Second Class Macs & Road Apples
Macintosh LC
Dan Knight - 1998.01.10
Second Class Macs are Apple's somewhat compromised hardware designs. For the most part, they're not really bad - simply designs that didn't meet their full potential. (On our rating scale, the more brown apples, the worse the hardware.)
The
Macintosh LC is the oldest
Compromised Mac. Designed specifically to be the
cheapest color Macintosh to date, the LC cut some corners. It ran a
32-bit 68020 CPU on a 16-bit data bus, making memory access slower than
it should have been - all to save the cost of a couple SIMM sockets and
keep the motherboard a bit smaller.
Although Apple had moved from the 68020 CPU to the 68030 in September 1988, it reintroduced it with the LC in November. (At the time, the 68020 was considerably less expensive than the 68030.) The LC tests at about 75% the performance of the Mac II, even though both use the same 16 MHz 68020 CPU, because of its 16-bit data bus. And where the 68030 can fully support virtual memory, the 68020 doesn't have that capability built into the CPU.
To add insult to injury, Apple programmed the ASICs to support no more than 10 MB of RAM. With 2 MB on onboard memory and a pair of SIMM slots that could support 4 MB modules, this wasn't seen as much of a limitation at the time. After all, System 6 couldn't use more than 10 MB, and it was limited to 8 MB on most Macs. With the introduction of the low cost troika (Classic, LC, and IIsi - each one a Second Class Mac), Apple wanted to position the LC specifically for the home and education market. The company believed that allowing too much RAM might cut into sales of the more costly IIsi and IIci.
Of course, had Apple not somehow limited the LC, the IIsi would have had very little market.
Apple introduced a new color video standard with the LC - 512 x 384 pixels - and an inexpensive 12" color monitor to support it. (In those days the 13" 640 x 480 display sold for about $800!) With a VRAM upgrade, the LC supports 16-bit video on the 12" monitor and 8-bit video on a standard 640 x 480 screen. Because of the unusual video mode of the 12" color screen, some programs refused to run with it.
Apple's one innovation on the LC was the availability of an Apple II emulator for the processor direct slot (PDS). This was the primary reason for the 512 x 384 video mode and cheap 12" color monitor.
The LC wasn't a horrible Mac, just a compromised one. It was
replaced with the 68030-based LC II in
March 1992. 
Details
- introduced October 1990 at $2,400; discontinued March 1992
- requires System 6.0.7 to 7.5.5
- CPU: 16 MHz 68020
- FPU: 68881 (optional, uses PDS slot)
- performance: 1.8 (relative to SE, compare to 2.4 for Mac II, 2.9 for 20 MHz 68030-based IIsi)
- RAM: 2 MB on motherboard, expandable to 10 MB using a pair of 100ns 30-pin SIMMs; can use 1 MB, 2 MB, and 4 MB SIMMs
- video: 256 KB VRAM, expandable to 512 KB; supports 512 x 382 and 640 x 480 resolutions (must have 512 KB VRAM for 8-bits at 640 x 480)
- L2 cache: none
- ADB: 2 ports for keyboard and mouse
- serial: 2 DIN-8 RS-422 ports on back of computer
- SCSI: DB-25 connector on back of computer
- LC PDS slot
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content
- Fix Home Button Delay, Tablet the Ultimate Mobile PC, iPad Notebook a Possibility, and More, iOS News Review, 2012.02.10. Also using your iPad at work, two photo editors, a new iPad text editor, Macally's magnetic iPad 2 stand, and more.
- White MacBook Goes End-of-Life, Logitech Touch Mouse Supports Gestures, Firmware Updates, and More, The 'Book Review, 2012.02.10. Also MacBook Air better than any Ultrabook, docks for MacBook Pro models, Intel offers improved SSDs, and more.
- Mac and iOS Browsers: Options Galore, Freeware Forum, 2012.02.10. Safari is adequate on Mac and great on iOS, but the range of good alternatives is stunning. LEM writers share their favorites.
- Apple's Support Lead Shipping, Smartphones Outsell PCs, OS X Ported to ARM by Intern, and More, Mac News Review, 2012.02.10. Also the power of Tex-Edit Plus, Google and Twitter are already censoring the Web, Snow Leopard Security Update, and more.
- LogMeIn: Remote Screen Sharing for the Rest of Us, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 2012.02.09. Configuring the Mac's built-in screen sharing to work over the Internet can be difficult or impossible. LogMeIn makes it easy.
- 15 Years Ago Motorola Unveiled the PowerPC G3, Low End Mac Round Table, 2012.02.06. The G3 processor was optimized for real world Mac software and made a big leap forward in efficiency.
- Don't Kill Caps Lock, Learning to Love the iOS Keyboard, and an Adaptive iPad Keyboard, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2012.02.06. The Caps Lock key has a useful function, the iPad's keyboard really is useful, and checking out an adaptive keyboard for the iPad.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals
- Best iPod classic Deals
- Best eMac Deals
- Best MacBook Air Deals
- Best iBook G4 Deals
- Best iPad Deals
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals
- Best Apple TV Deals
- More deals in our archive.
About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact
Follow
Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac
on Facebook
Low End Mac Reader Specials
TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct
from Strider Software.
Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac Museum
DealMac
Deal Brothers
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ
Affiliates
Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay
