Rolled out in March 1987, the Mac II was the first modular Macintosh. Options include two floppy drive bays plus room for a hard drive. Using Apple's video card, the Mac II supported 8-bit video at 640x480 pixels in an era where DOS users felt spoiled with 64-color EGA (640x350 pixels). Although advertised as a 32-bit computer, the Mac II ROMS were "dirty," containing some 24-bit code. Running in 32-bit mode requires MODE 32 from Connectix.
The Mac II was the first Mac that could be turned on using the power key on the keyboard.
The Mac II was discontinued before Apple introduced SuperDrive floppies; a Mac II must be upgraded to support FDHD floppies.
The Mac II requires special PAL SIMMs when using 4MB or larger SIMMs.
This page and site ©1997 by Daniel Knight.