This 28-minute video about a family buying a Performa is amazing in every single way. Cancel your plans this evening and enjoy.
For bonus points, check out the Australian version.
Category: Apple History
Performa Month: The Transition to PowerPC and a New All-in-One
Starting in November 1994, Apple transitioned the Performa line to use the PowerPC processor. This took some time and started some eight months after the first Power Macintosh models were announced, but as covered at great length in this series, Performas were all rebadged Macs from other lines, so it was inevitable that they’d get the PowerPC treatment at some point.
With that said, let’s walk through this processor transition through the lens of a bunch of beige Macs. If you want to learn more about why Apple moved to PowerPC, I recommend this excellent article on the subject.
Performa Month: A Change in Direction
In August of 1994, Apple was on the cusp of shipping the first PowerPC Performas. That’s a topic for a future blog post, but just because the 68K machines were getting old doesn’t mean Apple was giving up on them.
Robin Meyerowitz wrote this for MacWEEK at the time:
Breaking from a 2-year-old strategy that limited Performas to major retailers, Apple USA last week said it is expanding distribution of its consumer Mac line to authorized Apple resellers, smaller retail outlets and computer superstores.
Performa Month: The Expansion of the 600 Series
As a quick recap, the 600 launched at the top of the Performa range in 1992, as a remix of the Macintosh IIvx. The 200 and 400 both saw updates in 1993, but even after the 500 series was introduced, the 600 remained untouched. That changed in July 1994, when Apple took what had been just two SKUs — the 600 and 600CD — and exploded them into a range of machines:
- Performa 630 & 630CD
- Performa 631CD
- Performa 635CD
- Performa 636 & 636CD
- Performa 637CD
- Performa 638CD
- Performa 640CD
Each of these machines was based on the Quadra 630, which was the last of its line. It used a new case design that was also used on the Power Macintosh 6200, among other machines. It featured the CD-ROM on the left, next to the floppy disk, which was now at the center of the case. To its right was a stack comprised of an infrared port, volume buttons, and a headphone jack. Its code name was “Show & Tell.”
Twenty Thousand Hertz: The Sounds of Apple
Performa Month: February 1994 Updates
In February 1994, Apple released three new Performa models. Dubbed the Macintosh Performa 575, 577, and 578, these machines were essentially a Quadra 605 in the all-in-one Performa/LC 520 case, bringing the 68LC040 CPU to the all-in-one Performa for the first time.
Here is how the three models compared in some key metrics:
| Model | Memory | HDD Size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 575 | 5 MB | 250 MB | $2,099 |
| 577 | 5 MB | 250 MB | $2,199 |
| 578 | 8 MB | 320 MB | $2,299 |
Each of these models ran at 33 MHz. This was a full 32-bit design, so both the CPU and data path were 32-bit, unlike some previous machines which were slowed down by narrower buses.
Performa Month: The 560 ‘Money Magazine Edition’
Today we are talking about a very weird Performa, announced in early 1994. Dubbed the “Money Magazine Edition,” this 560 is unusual, even by Performa standards.
A Very 90s Partnership
Looking at the specs, there’s not much to write home about here. This machine is just another 500-series Performa, powered by a 33 MHz Motorola 68030, but there’s more to this one, as reported by MacWEEK:
Apple and Money Magazine have made a bundle that pairs Mac hardware with a selection of multimedia finance-management software.
Performa Month: Fall 1993 Brought an Avalanche of Machines
In the fall of 1993, Apple released a virtual beige avalanche of updated Performa models. Let’s jump in!
Performa 275
Like the 250 before it, the 275 took the shape of a compact Mac. This time around, Apple based the Performa model on the Color Classic II, as LowEndMac writes:
First available in Canada (1993), and then Asia and Europe (and never sold in the home US market), the Color Classic II (also known as the Performa 275) shares the motherboard design of the LC III. Running at a relatively fast 33 MHz, memory can be expanded as far as 36 MB.
The SuperDrive
It seems that Apple’s USB SuperDrive has been discontinued, 16 years on the market, as Filipe Espósito reports:
As noted by one of our readers, it’s no longer possible to buy an Apple USB SuperDrive online via the official Apple Store in the US. The product’s webpage says that it’s “Sold Out,” and given that it’s a product introduced in 2008, it seems very unlikely that Apple will ever produce new units again.
Night of the Panther⇢
Michael Steeber, writing about a night I vividly remember:
Back in the days when software could be weighed and measured, the release of a new operating system was as big of a deal as any other hardware release. But let’s not forget: updates weren’t free. Mac OS X Panther, released on October 24, 2003 at 8:00 p.m., cost $129.
It was within this context that Apple created “ Night of the Panther,” a one-night special event hosted at all 65 U.S. Apple Retail Stores. (The first international Apple Store was still a month away.)
Performa Month: The 520 — A New All-in-One Design
Today, we explore the world of the Performa 520, which was a rebadged version of the LC 520. The two machines were put on sale at the same time, in June 1993. The Performa version was not sold in the United States and came with more bloatware than the LC. (The LC 520 was initially sold only to schools.)
For the sake of this article, I will refer to this pair of machines as the “520,” and unless specifically called out, everything in this column will apply to both machines.
Performa Month: The First Updates
Last time, we took a look at the very first Performa models that rolled off the line. Those machines shipped in the fall of 1992. By 1993, Apple was ready to revise the lineup:
Performa 250
The Performa 200 had been a rebadged Macintosh Classic II, so for the 250, Apple rebadged the Macintosh Color Classic.
The Color Classic would prove to be the last major update to the compact Mac line, and to mark the beginning of the end, Apple got weird.