When I started this project, my goal was to untangle the messiest of all Mac product lines. In my initial blog post I wrote:
At its heart, the Performa line is the fruit of badge engineering. This is often found in the car market, perhaps most famously in the Chrysler K-car platform that debuted in 1981. Over 14 years, Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth shipped a dizzying array of front-wheel drive cars, all based on the same platform. Features, options, and prices ranged between them, but under the covers, these were all the same car, more or less.
Apple did something similar with the Performa, taking Macs from other lines, tweaking their features, and selling them under the Performa lineup.
In the car world, companies do this sort of work to reach different market segments without needing to create a new product for each type of consumer. In the case of the Performa, Apple wanted to sell computers to reach new users.
Before I decided to embark on this noble work, I outlined what I thought the series should entail and was quickly overwhelmed by just how many computers I would need to write about. While not every single SKU got its time in the sun this month, I think the series met my goal of trying to explain just what the heck happened from 1992 when the first Performas rolled out to 1997, when the final machines were taken off the market.
One fundamental way that the 90s Mac line differs from today’s is in naming. Today, we all know that an iMac is an all-in-one desktop, while a MacBook Air is a thin-and-light notebook. Sure, they evolve over time, but each Mac’s product name has to do with its form factor. That was not the case with the Performa and its sibling lines. The LC, Centris, Quadra, and Power Mac lines all came in a range of enclosures over the years, and those designs were often reused as Performas.
After all, the Performa was basically a collection of remixed machines from those other lines. Apple would take a Mac off the shelf, sometimes tweak its specs, toss a pile of software in the box, and ship it off to a retailer to hopefully sell it to a parent, teacher, or other user.
In that light, it’s easy to see why Apple nerds remember the Performa line with such disdain.
I did not expect the absolute mountain of feedback that I’ve gotten this month. People have come out of the woodwork to tell me about their experiences with a Performa. From using one in a classroom, to having their parents purchase one as their first family computer, most people who actually used a Performa seem to have fond memories of their beige machines. From 30,000 feet, this line of computers may have been a mess, but down on the ground, a lot of folks’ first Mac had a Performa badge on the front.
I think Apple nerds — then and now — view the Performa as confusing and overly-complicated. Untangling the product line over the last month has felt at times like trying to unknot shoelaces that probably should just be cut and thrown away. But that said, Apple did do some things right here. Not all of that bundled software was great, but those titles made the entire package more attractive to parents and teachers. I’m sure a bunch of the software was mediocre at best, but at least a bunch of it was educational and mediocre.
That leaves me conflicted about the Performa.
On one hand, it was somewhat successful in terms of getting Macs into the homes of first-time Mac buyers. On the other hand, I think the Performa cost Apple a lot in terms of reputation and brand clarity, even at the time. There’s a reason that You Know Who killed them all off.
The next year, Apple unveiled the iMac, a single computer to go after the home and education markets. The iMac was a palate-cleanser, washing away the mountain of beige Macs Apple had been selling.
A Conversation with Jason Snell
Jason and I recently sat down to talk about all of this, and his experiences covering Apple during this timeframe. As a result, we’ve released a new episode of 20 Macs over on Relay. Jason was starting his career covering Apple in this era, and I enjoyed our conversation immensely.
Thank You
When I started out on this project, I had no idea how people would take it, but it has been a lot of fun to dive into this weird chapter of Apple history.
Thanks for joining me on this journey.
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That “VEE” label stood for “Video Editing Edition.” This SKU shipped with 32 MB of memory, video in/out cards, and some bundled software for capturing and slinging video around via those cards. Both 200 MHz models came with a standard 256 kB level 2 cache. It was a $100 add-on for the slower machines.
All four models came with a built-in subwoofer in the bottom of that weird case. Bass levels were controlled with an adjustment knob on the back of the case. A BASS KNOB ON A MACINTOSH!
Unlike the 5200 and 6200 machines, the 6400’s logic board supported a 64-bit data path to main memory, providing more bandwidth for RAM-intense applications. An 8X CD-ROM drive was present in all systems, and for those who spent the money for a Power Macintosh version, a ZIP drive could be added right smack in the middle of the forehead.
Years before I turned one of these things into actual art, Apple had a press release announcing the machine:
The Performa 6400 is designed to deliver what consumers want, including a long, useful computing life, multimedia and Internet capabilities, and high-quality, bundled software.
In the face of rapidly advancing technology, customers want a computer that’s powerful enough to run the most demanding applications–both today and in the future. The Performa 6400 series is designed with more than enough built-in power for today’s applications–and with industry-standard expansion options that make it easy for the user to add peripherals and additional functionality as needed, the Performa 6400 models will continue to deliver well into the future.
The release goes on:
Adding functionality or performance to the Performa 6400, in the future, is easy by design. The Performa 6400 series includes two industry-standard PCI slots (7-inch) that make it easy to add special capabilities, such as: Avid Cinema, a digital video editing system from Apple (see separate release); the Apple PC Compatibility Card, for customers who need to run DOS or Windows applications; or a video card, for adding a second monitor (see list of available PCI cards and vendors).
By including a SCSI expansion bay, the Performa 6400 models make adding storage devices easy. Fully cabled and powered, this bay lets the customer add an affordable, internal SCSI storage device just by sliding it into the bay. As with all Macintosh computers, the Performa 6400 units include an external SCSI port for the addition of up to six peripheral devices, such as scanners or additional storage devices, making it easy for customers to add to their computers as their needs change–and to do so without ever opening the computer’s case.
Inside the tower, the 6400 offered a wide range of hardware, including an optional TV tuner card, optional video import card, two PCI slots, and one COMM II slot, pre-populated with a modem.
Here’s an overly moody press image of the 6400:
The 6400 would be the only Performa to use this case, but on the Power Macintosh side of things, a 6500 materialized in February 1997.
It’s easy to poke fun of this machine, but the reality is that it was a shift in direction toward the high-end for Performa, even if it never shipped with the faster PowerPC 603ev or later 604.
Of course, that wouldn’t matter in the long run, but it’s interesting to think about what Apple may have done had the Performa line lasted longer than it did.
Performa 6360
The 6360 came in the same desktop case as many previous machines did. Released in October 1996, it was powered by a 160 MHz PowerPC 603e processor and came standard with 16 MB of RAM, a 1.2 GB hard drive, and an 8X CD-ROM. All of this could be had for $1,500.
As this was a 1996 Mac, it came with a PCI slot, replacing the older LC/PDS style slot that previous desktop Performas had used. It was also sold as the Power Macintosh 6300/160.
At Sears Brand Central, from April 1 to May 15 (or while supplies last), when families purchase an Apple Macintosh Performa 6360 computer, 15-inch MultiScan Display, and Color StyleWriter 1500 printer, schools can earn points towards computer hardware and Internet products from Apple.
This program from Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Apple Computer, Inc. is designed to help both parents and educators provide students greater access to computer and Internet technology at home and at school.
While both parents and educators would like to enhance children’s learning through greater access to computer and Internet technology, obviously, household and school budgets are limited,” said Chuck Cebuhar, Sears vice president of Home Electronics. “This program helps make much-wanted computer and Internet related equipment affordable for both families and schools, and allows us to give something back to the community.”
When friends and families of students in any of the 50 states purchase the Macintosh Performa 6360 computer, 15-inch MultiScan Display, and Color StyleWriter 1500 printer bundle (at Sears stores in the continental U.S. for $1,499), they will also receive a “School Rewards” coupon worth 2,000 points which can be assigned to any public or private non-profit school of their choice. (Limit two bundles per customer. Price may vary in Alaska and Hawaii.) The points are redeemable by the school, to Apple, for specially selected computer and Internet products ranging from one year of Internet access to Apple Internet servers.
Performa 5280
The last new Performa put on sale was the Performa 5280, launched in November 1996. It used the all-in-one case introduced with the 5200, housing a 120 MHz PowerPC 603e, 8 or 16 MB of memory, a 1.2 GB hard drive, and an 8X CD-ROM. It sold for $2,000.
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The 5260/100 came out in the fall of 1996, following the 5260CD and 5270CD, which both shipped in April of that year. All three of these systems shipped with a 14-inch CRT, running at 640 x 480 resolution, despite earlier Performas in the same enclosure using a 15-inch CRT capable of running at 832 x 624.
Performa 5400 Series
The Mac Performa 5400 Series was also released in April 1996. It shipped with the previous 15-inch display and PowerPC 603e CPUs ranging from 120-180 MHz.
The Power Macintosh version seems to have omitted that logo:
(I want one of these very badly.)
Inside that sick black enclosure was a 180 MHz PowerPC 603e-powered system with 16 MB of RAM, a 1.6 GB hard drive, an 8X CD-ROM drive, and a TV tuner card. The Performa was only sold in Australia; the closest thing we got was the ill-fated Macintosh TV. It seems that black Power Macintosh popped up in Europe and Asia, however.
The rest of the 5400 series is boring. Next time, we’ll break down the final three Performa models!
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By the fall of 1995, the final pre-PowerPC Performas were still available for purchase by those looking to potentially procure a personal computer. Despite 68K-based Performas being on the market until 1996, Apple was already moving on, and now so must we.
Macintosh Performa 5300CD & 5320CD
These machines were an update to the 5200 all-in-one that debuted in the summer of 1995. The 5200 Series would remain on sale even after the 5300 models were announced, in true 90s Apple fashion.
Let’s take a look at the specs for these updated machines:
Those 603e CPUs were held back by the motherboard they were installed in, not unlike many, many previous Performas.
Despite this similarity, according to Apple’s own service manual, there are internal changes that are not backward-compatible between the 53xx and 52xx machines. That manual also explains the relationship between the 5300CD and 5320CD:
The Performa 5320CD supersedes the 5300CD. It has a PowerPC 603e processor running at 120 MHz and 16 MB of RAM on the logic board. All other hardware features are the same as the Performa 5300CD. This is an international product not sold in the U.S.
Macintosh Performa 6300CD, 6310CD, & 6320CD
On the desktop front, Apple released three 6300 models:
The first two ran at 100 MHz, with the 6320CD clocked at 120 MHz, all thanks to a PowerPC 603e.
James Staten covered the machines at MacWEEK:
Apple’s latest Performa, unveiled Oct. 14, improves the company’s price/performance equation in the consumer channel, analysts said. The unit also should turn some heads with its performance numbers, which, according to MacWEEK preliminary tests, rival the newest like-priced Power Macs.
[…]
According to MacBench 2.0 tests performed on a pre-release 6300 logic board, the new model is the fastest Performa yet and the first to offer raw speeds comparable to the newest Power Macs.
The prototype 6300 performed comparably to the $2,699 Power Macintosh 7500/100 running native applications and in floating-point tests.
Although other 603e-based machines lag in 680×0 emulation, the 6300 was helped by its inclusion of a 256-Kbyte Level 2 cache. The cache advantage shows up more clearly when comparing the 6300 to the PowerBook 5300c/100, which shares the same 603e processor. Use of Connectix Corp.’s Speed Doubler also greatly improved the 6300’s emulation performance, delivering about a 250 percent improvement in processor performance and 50 percent improvement in floating-point.
A beefy configuration accompanies the faster CPU in the 6300/100. It features 16 Mbytes of RAM, expandable to 64 Mbytes; a 1.2-Gbyte hard drive; a quadruple-speed CD-ROM drive; a 15-inch multiple resolution display; a Global Village Communication Inc. internal 28.8-Kbps fax modem; a keyboard; and a mouse.
Like the Performa 6200, the 6300 has a single ADB port, SCSI port, serial port, communications slot for the modem or an Ethernet card, video slot for the Apple Video System, internal TV tuner slot, and an LC processor direct slot. The new Performa also provides built-in 16-bit stereo audio and 1 Mbyte of video RAM.
As these machines were released, Apple cut prices on a bunch of older Performas that were still for sale at the time:
Model:
Old Price:
New Price:
Discount:
Performa 631CD1
$1,499
$1,399
7%
Performa 640CD/DOS
$2,299
$1,999
13%
Performa 5200CD
$1,999
$1,899
5%
Performa 5215CD
$2,299
$2,199
8%
Performa 6116CD1
$1,899
$1,699
11%
Performa 6200CD
$2,299
$1,999
13%
Performa 6205CD2
$2,399
$2,099
13%
Performa 6218CD
$2,699
$2,399
11%
Performa 6220CD
$2,499
$1,999
20%
Performa 6230CD
$2,999
$2,699
10%
If you think Apple selling older devices at lower prices is an invention of Tim Cook, you’d be wrong.
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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.
As you will see, this transition took some time. This ad aired as Apple was selling both 68K and PowerPC Performas:
Performa 6100 Series
The first PowerPC Performa was actually six Performas:
This machine was based on the Power Macintosh 6100 and used its enclosure. It was a lower, wider case than the 68k-based Performa 600 series. This design was first used on the Centris Quadra 610, which launched in early 1993. There were Quadra and Power Macintosh versions. Here’s my less-than-stellar example of the latter:
When you’re looking at the names of old Macs, it’s important to note the number of …well… numbers in the name. If the model name ends in a 3-digit number, it’s a 68k Mac, while four digits means you’re reading about a PowerPC-based Mac.
Being based on a PowerPC 601, each of these models came equipped with an FPU, which wasn’t true of a bunch of 68K Performas. Storage across the 6100 Series ranged from 250 up to 700 MB, with a 2x CD-ROM drive and 1.44 MB floppy drive standard across the board. Each Performa 6100 Series came with 8 MB of RAM from the factory but had a 72 MB ceiling for upgrades, at least officially. (136 MB worked fine once SIMMs large enough were available on the market.)
Some earlier models came with a comms slot for a modem or Ethernet to be added. The 6100 Series instead came with an AAUI-15 port for use with an external Ethernet adapter. A modem was available via the GeoPort, as David Morgenstern wrote in MacWEEK in 1994:
Apple rolls its entry-level systems on board the PowerPC bandwagon as it debuts five 601-based Performas this week. The Performa 6100 series is based on the 60-MHz Power Mac 6100/60. Each model in the line comes with an internal CD-ROM drive, a 15-inch display with built-in stereo speakers, a modem, a unidirectional microphone and a keyboard.
The Performa packages include a special version of Global Village Communication Inc.’s new $155 TelePort/Gold II 14.4-Kbps fax and data modem. The modem uses a single cable connected to the Performa 6100 series’ GeoPort-compatible serial port for both power and data.
He went on:
Each of the new Performas will come with 8 Mbytes of RAM but will vary in their hard drive configurations or software bundles.
Both the Performa 6110CD and 6112CD have 250-Mbyte hard drives and street prices between $2,600 and $2,650, Apple said. The 6110CD will be sold in consumer electronics stores and will include ClarisWorks 2.1, Intuit Inc.’s Quicken 4.0, Now Software Inc.’s Now Up-to-Date 2.1.1, a dictionary, a file-translator set, clip art and game software. Six CD-ROM titles, including Grolier’s Multimedia Encyclopedia, 1994 Time Almanac, an atlas and a home medical reference, will come with the 6110CD.
Sold in office product superstores, the Performa 6112CD will come with Microsoft Works 4.0a, Quicken, a dictionary, file translators, a typing tutor, and educational and game programs. Eight CD-ROMs, including Grolier’s Multimedia Encyclopedia, the Time Almanac and children’s games, will ship with the 6112CD.
The Performa 6115CD and 6117CD each ship with a 350-Mbyte drive. Apple said it expects prices to range from $2,700 to $2,750.
The Performa 6115CD will be offered in computer superstores and through higher-education resellers. The software includes ClarisWorks, Quicken, Now Up-to-Date, Now Contact 1.1, a dictionary, clip art, file translators, games and a CD-ROM set similar to the 6110 bundle.
Sold in selected warehouse stores, the Performa 6117CD will include ClarisWorks, Quicken, Now Up-to-Date, a dictionary, file translators and games; its eight CD-ROMs are similar to the 6112 package. Also available in warehouse stores is the $2,800 to $3,000 Performa 6118CD with a 500-Mbyte hard drive. The software bundle is similar to the 6117CD.
Even at the time, it was hard to write about the Performa line without using a lot of words.
The 6100 Series ran a standard version System 7.5, not the weirdo “P” versions that earlier machines ran. Not only did this simplify things for Apple, but it meant some features that had been Performa-specific were folded into the mainstream release of System 7. The primary example was Launcher, which was a customizable user interface for quick access to saved applications, documents, and more:
Performa 5200 Series
In the summer of 1995, Apple launched the second batch of PowerPC-based Performas:
The Performa 5200 Series was powered by a 75 MHz PowerPC 603, but to save on costs, the board shipped with a 32-bit memory bus, slowing everything down, not unlike the LC’s combination of a 32-bit CPU and 16-bit bus earlier in the 90s.
(This mistake was repeated on the 6200, and we’ll get back to it in a moment.)
Like previous Performas, the model numbers mostly relate to various default storage sizes, which topped out at 1 GB. All but the base model shipped with a 4X CD-ROM drive.
It also came in the same new case that Apple debuted with the Power Macintosh 5200/75 LC.
Thanks to the magic of eBay, I happen to have one such machine. It was for sale “For Parts,” and it sounds like something is very broken deep inside its beige plastic case.
The entire machine could be tilted forward or back on its plastic foot, a feature not found on previous all-in-one Macs.
For good measure, here’s a photo of the machine, straight from the archives of Apple PR:
This case design was dubbed “Bongo” and was an evolved version of the “Hook” design that was used in the 500 line. Adrian Mell wrote this about the design in Macworld:
The all-in-one design exhibits a lot of the same spirit that Apple vested in the original Macintosh. A deceptive minimalism belies this machine’s utility and value. Apple has again figured out how to package a full-featured computer into the simplest possible shape.
Its predecessors, which include the Performa 520, 550, 575 and now 580, all offer good functionality and value, but they lack the 5200’s design integrity. In comparison, their efforts to mimic the appearance of a conventional three-piece desktop computer just made them look clumsy.
I honestly don’t know where I fall on this debate. On one hand, the 5200 is much less busy looking than the old 500 series, but something about the 5200’s design is too bulbous for me from some angles.
To help meet the desired costs — and to fit in the shallower case — Apple dropped the beloved Sony Trinitron CRT in favor of a lesser CRT with a more rounded front from LG.
When the 5200 line came out in May 1995, the 6100 was upgraded to the 6200. The change replaced the 6100’s 60 MHz PowerPC 601 with two options: a 75 MHz PowerPC 603 or a 100 MHz PowerPC 603e.
Part of this was due to a batch of faulty CPUs, as reported by Andrew Gore for MacWEEK:
If you’re going to eat crow, you might as well take big bites.
That seems to be Apple’s philosophy with the announcement this week of another problem with a shipping Macintosh. However, unlike the PowerBook lithium-ion batteries, which caused the recall of the 5300 series,1 this time the problem affects only a very small number of systems.
Specifically, 0.1 percent of LC and Performa 6200 and 5200 machines shipped since July have defective 603 CPUs. The problem is so subtle that it is noticeable only when doing certain floating-point instructions in a certain sequence, which results in calculation errors.
“It sounds like the Pentium [math problem],2 but the difference is that with the Pentium it was a design flaw in the chip,” said Bruce Gee, product line manager for entry Mac systems. “This is just a manufacturing flaw.” Gee added that Apple has taken steps to make sure none of the systems shipping today have flawed chips.
Performa and LC users can find out if they have the faulty chip by running the 52xx/62xx Diagnostics Utility, which Apple made available on major on-line services and its FTP sites last week. Customers can also call (800) 785-7371 to get the utility and, if necessary, arrange for a replacement logic board.
The Final 68K Performas
Despite the launch of the machines described above, two final 68K Performas made it out the door in the spring of 1995: the 580CD and 588CD.
These machines shipped without the Sony Trinitron, and were powered by a 33 MHz 68LC040, so there was no FPU included. Storage options included a 250 and 500 MB IDE-based hard drives. Like some earlier models, they could be outfitted with Apple’s TV tuner card.
The APMPU has a 66 MHz PowerPC 601 processor, which operates at twice the clock speed of the 68040 processor installed in the computer being upgraded.
Although this upgrade is specified for 68040-based Macs with LC PDS, the upgrade does not plug into the PDS. In fact, due to the size of the upgrade card, the processor direct slot cannot be used with the PPC upgrade card, very much limiting expansion options.
This upgrade is not compatible with the 040 PDS in the Centris line, the Quadra 610, or the Quadra 650-950. These models work with the Apple Power Mac Upgrade Card and equivalents from DayStar and Sonnet.
Turns out the APMPU itself was built by DayStar, which sold a version of the card under a different (and better) name: the PowerCard 601:
Take a Breath
I did not expect to write nearly 2,000 words on the Performa’s transition to the PowerPC chip, but here we are. Next time, we’ll be looking at the next batch of updates to come to the Performa line.
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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.
Apple said it expects to add up to 600 stores to its nationwide roster of Performa dealers. Models available to resellers include the 475, 550, 630, 630CD and 638CDV.
Under the new distribution plan, Performas will be sold through superstores such as CompUSA Inc. and MicroCenter, as well as regional retailers such as Creative Computers, ComputerTown, Ballards and Computize.
In addition, Apple will help finance the new Performa resellers’ advertising campaigns and support the Performa with in-store, point-of-purchase materials.
According to Julie Faster, Apple USA retail channel programs manager, the company decided to begin offering Performas through traditional dealers this month to make the line more available to consumers and small businesses. “We’ve learned how to optimize the product in a retail environment,” she said.
Previously, Performas were sold through what Apple calls “power retailers,” including Sears, Roebuck and Co., Circuit City Stores Inc., Silo Inc. and Best Buy Co. Inc. Those 30 retailers represent about 5,000 storefronts.
Meyerowitz went on, quoting an industry export:
Laura Curran, director of research at Merrin Information Services Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., said making Performas more readily available is necessary for Apple to expand its user base.
“A large retailer like CompUSA is the best place to be; customers prefer a large, one-stop-shopping format,” she said. “[Selling through superstores] is like food and water. If it’s going to survive, it has to be in the superstore.”
Just for kicks, enjoy this photo of some 1990s consumers checking out a Performa at Sears:
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:
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.”
Here is a photo of my 631CD, in all of its yellowing glory:
As far as the differences between this huge list of models, it’s really more of a the same thing that we have previous seen. They may differ slightly in terms of hard drive size, memory configurations, and what specific software titles were bundled, but these machines are largely the same.
At $1,500, the Performa 630 started with 4 MB of RAM, a 250 MB hard drive, and no CD-ROM drive. At the high end, the 640CD came with 8 MB of RAM and a 500 MB hard drive for $2,300.
These Performas were powered by the FPU-less 68LC040 found in the Performa 475 & 476. Notably, however, they — and their Quadra cousin — were the first Macs to use IDE hard drives. These drives were cheaper than the SCSI units used in other Mac models at the time. However, the CD-ROM drives on equipped units still used SCSI, so it was still present in the system and accessible externally.
(It was also sold as the LC 630, which was powered by the same 33 MHz 68LC040.)
Video Options
The expansion story for these machines is interesting. They came with an LC PDS slot that could accommodate both LC and extended LC cards, opening the door to a wide range of accessories. They also included a comms port for a modem or ethernet card, as had some previous Performas.
This time around, however, Apple included support for one of two video-specific cards:
(The Apple Video System) solution comes with a user- installable video card and software that lets you easily capture and add still or moving video images to the documents and presentations you create on your Macintosh computer. The video card allows you to connect a VCR, camcorder, laserdisc player, or other video source to your computer with a single cable.
The Apple Video/TV System gives your computer the capabilities of the Apple Video System, and more — it also allows you to watch television programs in a window on your Macintosh, and work on documents simultaneously. The Apple TV/Video System comes with a video card, TV Tuner card, remote control, and software.
(That’s why the case had an infrared port on the front. SYNERGY!)
While we’re quoting ancient publications, I also found this passage by David Pogue in the 5th edition of Macworld Mac Secrets, in which he describes the 630 line:
Released in August 1994, this small, attractive desktop Mac represented new highs in speed and multimedia flexibility — and new lows in pricing. Shortly after it was released, it became one of Apple’s top-selling Macs. The 630 has a 33 MHz 040 processor — surprisingly enough, as fast as the old Quadra 950 — and was sold as part of the Performa, Quadra, and LC families.
This replacement for the Quadra 610, 650, and 660AV had three slots, each of a different type: (1) an LC-style PDS; (2) a communications slot like that found on the LC 575 (for an Ethernet card or — as bundled with the Performa models — a fax/modem card): (3) a video slot for either the $150 Apple Video System card (which lets you record video as a quarter-screen, 10-frames-per- second, 16-bit-color QuickTime movie), or a $250 Apple TV/Video System
card (which offers a TV tuner and cable hookup for watching TV in a resizable window, as well as QuickTime recording). You can also hook up the 630 to the $300 Apple Presentation System, a converter card that can send the Mac’s image to a TV or VCR.
Just for completeness — and because these products are more interesting than the Performa 630/640 line — let’s go back to Seago’s article:
The Apple Presentation System makes it easy for you to create a presentation on your Macintosh, then dis- play it to an audience on a larger television screen exactly as it appears on your Macintosh display. You can also connect your Macintosh to a VCR and record your presentation on videotape for easy and inexpensive distribution.
The Apple Presentation System comes with software, cables, and video converter box. Unlike the Apple Video and Apple Video/TV systems, the Apple Presentation System can be used with any Macintosh computer that has a DB-15 video port. The computers that can be used with the Apple Presentation System include, but are not limited to any of the following computers which have a DB-15 video port: Macintosh PowerBook, Macintosh LC, Performa 400-600 models, Centris, Quadra, or other Macintosh and Power Macintosh computers.
The DOS Compatible Performa
In addition to all of those SKUs, several 600-series Performas were sold as a “DOS Compatible” or “PC” version. These machines shipped with a bundled version of Apple’s DOS Compatibility Card with either an Intel 486DX2 CPU running at 66 MHz or a Cyrix 486 clocked at 70 MHz. This card could pull from the memory slotted into the Mac’s motherboard, or use up to 32 MB of RAM installed in its own single slot.
This hardware let Mac users run DOS and Windows, right on their Macs. It was weird.
Apple’s DOS Compatibility cards came in a few different versions of the years and supported a range of 1990s Macs. Check out these videos to learn a lot more:
A Lot in the Box
When I bought it on eBay, my Performa 631CD was advertised as having all of its original documentation and software. Given the mountain of materials in the box, I believe the seller:
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:
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.
However, in true Apple-in-the-1990s fashion, there is weirdness we have to discuss. The clock input ran at 66 MHz on this version of the 68LC040, leading to some sources — including Apple’s official tech specs — to show these machines running at 66 MHz. However, that’s not true, as the CPU itself was clocked at 33 MHz.
These three machines came equipped with a new communications slot that could be equipped with an Ethernet card for users who wanted high-speed networking.
True to the Performa game plan, these computers came with numerous bundled software titles, including ClarisWorks 2.0, America Online 2.0, Microsoft Corp.’s Dinosaurs, and SoftKey International Inc.’s American Heritage Electronic Dictionary 2.0.
What’s in a Name
I think the 575, 577, and 578 really highlight the ridiculous nature of Apple’s naming scheme during this period. Like many Performas before and after the 570 series, this could have been a single computer with multiple BTO options. Today, we take for granted that a computer like the iMac can come with various RAM and SSD specifications. We understand that each option doesn’t need its own name and marketing, but Apple just wasn’t there in the 1990s.
Most consumers didn’t understand what the differences were between memory and storage, let alone how much they needed of each. Multiple model numbers made it clear where a particular computer fell into the good/better/best matrix, at least to a degree.
However, it doesn’t seem that Apple took real advantage of this scheme, according to James Staten at MacWEEK, who wrote:
According to reports, the Performa 575, 577 and 578 are similar to the Mac LC 575, which features a 33-MHz 68040 processor, built-in 14-inch Trinitron display, tray-loading internal CD-ROM drive, unidirectional microphone, stereo speakers and one LC processor direct slot.
The new models share the same logic board and enclosure but vary in their RAM and hard disk configurations.
Sources also said that each model will be earmarked for sale in different retail channels, meaning that dealers will be able to sell only one of the three models.
In the January 2 1995 edition of MacWEEK, David Ramsey revisited this topic, answering a confused reader:
This is a result of an Apple manufacturing program called Customer Directed Manufacturing, or CDM. But lest you get the wrong impression, you are not the customer Apple has in mind here.
The Performa line of Macs is designed to be sold through mass-market merchants rather than traditional computer-only stores. Mass-market merchants include consumer-electronics and appliance stores, as well as large department stores such as Sears, Roebuck and Co. CDM means that Sears can order 10,000 Performa 500-series machines built just as they want them, with memory, hard disk and installed software as specified.
This also helps stores that have price guarantees — you know, “We’ll beat anyone’s price on this exact model.” Thanks to CDM, nobody else has that exact model! In fairness to Apple, though, I should mention that it is not the only company that does this. (This shouldn’t dissuade anyone from buying Performas; their preinstalled software and bundled monitors and modems are frequently the best deals in the Mac world.)
Additionally, much of that clarification went out the window as Apple sold overlapping models and even other computers with the same number, such as the LC 575. This education-only SKU was the same as the Performa 575, but shipped with just 4 MB of RAM and with no CD-ROM drive. There was also an LC 550, powered by a Motorola 68030.
Whew.
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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.
The Performa 560 Money Magazine Edition, available while supplies last for a suggested price of $2,199, includes the same hardware as Apple’s $1,949 to $2,049 Performa 550 system: a 33-MHz 68030 CPU with 5 Mbytes of RAM, a color monitor, a 160-Mbyte hard disk, an internal CD-ROM drive, stereo speakers, an internal microphone and a fax modem.
The financial system also comes with 19 preloaded applications and CD-ROMs comprising more than $1,900 worth of software, according to the companies.
The Performa 560 Money Magazine Edition is available from Apple by calling (800) 351-6111, as well as at Circuit City and Nobody Beats the Wiz stores.1
Shockingly, photos of this ultra-rare machine can be found online, complete with a green “Money” badge:
Just think about this for a second. Apple not only partnered with a magazine to co-brand a computer, but put the logo of that magazine on the computer. If you want to talk about things that wouldn’t happen if Steve Jobs was running the show, this should be at the top of your list.
Thanks to MacWEEK, we know what software was included:
ClarisWorks 2.0
MacLink Plus Translators
Quicken 4.0
MacInTax 1040
WealthBuilder 3.0
Personal Recordkeeper 3.0
WillMaker 4.0
After Dark Starter Edition
Datebook Pro
Touchbase Pro
American Heritage Dictionary, Third Edition
Apple Edition of America Online
Grolier’s Encyclopedia
Time Almanac 1993
Monopoly: World Tour Gold
In December 1994, CNN held a contest for Money Magazine readers. In it, our friend the Performa 560 shows up:
Alan Greenspan, pay attention. Peter Lynch, pull up a chair. We’d like to introduce the best personal-finance managers in the U.S.-and we figure everyone will want to take notes. Our winners accomplished their financial feats with no support staff of highly trained analysts. Not one holds an M.B.A. And the eight top-ranking contestants didn’t depend on friends in high places either (unless the postmaster in Columbiana, Ohio counts).
Nonetheless, these amazing masters of moolah, ages 28 to 78, demonstrated extraordinary abilities to the panel of judges in Money’s first annual Best Personal Finance Manager in America contest. And Mark and Lori Menges (right, with son Ryan) succeeded in impressing our judges the most.
To win, these three couples and two singles, along with 2,299 other Money readers who entered, laid out their 1993 personal finances in meticulous detail on a 41-question entry form published in our May 1994 issue. Entries were judged in five lifestyle categories-couples with no children, married parents, singles, single parents and retirees-and subjected to three rounds of scoring, including rigorous reviews by experts in investing, insurance, budgeting, taxes and retirement planning.
These eight contestants came out on top in their categories, with the Mengeses snagging the grand prize: $10,000 in cash. Each of the five category winners receives a Macintosh Performa 560 Money Magazine Edition computer loaded with 19 personal-finance and general interest software programs (total suggested retail value: $2,199).
What makes this group the champs? Simple. Given their needs and goals, these winners made the smartest, best-timed personal-finance decisions in 1993. Granted, there is always room for improvement. But overall, these eight great personal-finance wizards are solidly on course to realizing their dreams, whether it’s starting a family, building a new house, sending kids to college or enjoying a secure retirement.
No … There is Another
The 560 is the most well-known Money Magazine Edition Performa, but there’s at least one more — the 637CD Money Edition. I had no idea this particular machine existed until I came across this Reddit thread during my research. The Performa 637CD Money Magazine Edition is not listed in MacTracker, on EveryMac, LowEndMac, or apple-history.com. It pops up in a few forum posts beyond Reddit, but this thing is basically a ghost.
Then — in what must be an act of a thankful universe shining upon my work on Performa Month — one popped up on eBay.
I bought it as a way to say “You’re welcome” to the universe. It only seemed fitting. Please enjoy:
Pay no attention to that janky volume button.
There may be other Money Magazine Edition Performa models out there, but I am so, so happy to have this one in my collection.
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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 CC II/Performa 275 and Performa/LC 550 share the same motherboard. If you ever need to perform a motherboard transplant, a 550 makes for a very inexpensive donor.
Many Color Classic II fans have put their machines through the “Mystic Upgrade,” which involves swapping in the motherboard from an LC 575:
I don’t have a Color Classic II, but after reading more about the Mystic Upgrade, I really want one.
A Cornucopia of Performa 400 Models
The bulk of Performas released in the fall of 1993 were of the 400 variety, and unsurprisingly, it’s hard to understand what Apple was doing with some of these models.
Up first was the Performa 410 was just a 400, but bundled with a 12″ Apple color monitor.
The 460, 466, and 467 were siblings. They were based on the LC III+, complete with a 33 MHz Motorola 68030 on a full 32-bit bus. This meant the LC III+ and its clones were the fastest 68030 Mac ever shipped.
On the Performa side, here’s how the hardware stacked up:
All three SKUs came with 4 MB of memory and 512 KB of VRAM.
The 475 & 476, Powered by the 68LC040
It’s a story for a different time, but Apple’s Quadra line was a family of Macs powered by the Motorola 68040. This new processor should have been a huge win for the Mac line, but due to the chip’s separate instruction and data caches, Apple had to do some weird stuff in Mac OS to maintain compatibility with software written for the 68020 or 68030.
Many different models would ship with a Quadra badge on the front, but the Quadra 605 was the cheapest. It kept compatibility with the LC expansion slot, but did not include an FPU. One could be added by swapping out the Quadra 605’s 68LC040 CPU with a full-blown 68040.
The Quadra 605 used an updated version of Apple’s smallest desktop case, but this time it was flat instead of being angled upward like the older LCs:
When it came time to turn this small machine into a Performa, Apple named the “new” machines the Performa 475 and 476. The former shipped with 160 MB drive, while the latter had 230 MB of storage. They all used the FPU-less 68LC040 that the Quadra 605 did.
Oddly, the Performa models used the old LC case and not the new Quadra case. I assume this was done in an effort to keep costs down.
Lastly, we have the Performa 550, the first update to the 500 line we recently discussed. It was basically identical to the 520 before it, but its 68030 CPU was updated to run at 33 MHz. This means it’s on par with the Color Classic II mentioned above.
The biggest news was an upgrade to the CD-ROM drive, which no longer required the use of a caddy.
Oddly, this machine has the largest disparity in pricing that I’ve found in my research for this project so far. Some sources say Apple sold it for as little as $1,200, while others quote a cost of $2,000. I really hope no one paid two grand for this thing.
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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.
The Design
By the early 1990s, the design of the original Macintosh had gotten pretty tired. Apple had evolved it over time, adding things like internal hard drives, expansion slots, and a slightly larger color screen, but the all-in-one Mac was begging for an upgrade for the mid-90s. Users wanted features like larger screens and CD-ROM drives, and the compact Mac form factor just wasn’t up to the task.
A design project was kicked off to design a new all-in-one for the 90s and was given the nickname “Mondo,” according to Paul Kunkel’s excellent book AppleDesign.
Things did not go well.
According to Kunkel, Apple was going to abandon the all-in-one form factor after the Color Classic shipped, but the idea of making a larger all-in-one wouldn’t die, and in fact, was central to a project with an outside firm named Lunar Design, that was working on concepts for a 10th Anniversary Mac.
While that never happened, the group came up with what would become the 520. Kunkel writes:
To reduce the bulk, lunar allowed the plastic to hug the internal components as tightly as possible — a lower section containing the motherboard and speakers, a middle section containing the floppy/hard drive/CD-ROM, and a top tier containing the monitor — which gave the design a “wedding cake” look and viewed from the back.
On the front, the sensation was reversed, with the largest mass (the screen) at the top and the smallest (the foot) at the bottom. The foot elevated the front of the computer and angled the display back six degrees, continuing the gesture used on the Color Classic and Mac LS, with speakers set behind a radiating perf pattern and rocker buttons controlling column and display contrast.
The design was so strange that Larry Barbera (the Apple manager overseeing the project) could only scratch his head. Since no one at IDg (Apple’s Industrial Design Group) liked the design, Barbera had no choice but to put it on the shelf.
Some months later, John Sculley would ask the team to work on a larger all-in-one, so the design was taken off the shelf, dusted off, and put into production. From what I have read, this led to real tension between Apple’s product and design groups.
Apple’s head of Industrial Design at the time was Bob Brunner, who said, “The conflict between designers and engineers exists because we work side-by-side but think in very different ways. Engineers have to worry about making a product that’s manufactured at a low cost. Designers worry about the look and feel, which can make the engineers’ lives difficult, but the schedule is tight. For this reason, whenever the engineers can take control of design, they do, which makes us miserable.”
This computer is far from the most graceful thing Apple has produced. These photos are of my Performa 580CD, but the form factor is the same as the 520.
Don’t look directly at it for too long, and if you pick one up, be careful, as it weighs 40 pounds.
Like many Macs of the time, the logic board and hard drive could be accessed with just a couple of screws:
While awkward, this design met the goals that Apple had in mind, including the inclusion of a larger display and a CD-ROM drive. The latter required the use of a caddy.
This case would house additional LC/Performa models, including the 550, the 560 Money Edition, the 575, and the 580. It was also used — in black — for the Macintosh TV.
The Specs
While the outside was all new, the inside of the LC/Performa 520 was exactly the same as the LC III, with an additional 1 MB of standard RAM, meaning the 520 shipped with a whopping 5 MB of memory.
The Plan
Once the 520 had graduated from a forgotten design project to be an actual product, it earned a new code name: “Hook.”
Sculley and the company saw this machine as another way to migrate Apple’s user base away from the Apple II and toward the Macintosh. Unlike consumer offerings, the LC 520 would do this in the education market, as Robert Hess wrote for MacWEEK at the time:
Christmas will arrive in July this year for children in the United States when Apple introduces the newest member of its LC line of Macs, the LC 520.
The low-cost LC line, which has been most successful in the primary education market, has only lacked for a CD-ROM-equipped model. That’s the niche Apple intends to fill with the LC 520, which will be available only in the K-12 market, sources said.
Reflecting Apple’s desire to make CD-ROM a standard feature of the Mac line, the LC 520 will ship with a Sony dual-speed CD-ROM player. Built into the Mac’s display are stereo speakers that can enhance both CD-ROM and the Mac’s sound output.
I have memories of using some flavor of the 500 Series in elementary school, playing Odell Down Under and typing in an ancient version of ClarisWorks.
With the LC 520 chipping away at the Apple II’s footprint in schools and the Performa 520 being on sale outside the United States, this new design didn’t make a big impact on the consumer market in the US at first, with Apple’s other Performa models continuing to be sold through big-box retailers.
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