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This article is about a particular model of computer. For the "classic" Macintosh operating system, see Mac OS .
The Macintosh Classic (code-named ''XO'' and ''Civic'') was the first Apple Macintosh Personal Computer introduced at a price under US$1000. Demand for another "all-in-one"/" Compact " Mac, such as the popular Macintosh Plus and the SE , spurred the introduction of the Classic. Limitations of the form factor prohibited major innovations in this model, which had the same 9- Inch display, 512×342- Pixel one- Bit video, and 4 MiB memory ceiling as its predecessors. Unlike other Macs, memory expansion was only possible with a special memory expansion card only available on the more expensive model, or as an option installed later. Improvements over the Macintosh Plus While the lower-end model of the Classic with 1MB RAM and no hard disk cost US$1000, the $1500 model had 2MB RAM and a 40MB hard disk. The Macintosh Classic featured several improvements over the Macintosh Plus that it replaced as Apple's low-end Mac computer. The Classic used Apple Desktop Bus connections for its keyboard and mouse, as opposed to the older-style input devices that the Plus had inherited from the original Macintosh models. Other changes included a fixed hard drive bay, a lighter chassis, no physical screen brightness knob (for cost reasons), and surface-mounted circuits with minor changes (such as a special RAM expansion card). Brightness settings were controlled using a control panel, which is operable only on this model and the newer Macintosh Classic II . The Classic used Apple's 1.44MB SuperDrive for floppy disks, compared to the 800K drives used on the older Plus and SE models. The RAM card was the only card designed for the lone expansion slot on the motherboard. Unlike the Macintosh SE , the Classic offered no expansion slot to accommodate video, Ethernet , or other expansion cards. Classics had 1 MiB on the motherboard and another 1 MiB on the card itself. There were two slots on the card which could hold either 512 KiB or 1 MiB SIMMs. A jumper needed to be set properly to read the amount of memory installed. Although the Classic shipped with System 6.0.7, it could run earlier versions as well. A case in point is the hidden ROM disk (see below) which included a copy of System 6.0.6. System 7.5.5 is the latest supported version on this model. One unique feature of the Classic was the ability to start from a ROM disk by holding down the ⌘⌥XO ( Command + Option +X+O) keys during the boot process. This would boot the Mac Classic into System 6.0.6, a version of the Mac OS that was quickly pulled when a problem was found in it. The Classic was popular in schools because of its low price. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
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