Macintosh II

For the product family, see Macintosh II family.
Not to be confused with Macintosh Classic II.
Macintosh II
DeveloperApple Computer
Product familyMacintosh II
Release dateMarch 2, 1987; 37 years ago (1987-03-02)
LifespanMarch 2, 1987 – January 15, 1990 (2 years, 10 months, and 13 days)[1]
Introductory priceUS$5,498 (equivalent to $14,750 in 2023)
DiscontinuedJanuary 15, 1990; 34 years ago (1990-01-15)
Operating system4.1–7.1.1 (Pro), 7.5–7.5.5 or with 68030 32-bit upgrade Mac OS 7.6.1, A/UX 1.0 - 3.1
CPUMotorola 68020 @ 16 MHz
Memory1 MB, expandable to 8 MB (128 MB via FDHD upgrade kit) (120 ns 30-pin SIMM)
PredecessorMacintosh 512Ke
Macintosh Plus
SuccessorMacintosh IIx
Macintosh IIcx
RelatedMacintosh SE
Macintosh SE/30

The Macintosh II is a personal computer designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Computer from March 1987 to January 1990. Based on the Motorola 68020 32-bit CPU, it is the first Macintosh supporting color graphics. When introduced, a basic system with monitor and 20 MB hard drive cost US$5,498 (equivalent to $14,750 in 2023). With a 13-inch color monitor and 8-bit display card, the price was about US$7,145 (equivalent to $19,160 in 2023).[2] This placed it in competition with workstations from Silicon Graphics, Sun Microsystems, and Hewlett-Packard.

The Macintosh II was the first computer in the Macintosh line without a built-in display; a monitor rested on top of the case like the IBM Personal Computer and Amiga 1000. It was designed by hardware engineers Michael Dhuey (computer)[3] and Brian Berkeley (monitor)[4] and industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger (case).[5][6]

Eighteen months after its introduction, the Macintosh II was updated with a more powerful CPU and sold as the Macintosh IIx.[7] In early 1989, the more compact Macintosh IIcx was introduced at a price similar to the original Macintosh II,[8] and by the beginning of 1990 sales stopped altogether.[9] Motherboard upgrades to turn a Macintosh II into a IIx or Macintosh IIfx were offered by Apple.[10]

  1. ^ Calculate Duration Between Two Years | March 2, 1987 to January 15, 1990. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  2. ^ Edwards, Benj (June 7, 2012). "The Macintosh II celebrates its 25th anniversary". Macworld. Archived from the original on January 2, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  3. ^ "iPod Inventor | Wisconsin Alumni Association". www.uwalumni.com. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  4. ^ Werner, Ken (March 2021). "Brian Berkeley Reflects on His Career at Apple, Samsung, and SID". Information Display. 37 (2): 52–57. doi:10.1002/msid.1202. ISSN 0362-0972.
  5. ^ Pavic, Vjeran (June 26, 2019). "A photo history of Frog, the company that designed the original Mac". The Verge. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  6. ^ Levy, Steven (May 1987). "The Making of the Macintosh II". Macworld. San Francisco: PCW Communications. pp. 55–63. ISSN 0741-8647. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  7. ^ "Apple Announces 68030 Macintosh IIx With High Density Compatible Drive". www.tech-insider.org. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  8. ^ Magid, Lawrence J. (March 9, 1989). "Mac IIcx--the Core of the Future". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  9. ^ Pogue, David; Schorr, Joseph (1999). Macworld Mac SECRETS. Internet Archive. Foster City, CA : IDG Books Worldwide. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-7645-4040-0.
  10. ^ Pina, Larry (1991). Macintosh II Repair and Upgrade Secrets (PDF). New York: Brady Publishing. p. 171. ISBN 0-1 3-929530-5.