Macintosh LC

Adam Banks remembers the pizza–box Mac that brought the Apple experience to the masses

TOWARDS THE END of the 1980s, Apple was a substantial computer company still trying to find its way. CEO John Sculley had survived the difficult launch of the Macintosh and reversed Steve Jobs’ planned boardroom coup with the help of colleague Jean-Louis Gassée. But he then clashed with Gassée, who commanded the loyalty of many Apple staffers, over a project, codenamed Drama, to create a more affordable Mac.

Sculley — supported by senior executives including Bill Campbell, later one of Apple’s longest–serving board members — believed it was absolutely essential to grow market share against the IBM PC. Gassée insisted the Mac’s technical superiority was its selling point and its high profit margin Apple’s strength. The appropriately named Drama was killed off, but the idea of a budget Mac wouldn’t die.

Engineers HL Cheung and Paul Baker had been working on ideas for simpler Macs, ending up with Spin, a smaller version of the Macintosh II based on the same Motorola 68020 processor but with reduced expansion. Their superiors wanted to incorporate the video system being developed for the high–end IIci, which meant using the pricier 68030 processor. Prototypes were made, but the project ended up being cancelled. After Sculley promised antsy investors a low– end offering, however, Spin was dusted off, stripped down and renamed LC, for “low cost,” the “C” also reflecting support for a color monitor.

Known internally as Elsie, the machine was squeezed into a flattened “pizza box” desktop case with a design following Apple’s established Snow White styling. Even after tough compromises on spec and performance, the $2,499 price tag was still higher than some IBM options. But sales held up and the LC family, later sold through retail channels as Performa or Quadra, persisted until 1996, making the Mac an option for more people.