Macintosh II series

Mac II with monitor

The Macintosh II series (or sometimes simply Mac II series) is a series of personal computers in Apple's Macintosh line. The series debuted with the Macintosh II in 1987 and the final model was the Macintosh IIvx released in 1992.

Features

Unlike prior Macintosh models, which were all compact Macintosh designs, the Macintosh II models were "modular" systems which did not include built-in monitors and were expandable. Beginning with the Macintosh II and culminating in the Macintosh IIfx, the Mac II series was Apple Computer's high-end line from 1987 until the introduction of the Motorola 68040-based Macintosh Quadra computers in 1991.

The II series introduced NuBus which would become the standard expansion bus for the entire Macintosh line for almost a decade. The Mac II models were the first to support color displays and display resolutions larger than the 512×342 of the compact Macintosh design.

The Mac II series were the first Macintosh models to use a m68k processor other than the Motorola 68000. Except for the original Mac II which launched the line with a 68020 clocked at 16 MHz, they exclusively used the Motorola 68030 microprocessor, even after the Motorola 68040 was introduced. Apple would eventually adopt the '040 with the introduction of the Quadra 700 and 900, positioning these models as high-end workstation-class machines for graphics and scientific computing, while continuing to release Mac II-series models as mainstream desktop computers.

Legacy

During the Macintosh II series' lifespan, they rose to become among the most powerful personal computers available. The Macintosh II was later surpassed by the Macintosh Quadra series. The Macintosh LC and Performa lines continued the II's 68030 technology long after the 68040 was introduced and the PowerBook continued to use the '030 into the Power Macintosh era.

Models

Macintosh II, the first model introduced
Macintosh IIx, a Macintosh II with a 68030 CPU
Macintosh IIcx compact model
Macintosh IIci a popular and long-lived model
Macintosh IIvx the final II-series case design also used for the Centris/Quadra 650
Macintosh IIvi.jpg

Macintosh IIvi the shortest-lived Mac model
Macintosh IIsi one of the few Macs to use a unique case
Macintosh IIfx with a 40 MHz '030 it was the fastest II-series Mac