Apple Macintosh IIcx

Apple Macintosh IIcx was introduced in 7 March 1989 as a compact three-slot alternative to the large Macintosh IIx workstation. It used a Motorola 68030 at 16 MHz with 1MB standard; expandable to 128MB. Smaller enclosure could operate horizontally or vertically.

Its upright-friendly modular case established a flexible enclosure reused by the faster IIci and Quadra 700.

Notable Features

• Smaller enclosure could operate horizontally or vertically.
• Three NuBus slots retained substantial professional expansion.
• 68030 and optional 68882 FPU supported demanding applications.

Historical Significance

• Its upright-friendly modular case established a flexible enclosure reused by the faster IIci and Quadra 700.
• Its place in the range reflects Apple's progression from the original compact Macintosh toward broader professional, educational and portable markets.

Collector’s Notes

• Original rubber feet and plastic clips often deteriorate, while capacitor leakage affects logic boards
• Original keyboards, mice, storage devices and model-specific accessories help document a complete period configuration.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Apple Macintosh IIcx
Manufacturer	Apple
Launched	Tuesday, March 7, 1989
Country	United States
CPU	Motorola 68030 at 16 MHz
Units Sold
Operating System	System 6.0.3 through System 7.5.5
I/O	SCSI, two serial, ADB, audio and three NuBus slots
Keyboard	External ADB keyboard and mouse
Storage	1.44MB floppy and internal SCSI hard disk
Sound	Eight-bit mono sound
Graphics	Colour or monochrome NuBus graphics
Display	External monitor through NuBus video
ROM	256KB ROM
RAM	1MB standard; expandable to 128MB
CPU Speed	16 MHz