Mac · The Beige Era · 1987
Macintosh II
The Mac grows up: colour, a faster 68020, a math coprocessor and six NuBus slots turned Apple’s appliance into a configurable workstation. Desktop publishing began here.
Macintosh II: key facts
When was the Macintosh II released?
The Macintosh II was released in March 1987. Apple discontinued it in January 1990.
How much did the Macintosh II cost?
The Macintosh II launched at $5,498 in 1987 — about $15,504 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the Macintosh II’s specs?
The Macintosh II used a Motorola 68020 + 68881 running at 16 MHz, with 1 MB of memory and 40 MB of storage. It ran System 4.1.
Why does the Macintosh II matter?
First colour Macintosh and first with expansion slots — the "open Mac."
Full specifications
| CPU | Motorola 68020 + 68881 · 16 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 1 MB (up to 68 MB) |
| Storage | 40 MB |
| Display | External colour, up to 640×480 |
| GPU | NuBus video card (8-bit) |
| Ports | SCSI, ADB, 6× NuBus |
| Weight | 11.3 kg |
| Dimensions | Desktop case |
| Operating system | System 4.1 |
| Released | March 1987 |
| Discontinued | January 1990 |
| Launch price | $5,498 |
How the Macintosh II compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 16,400× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 16 MHz, the clock is roughly 200× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro — and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
All of this storage holds about 10 modern phone photos.
Launched at $5,498 in 1987 — about $15,504 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Cross-architecture speed figures are clock-only and approximate; inflation figures use US CPI.
Did you know?
First Mac to greet you with the "bong" startup chord instead of a beep.
Related Mac models
Open the Macintosh II in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-25