--- title: Apple Macintosh Color Classic categories: - Computers types: - Professional Computer origins: - U.S.A. years: - '1993' cpus: - Motorola 68030 params: name: Macintosh Color Classic image: /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_running_s1.jpg company: /companies/apple company_name: Apple specs: - label: NAME value: Macintosh Color Classic - label: MANUFACTURER value: Apple - label: TYPE value: Professional Computer - label: ORIGIN value: U.S.A. - label: YEAR value: February 1993 - label: END OF PRODUCTION value: May 1994 - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: None - label: KEYBOARD value: Typewriter type 82 key with numeric keypad and arrow keys - label: CPU value: Motorola 68030 - label: SPEED value: 16 MHz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: Socket for an optional 68882 math coprocessor - label: RAM value: 4 MB up to 10 MB (although 12 MB could sit in the slots) - label: VRAM value: 256 KB up to 512 KB (specific SIMM secket) - label: ROM value: 1 MB - label: TEXT MODES value: No text mode. Bit mapped characters - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 512 x 384 dots. Could be expanded to 640 x 480 with significant hardware modifications. - label: COLORS value: '256' - label: SOUND value: Mono 16-bit - Built-in speaker - sound output jack - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 25.15 (W) x 36.8 (H) x 32 (D) / 11 kg - label: I/O PORTS value: 2 x ADB, 2 x serial, SCSI, sound In/Out - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: '3.5' - label: OS value: MAC OS 7.1 - label: POWER SUPPLY value: Built in switching power supply unit - label: PERIPHERALS value: PDS expansion slot - label: PRICE value: $1,390 tabs: - photos - emulators - links photos: - title: FRONT VIEW subtitle: '' text: Volume and brightness adjustments are located on the front panel. image: /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_frontview_s1.jpg - title: RUNNING SYSTEM subtitle: '' text: The Color Classic is running Maelstrom game. image: /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_running_s2.jpg - title: TOP VIEW subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_topview_s1.jpg - title: SIDE VIEW subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_sideview_s1.jpg - title: FRONT PANEL CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_frontcloseup_s1.jpg - title: REAR CONNECTORS subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** Two ADB ports - Mini-Din sockets\ **(2)** Two Serial ports - Printer and modem\ **(3)** SCSI DB25 connector\ **(4)** Sound input jack\ **(5)** Sound output jack\ **(6)** The rear panel can be easily opened to slide out the motherboard\ **(7)** CRT horizontal and vertical centering image: /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_rearside_s1.jpg - title: INSIDE subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** Analog board holding the power supply unit and the video circuitry\ **(2)** Intermediate bay which supports the floppy drive, the hard disk drive and the speaker\ **(3)** Motherboard image: /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_inside_s1.jpg - title: MOTHERBOARD subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** Sound chip\ **(2)** SCSI chip\ **(3)** PDS expansion slot\ **(4)** Socket for the optional 68882 math coprocessor\ **(5)** Motorola 68030 CPU\ **(6)** Custom Apple chipset in charge of memory management and various I/O\ **(7)** 1 MB ROM chips\ **(8)** Video chip and its associated 256 KB RAM\ **(9)** 4 MB on-board RAM chips\ **(10)** SIMM socket for the video RAM expansion\ **(11)** SIMM sockets for the main RAM expansion image: /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_mainboard_s1.jpg emulators: - title: Executor url: http://www.ardi.com/ platform: Windows text: Demonstration version of a commercial software (MS DOS & Win95) - title: Gemulator url: http://www.emulators.com/ platform: Windows text: A commercial Software which emulates the Atari ST/TT and the Mac 128/Plus/2 (Win95 / Win NT) - title: LisaEm url: http://lisa.sunder.net/ platform: Windows text: Same as Apple lisa emulator for unix but ported to windows - title: PearPC url: http://pearpc.sourceforge.net/ platform: Windows text: PearPC is an architecture-independent PowerPC platform emulator capable of running most PowerPC operating systems. - title: SoftMac url: http://www.emulators.com/ platform: Windows text: good 68K Emulator For Windows - title: Executor url: http://www.ardi.com/ platform: Unix / Linux text: Demo version of a commercial software (Linux / NextStep) - title: vMac - The Virtual Macintosh Emulator Project url: http://www.leb.net/vmac/ platform: Other platform text: '' - title: Basilisk II url: http://basilisk.cebix.net/ platform: Multiplatform text: Basilisk II is an Open Source 68k Macintosh emulator. Good emulator, runs on several platforms, even Amiga - title: Mini vMac url: http://minivmac.sourceforge.net/ platform: Multiplatform text: Mini vMac, a spin off of the program vMac, emulates a Macintosh Plus and Macintosh SE. So far it works on Macintosh OS, Microsoft Windows, and the X Window System. links: - title: Apple History url: http://www.apple-history.com/ text: History of Apple computers with detail information about all of the computers to come out of Apple. - title: Applefritter url: http://www.applefritter.com text: Excellent site about all Apple models,clones,prototypes,etc... A must see ! - title: CMQ - Groupes d'usagers Apple url: http://www.cmq.qc.ca/cmq.html text: (french) - title: Homepage of Gamba url: http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/index.html text: A lot of interesting Mac links, for example "How To Transfer Files From PC to MAC " - title: Jag's House url: http://www.jagshouse.com/ text: Lot of info on all non PowerMac models - title: Low End Mac url: http://www.lowendmac.com text: Great site with a full catalog of ALL old macintoshes. - title: Mac Forums at MacForumz.com url: http://www.MacForumz.com text: Mac forums, a resource on the latest and greatest, as well as vintage, Macintosh hardware, software, and internet. Free registration. - title: MacDebate url: http://www.macdebate.com text: Macintosh discussion forum - title: The Vintage Mac Museum url: http://www.d4.dion.ne.jp/~motohiko/ text: Nice dedicated website with tons of screenshots ! - title: Titlemax - Apple products url: https://www.titlemax.com/discovery-center/lifestyle/every-product-apple-has-made-so-far/ text: Nice graphic of every product Apple Has Made So Far (thanks Lily) - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com text: Discussion of Macintosh software system comments: - author: Andy (Kentucky USA) date: Monday 2nd February 2015 text: I worked in Educational Sales at Lexington Computer Store. The entire sales staff got Color Classics as our main workstations (this would have been around 1994). We use FileMaker Pro databases to help us run quotes for clients. We would often $ to B$W mode because it was so much faster than color mode. - author: Chris (Michigan) date: Wednesday 20th June 2007 text: |- I've said that my School ones are in good shape, but now they're gone. My elemtary school is being torn down and replaced with a new one after 87 years in town. So sad, Of the computer's.....I will never know their fate. - author: William Burnett (USA) date: Thursday 31st August 2006 text: This was my favorite computer I ever owned. I traded it for a PowerPC and I regreted it. This was not a fast computer but it had heart. The footprint was wonderful and for a 10" screen it had lots of work area because the display was so crisp. After more than 10 years away from Macs I am back to using a new iMac Intel. It is a great machine but sometimes I miss my little color classic. - author: John Beeler (USA) date: Wednesday 14th June 2006 text: Many people and groups around the world like to super-upgrade Color Classics. It seems quite easy to do. I found a site where a guy had OS 9 and a DVD-Rom drive working with his CC. - author: Patrick Laign (Surrey, BC) date: Tuesday 1st November 2005 text: I remember using these back in grade 1. These netwerked to dot matrix printer made for one noisy computer class. Typing is clarisworks and playing primitive games. Good times :P - author: Christian Benvenuto ( ) date: Thursday 30th June 2005 text: |- Well, i have to say i used this computer in school before and it's a fairly good computer. I noticed the ones my school had, normally had bad overheating problems when it occured but otherwise they worked fine and barely got viruses. I believe my school still has them and that's confirmed due to a recent visit....A whole lab full of them still in good shape.... related: - /museum/apple-lisa-lisa-2-mac-xl - /museum/apple-macintosh - /museum/apple-macintosh-ii - /museum/apple-macintosh-plus - /museum/apple-macintosh-portable - /museum/apple-macintosh-se - /museum/apple-macintosh-se-30 oc_id: 1043 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230605034158/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1043 date: '2023-06-05' --- The Macintosh Color Classic (aka Performa 250) had same footprint as the original Macintosh. It was the first mac using a 10" (9" viewable) colour monitor (Sony CRT) and the last of the original all-in-one Macintosh line to be sold in the US market. Its main board had the same design as the Mac LC II, featuring a 16 MHz 68030 CPU. Sadly, its address bus was limited to 16 bit and allowed only 10 MB of maximum RAM. The Color Classic could emulate the Apple II thank to an expansion card inserted into its PDS slot. An improved version, called **Color Classic II** (aka Performa 275) was launched in late 1993 in Canada then in Japan. It had the same motherboard as the LC/Performa 550 with a 33 MHz CPU, a 32-bit bus and up to 36 MB of available RAM. Some people call the LC/Performa 550 the "Fat Color Classic II" because of the wider monitor. --- **Jeremy Dilatush** adds:\ This machine's color graphics were \*slow\* so I usually ran mine in black and white mode. Yes, it made a major difference. **Gwion Mainwaring** reports:\ There are PPC Upgrades available and this will make your Color Classic a lot faster so you could run Mac OS 8 or 9. OS9 would be a bit slow. But i think you can only run OS 9 on a Color Classic II.
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