | 16 MHz 68030 | 7.0.1 | 7.6.1 | 4 MB (max 10 MB) | Performa 400–430 | March, 1992/ March, 1993 | |||
| LC III | 25 MHz 68030 | 7.1 | 80–160 MB | 4 MB (max 36 MB) | LC III PDS | 512 KB (max 768 KB) | Performa 450 | February, 1993/ February, 1994 | |
| LC III+ | 33 MHz 68030 | Performa 460–467 | October, 1993/ February, 1994 | ||||||
| LC 475 | 25 MHz 68LC040 | 8.1 | 80–250 MB | 4 MB (max 36 MB) | 0.5-1 MB | Performa 475, Quadra 605 | October, 1993/ May, 1995 | ||
All-in-one
| Model | Processor | Bundled Mac OS | Maximum Mac OS | Hard disk | RAM | Expansion | Video RAM | Equivalent | Released/Discontinued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LC 520 | 25 MHz 68030 | 7.1 | 7.6.1 | 80–160 MB | 4 MB (max 36 MB) | LC PDS | 512–768 KB | Performa 520 | June, 1993/ February, 1994 |
| LC 550 | 33 MHz 68030 | Performa 550–560 | February, 1994/ March, 1995 | ||||||
| LC 575 | 33 MHz 68LC040 | 8.1 | 160–320 MB | 4 MB (max 68 MB) | LC PDS/Comm slot | 0.5-1 MB | Performa 575–578 | February, 1994/ April, 1995 | |
| LC 580 | 33 MHz 68LC040 | 7.1.2P | 500 MB | 4 MB (max 52 MB) | LC PDS/Comm slot/Video | 1 MB | Performa 580CD-588CD | April, 1995/ April, 1996 | |
Related Macs
| Model | Processor | Bundled Mac OS | Maximum Mac OS | Hard disk | RAM | Expansion | Video RAM | Equivalent | Released/Discontinued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Color Classic | 16 MHz 68030 | 7.1 | 7.6.1 | 40–160 MB | 4 MB (max 10 MB) | LC PDS | 256–512 KB | Performa 250 | February, 1993/ May, 1994 |
| Color Classic II | 33 MHz 68030 | 80–160 MB | 4 MB (max 36 MB) | 512 KB | Performa 275 | October, 1993/ February, 1994 | |||
| TV | 32 MHz 68030 | 160 MB | 4 MB (max 8 MB) | LC PDS* | N/A | October, 1993/ February, 1994 | |||
| LC 630** | 33 MHz 68LC040 | 7.1.2 Pro | 8.1 | 250–500 MB | 4 MB (max 36 MB) | LC PDS/Comm/Video | 1 MB | Quadra 630, Performa 630-640CD | July, 1994/ October, 1995 |
Timelines
External links
- 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