website/content/museum/apple-macintosh-color-classic.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Apple Macintosh Color Classic	Computers	Professional Computer	U.S.A.	1993	Motorola 68030	name image company company_name specs tabs photos emulators links comments related oc_id source Macintosh Color Classic /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_running_s1.jpg /companies/apple Apple label value NAME Macintosh Color Classic label value MANUFACTURER Apple label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR February 1993 label value END OF PRODUCTION May 1994 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE None label value KEYBOARD Typewriter type 82 key with numeric keypad and arrow keys label value CPU Motorola 68030 label value SPEED 16 MHz label value CO-PROCESSOR Socket for an optional 68882 math coprocessor label value RAM 4 MB up to 10 MB (although 12 MB could sit in the slots) label value VRAM 256 KB up to 512 KB (specific SIMM secket) label value ROM 1 MB label value TEXT MODES No text mode. Bit mapped characters label value GRAPHIC MODES 512 x 384 dots. Could be expanded to 640 x 480 with significant hardware modifications. label value COLORS 256 label value SOUND Mono 16-bit - Built-in speaker - sound output jack label value SIZE / WEIGHT 25.15 (W) x 36.8 (H) x 32 (D) / 11 kg label value I/O PORTS 2 x ADB, 2 x serial, SCSI, sound In/Out label value BUILT IN MEDIA 3.5 label value OS MAC OS 7.1 label value POWER SUPPLY Built in switching power supply unit label value PERIPHERALS PDS expansion slot label value PRICE $1,390 photos emulators links title subtitle text image FRONT VIEW Volume and brightness adjustments are located on the front panel. /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_frontview_s1.jpg title subtitle text image RUNNING SYSTEM The Color Classic is running Maelstrom game. /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_running_s2.jpg title subtitle text image TOP VIEW /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_topview_s1.jpg title subtitle text image SIDE VIEW /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_sideview_s1.jpg title subtitle text image FRONT PANEL CLOSE-UP /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_frontcloseup_s1.jpg title subtitle text image REAR CONNECTORS **(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 /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_rearside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE **(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 /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_inside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image MOTHERBOARD **(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 /media/museum/photos/apple_classcolor_mainboard_s1.jpg title url platform text Executor http://www.ardi.com/ Windows Demonstration version of a commercial software (MS DOS & Win95) title url platform text Gemulator http://www.emulators.com/ Windows A commercial Software which emulates the Atari ST/TT and the Mac 128/Plus/2 (Win95 / Win NT) title url platform text LisaEm http://lisa.sunder.net/ Windows Same as Apple lisa emulator for unix but ported to windows title url platform text PearPC http://pearpc.sourceforge.net/ Windows PearPC is an architecture-independent PowerPC platform emulator capable of running most PowerPC operating systems. title url platform text SoftMac http://www.emulators.com/ Windows good 68K Emulator For Windows title url platform text Executor http://www.ardi.com/ Unix / Linux Demo version of a commercial software (Linux / NextStep) title url platform text vMac - The Virtual Macintosh Emulator Project http://www.leb.net/vmac/ Other platform title url platform text Basilisk II http://basilisk.cebix.net/ Multiplatform Basilisk II is an Open Source 68k Macintosh emulator. Good emulator, runs on several platforms, even Amiga title url platform text Mini vMac http://minivmac.sourceforge.net/ Multiplatform 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. title url text Apple History http://www.apple-history.com/ History of Apple computers with detail information about all of the computers to come out of Apple. title url text Applefritter http://www.applefritter.com Excellent site about all Apple models,clones,prototypes,etc... A must see ! title url text CMQ - Groupes d'usagers Apple http://www.cmq.qc.ca/cmq.html (french) title url text Homepage of Gamba http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/index.html A lot of interesting Mac links, for example "How To Transfer Files From PC to MAC " title url text Jag's House http://www.jagshouse.com/ Lot of info on all non PowerMac models title url text Low End Mac http://www.lowendmac.com Great site with a full catalog of ALL old macintoshes. title url text Mac Forums at MacForumz.com http://www.MacForumz.com Mac forums, a resource on the latest and greatest, as well as vintage, Macintosh hardware, software, and internet. Free registration. title url text MacDebate http://www.macdebate.com Macintosh discussion forum title url text The Vintage Mac Museum http://www.d4.dion.ne.jp/~motohiko/ Nice dedicated website with tons of screenshots ! title url text Titlemax - Apple products https://www.titlemax.com/discovery-center/lifestyle/every-product-apple-has-made-so-far/ Nice graphic of every product Apple Has Made So Far (thanks Lily) title url text Web Wiz CAPTCHA http://www.webwizcaptcha.com Discussion of Macintosh software system author date text Andy (Kentucky USA) Monday 2nd February 2015 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 date text Chris (Michigan) Wednesday 20th June 2007 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 date text William Burnett (USA) Thursday 31st August 2006 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 date text John Beeler (USA) Wednesday 14th June 2006 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 date text Patrick Laign (Surrey, BC) Tuesday 1st November 2005 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 date text Christian Benvenuto ( ) Thursday 30th June 2005 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.... /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 1043 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230605034158/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1043 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.

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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.

We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.