Macintosh Performa

The Macintosh Performa series was Apple Computer's consumer product family of Apple Macintosh personal computers from 1992 until 1997, when the introduction of the Power Macintosh 5x00 series ended this product line. The Performa series was not a new line of computers, but simply renamed models from Apple's regular line of computers that were sold in computer stores, such as Quadra, Centris, LC, and Power Mac. The series was introduced in 1992 with the Performa 200, which was essentially a renamed Macintosh Classic II. Nearly every member of the Mac LC series existed as a Performa version, as did the Power Macintosh 6100. Systems that were not branded as Performas were largely intended for the education market.

The Performa versions were sold as package deals, including a monitor, external modem, and typically a software bundle—items that were not generally included with the non-Performa Mac models of the time. Software bundles usually included ClarisWorks, Quicken, a calendar/contact manager such as Touchbase and Datebook Pro, America Online, Apple's At Ease child-safe interface, educational software such as American Heritage Dictionary and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, and games such as Spectre Challenger, Super Munchers and Monopoly, all pre-installed over a slightly customized version of the Mac System software, denoted by a "P" in the version number (e.g., System 7.1P5). The Performa versions of the System software introduced some features that were later included in mainstream system releases, most notably the Launcher. System 7.5 ended the separate Performa releases.

The Performa series of Macintosh computers was Apple's attempt to increase its market share among families and individuals. In the early 1990s, Apple attempted wide retail distribution of the Performas through major electronics store chains, short television commercials, and brochures and paper ads. The marketing failed due to a lack of self-running demos at some stores,Fact|date=December 2007 and the fact that many retailers that carried Performas seemed more interested in steering customers towards Windows PCs. It was not uncommon to see demo machines crashed and the mouse missing, or to see the units not turned on. [cite book
last = Pogue
first = David
last = Schorr
first = Joseph
authorlink = David Pogue
title = Macworld Macintosh Secrets
page = 156
publisher = IDG Boks
year = 1994
isbn = 1-56884-025-X ] [cite book
last = Kelby
first = Scott
title = Macintosh...The Naked Truth
page =96
publisher = New Riders
year = 2002
isbn = 0-7357-1284-0 ] Critics of the Performa line, including some Mac users, argued that it was generally underpowered relative to higher-end Mac models. Some critics cited the large and confusing array of different Performa models, some differentiated only by the hard drive size or the software bundle (such as the Performa 475 and 476). The large number of models was intended to accommodate retailers, who could advertise that they could beat their competitors' price on equivalent models, while at the same time making sure that they didn't carry the same models as their competitors. In the mid 1990s, Apple created a 30-minute infomercial about a fictional family that purchases a Performa computer; it was called "The Martinettis Bring Home a Computer".

References

External links

* [http://www.vectronicsappleworld.com/profiles/performa.html List of Performa and equivalent models]
* [http://www.everymac.com/images/cpu_pictures/apple_mac_lc_475.jpgMac Performa flat top 475 (LC 475)]
* [http://www.mactracker.ca/ Mactracker - information on every Mac, Mac clone, and Apple products.]