From 4WL. Other Computers #1 ****************** The Macintosh Classic 2 *********************** The Classic 2 was the last of Apple's all in one monochrome Macintosh's. Their last real all in one Mac was the Colour Classic which basically was the Classic 2 with an internal colour tube and a few updated hardware features. They both had full 68030s running at 16mhz. There is a Performa model available all in one, but it has a larger tube and lacks the mobility of the Classics light weight design. Many people consider the Macs underpowered, overpriced and simplistic. The underpowered bit is wrong when you think of current PowerMacs but it was true of the Classic 2. Overpriced is probably fair criticism even today. The Mac market is not as fiercely competitive as the PC world. Simplistic is actually a compliment of sorts. They do treat users in a friendly and respectful way. Most programs share a similar look and it takes a minimal amount of time to get familiar with even quite complicated applications. The Mac is productivity compared to the PCs hassle. Take a few scenarios. Connect a printer. PC=Buy a printer, sort out a driver, configure it, loads of possible problems with different applications. Mac=Buy printer, insert disk, install, print stuff. Ok it's an Apple printer and sundrys might be a bit higher plus of course the slightly higher price of the printer in the first place. For example two printers. Canon BJ200 standard monochrome auto sheetfeed bubblejet printer, two compatibility modes, dipswitches for setting up. Various buttons on top. Apple Stylewriter 2(a Apple customised clone of BJ200) one button on/off. The computer controls everything else. Format a floppy. PC=Insert disk. Type format command and parameters or use Windows options. If it's duff, maps out bad sectors. Mind you a disk with bad sectors could lead to problems later. Mac=Insert disk. Mac recognises it's unformatted straight away. Brings up format option. If it's a HD disk will give option of Mac or PC format at about 1.4meg or DD gives 800k or 720k PC option. While formatting if error occurs disk is automatically ejected. Unformatted disks cannot remain in the drive. The Mac shares fonts, printer driver, screen information and system resources between different applications. So much so that software from the past before many new graphics cards were released is fully compatible. Can you imagine a 1985 CGA PC program operating in SVGA mode when used on todays PCs without modification? My Classic 2 has 4meg built in and a 80meg SCSI hard drive. Hardly a state of the art system. The ram is doubled using Ram doubler and the hard drive is compressed using stacker. It's no Pentium basher and people will look down on its monochrome display. However the screen has a good refresh rate and so is flicker free. You can use it for hours and hours without any migraine. It never prints out garbage, all printouts are spot on. It makes nice little noises when you make a mistake. You can sample your voice using the supplied microphone and this can be played back as an error message or a startup voice. It ejects disks when it needs to so you won't make mistakes and knows disks by name. Applications have plenty of help provided. The finder built in means applications rarely lose track of files they need. Programs don't need special startup disks or bootup configurations. The Mac is alive now in the UK, there's quite a few support magazines. Although most Macs are sold into the business/industrial community there is a strong domestic userbase of machines like the Classic 2 and LC. Plus many people are buying PowerMacs instead of Pentiums. The PC is still the safe bet and offers better value for money but for those who want a more stable platform and greater levels of productivity the Mac is the best choice. This may strike a chord with PC users struggling to get Windows 95 to run properly or those with hardware glitches and soundcard problems. PRESS RELEASE ************* Apple Introduces Advanced Macintosh Classic II COMDEX, Las Vegas, Nevada--October 21, 1991--Building on the success of the fastest selling computer in its history, Apple Computer, Inc. today announced the new Apple Macintosh Classic II computer. The Classic II extends the capabilities of the original Macintosh Classic by incorporating more advanced features--greater performance, virtual memory support under System 7, more memory expansion, and sound input capabilities--while still maintaining affordability. The announcement took place on the opening day of COMDEX, the world's largest personal computer exposition. The week-long show draws 100,000 attendees from all over the world with diverse computing interests. In keeping with its goal to reach more people with Macintosh, Apple introduced the Classic II here to attract new customers who have not historically purchased Macintosh. Apple believes the combination of more powerful capabilities in the traditional Macintosh design will expand the popularity of the Macintosh among customers in all markets. "We've taken the best features of the original Classic and added the capabilities customers want most," said John Sculley, Apple's chairman and chief executive officer. "This advanced Mac Classic gives customers a high performance option in the all-in-one Macintosh design that will help Apple reach an ever growing number of people who want a computer that's powerful, yet highly affordable and still easy to use." The Classic II has the same all-in-one design as the original Classic, yet features a number of higher performance features. Most notably, it is based on a 16MHz Motorola 68030 microprocessor. This provides double the performance of the Classic and gives users the power to run the most sophisticated applications. Additionally, the 030 chip supports System 7's virtual memory feature so users can run more powerful applications without buying more memory. For users who need more RAM (random access memory), the Classic II is expandable up to 10MB. The Classic II also incorporates an internal, on-board connector to support a floating point math coprocessor for users who need more number crunching power. And finally, Apple has added a microphone and sound input capability to the Classic II, allowing users to easily add sound or voice comments to documents. As with every Macintosh, the Classic II has numerous built-in capabilities. These include AppleTalk networking, which allows customers to easily connect their systems to other computers, printers, and file servers; a SuperDrive high density floppy disk drive that is capable of reading, writing, and formatting Macintosh, MS-DOS, OS/2, and ProDOS disks; Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), which lets customers easily add peripherals to their systems such as printers, scanners, CD-ROM drives, and external hard disks; Apple Desktop Bus (ADB), which gives customers a standard way to connect keyboards, mice, trackballs, modems, and graphics tablets; and sound output, which lets customers play back voice messages and sounds. Apple is also making it easy and affordable for the hundreds of thousands of current Classic customers to upgrade to the Classic II. The company will offer a dealer installed logic board upgrade that includes a logic board with 2MB of RAM, microphone, system software and complete documentation. The Macintosh Classic will remain in the product line as the most affordable member of the Macintosh family. Pricing and Availability The Macintosh Classic II will be available immediately through all authorized Apple resellers worldwide. In the United States, the Classic II comes equipped with Macintosh System 7.0.1 software, HyperCard 2.1 software, mouse, keyboard, microphone, complete documentation, training software, and a one-year limited warranty. Manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRP) and availability in the United States are as follows: Product/Configuration MSRP Availability Classic II 2MB RAM/40MB Hard Disk $1,899 Immediate Classic II 4MB RAM/80MB Hard Disk $2,399 Immediate Classic II Logic Board Upgrade $699 November (Prices, configurations and availability may vary outside the United States.) -30- Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, and AppleTalk are registered trademarks; and SuperDrive and Apple Desktop Bus are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Classic is a registered trademark used under license by Apple Computer, Inc. HyperCard is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. licensed to Claris Corp. END Apple Press Releases PR Express 10/21/91 Speedometer Report for . Tests Run April 2, 1996. Report generated April 2, 1996. Machine Record Version: 9 User Comment: Record Version 9: , Mac Classic II, CPU: MC68030, System 7.1.0, RAM: 4Mb, Drive Tested: Macintosh HD System Information: Computer: Mac Classic II Native CPU: MC68030 Nominal CPU: MC68030 FPU: No FPU MMU: MC68030 MMU Addressing Mode: 24 bit Physical RAM: 4096K Logical RAM: 4061K ROM Version: $067C ROM Size: 512 AudioVisual Information Color Quickdraw: 2.30 (32 Bit QD) Display Manager: Not Present Bit Depth: 1 Maximum Depth: 1 Primary Screen Size: 512 x 342 Screen Resolution: 72 X 72 Outline Fonts Support: Present Stereo Output: Not Present Stereo Input: Not Present Sixteen Bit Sound I/O: Not Present Speech ManagerNot Present Version Information System Version: 7.1.0 Finder Version: B1-7.1 A/UX Version: Not Present QuickTime Version: Not Loaded AppleTalk Version: Not Loaded Time Manager: Version 3 (Extended) Text Edit: Version 5 Comm. Toolbox: 7.1.0 Script Manager: 7.1.0 Miscellaneous Information Alias Manager: Present Apple Events: Present Scripting Support: Not Present Scriptable Finder: Not Scriptable Help Manager: Present Easy Access: Not Present CloseView: Not Present Power Manager: Not Present CPU: 0.253 Graphics: 0.151 Disk: 1.218 Name of Hard Disk tested: Macintosh HD Math: 0.798 Performance Rating: KWhetstones: 48.722 0.165 Dhrystones: 2037.330 0.117 Towers: 0.121 QuickSort: 0.224 Bubble Sort: 0.250 Queens: 0.223 Puzzle: 0.244 Permutations: 0.209 Integer Matrix Multiply: 0.225 Sieve: 0.280 Benchmark Average: 0.206 No FPU present. No tests were run. Black & White: 0.174 4 Colors: 0.000 16 Colors: 0.000 256 Colors: 0.000 32,767 Colors: 0.000 Color Test Average: 0.174 4 MIPS Martin Wilson 4WL