A Macintosh Performa 5200, an all-in-one desktop similar to the iMac. The iMac is a desktop Macintosh computer designed and built by Apple Inc

A Macintosh Performa 6300, a desktop cased model.

A Macintosh Performa 6400, one of the few Performas in a tower.

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 x500 ended this product line. Apple Inc, ( formerly Apple Computer Inc, is an American Multinational corporation with a focus on designing and manufacturing Consumer electronics Consumers refers to individuals or households that use goods and services generated within the economy. Macintosh, commonly nicknamed Mac is a Brand name which covers several lines of Personal computers designed developed and marketed by Apple Inc A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar 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 Macintosh Quadra series was Apple Computer 's product family of professional high-end Apple Macintosh Personal computers built using the Motorola Macintosh Centris was a set of three 1993 Macintosh models that were built around the Motorola 68LC040 and 68040 CPUs The Macintosh LC (meaning low-cost color) was Apple Computer 's product family of low-end consumer Macintosh Personal computers in the early 1990s Power Macintosh, later Power Mac, is a line of Apple Macintosh Workstation -class Personal computers based on various models of PowerPC The series was introduced in 1992 with the Performa 200, which was essentially a renamed Macintosh Classic II. The Apple Macintosh Classic II (also known as the Performa 200) replaced the Macintosh SE/30 in the Compact Macintosh line in 1991 Nearly every member of the Mac LC series existed as a Performa version, as did the Power Macintosh 6100. The Macintosh LC (meaning low-cost color) was Apple Computer 's product family of low-end consumer Macintosh Personal computers in the early 1990s Power Macintosh, later Power Mac, is a line of Apple Macintosh Workstation -class Personal computers based on various models of PowerPC Systems that were not branded as Performas were largely intended for the education market. Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency

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. AppleWorks refers to two different Office suite products both of which are now discontinued At Ease was an alternative to the Macintosh Desktop developed by Apple Computer in the early 1990s It provided a simple environment Mac OS is the trademarked name for a series of Graphical user interface -based Operating systems developed by Apple Inc 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 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 The marketing failed due to a lack of self-running demos at some stores, and the fact that many retailers that carried Performas seemed more interested in steering customers towards Windows PCs. Microsoft Windows is a series of Software Operating systems and Graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. It was not uncommon to see demo machines crashed and the mouse missing, or to see the units not turned on. ^{[1] [2]}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.

References

External links

• Mac Performa flat top 475 (LC 475)
• Mactracker - information on every Mac, Mac clone, and Apple products.