The Macintosh IIcx is a

personal computer A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...

designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from March 1989 to March 1991. Introduced six months after the Macintosh IIx, the IIcx resembles the IIx and provides the same performance, but is narrower, lighter, and quieter due to a smaller internal fan. The relative compactness results in three

NuBus NuBus () is a 32-bit parallel computer bus, originally developed at MIT during between 1978 and 1979 as part of the NuMachine workstation project, it would subsequently be standardized by the IEEE in 1987. The first complete implementatio ...

slots being available, compared with six on the IIx. The new case, Apple's first to be designed to operate in either a horizontal or vertical orientation, remained in use for its successors the

Macintosh IIci The Macintosh IIci is a personal computer designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from September 1989 to February 1993. It is a more powerful version of the Macintosh IIcx, released earlier that year, and shares the same compa ...

and

Quadra 700 The Macintosh Quadra 700 is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from October 1991 to March 1993. It was introduced alongside the Quadra 900 as the first computers in the Quadra series, using the Motorola 68040 ...

. The idea for vertical orientation, one of the first minitower cases, was suggested by Apple CEO

John Sculley John Sculley III (born April 6, 1939) is an American businessman, entrepreneur and investor in high-tech startups. Sculley was vice-president (1970–1977) and president of PepsiCo (1977–1983), until he became chief executive officer (CEO) ...

, who was running out of space on his desk, despite the fact that the new layout actually took more space once the monitor was taken into account. The model was designated IIcx for ''compact'' (echoing the earlier

Apple IIc The Apple IIc is a personal computer introduced by Apple Inc. shortly after the launch of the Macintosh 128K, original Macintosh in 1984. It is essentially a compact and portable version of the Apple IIe. The IIc has a built-in floppy disk driv ...

), and the ''x'' was Apple's designation for the

Motorola 68030 The Motorola 68030 ("''sixty-eight-oh-thirty''") is a 32-bit microprocessor in the Motorola 68000 family. It was released in 1987. The 68030 was the successor to the Motorola 68020, and was followed by the Motorola 68040. In keeping with gener ...

processor. Users liked the Mac IIcx, in part, because its components and parts (such as the RAM,

slots, and power supply) snapped into place inside the case without the need for screws. There was one central safety screw that tied the assembly together though it was often not reinstalled if ever removed. At the IIcx's introduction,

Jean-Louis Gassée Jean-Louis Gassée (born 24 March 1944) is a business executive. He is best known as a former executive at Apple Computer, where he worked from 1981 to 1990. He also founded Be Inc., creators of the BeOS computer operating system. After leavin ...

demonstrated the IIcx's modular design by assembling one from parts in front of the audience. This made it less expensive to build, easier to repair, and earned it heavy praise and a warm reception amongst the Mac community. The machine was also the lightest in Apple's lineup at the time. However, unlike the II and IIx, in many versions of the IIcx the CPU is soldered to the logic board and therefore cannot be upgraded. The case is also unable to accommodate 5 1/4" or full-height hard disk drives. This model was superseded by the

, which used the same case. It was designed by Gavin Ivester.

Timeline

References

External links

Specifications at Everymac.com
- press release cx IIcx IIcx IIcx IIcx Computer-related introductions in 1989 Products and services discontinued in 1991 {{mac-stub