 A Macintosh XL | |
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer |
|---|---|
| Release date | January 1, 1985; 40 years ago (1985-01-01) |
| Introductory price | US$3,995 (equivalent to $11,680 in 2024) |
| Discontinued | April 29, 1985 (1985-04-29)[1] |
| Operating system | MacWorks XL / System1.1,[2]2.0,2.1,3.0,3.2; MacWorks Plus / System1.1–6.0.3; MacWorks Plus II / System1.1–6.0.8,7.0–7.5.5 |
| CPU | Motorola 68000 @ 5 MHz |
| Memory | 512KB RAM (the Lisa DRAM card), expandable to 2MB |
| Predecessor | Apple Lisa 2 |
| Related | Macintosh 128 Macintosh 512 |
Macintosh XL is a modified version of theApple Lisa personal computer made byApple Computer. In the Macintosh XL configuration, the computer shipped withMacWorks XL, a Lisa program that allowed 64 KMacintosh ROM emulation. An identical machine was previously sold asLisa 2/10 with the Lisa OS only.
Macintosh XL has a400K 3.5" floppy drive and an internal 10 MB proprietary "Widget"hard drive[3] with provision for an optional 5 or 10 MB externalProFile hard drive with the addition of a parallel interface card. The machine uses a Motorola 68000 CPU, clocked at 5 MHz, together with 512 KB RAM. Macintosh XL was discontinued in April 1985.[1]
Because of its roots as a Lisa — unlike all other Macintosh computers — the stock Macintosh XL used rectangularpixels. The resolution of Macintosh XL's 12-inch (30.5 cm) display was 720×364 pixels. Square pixels were available through the Macintosh XL Screen Kit upgrade that changed the resolution to 608×432 pixels.[4] The CPU could be replaced with a new CPU board containing up to 8 MB RAM, calledXLerator 18.[5] The maximum upgraded RAM with conventional add-in RAM cards was up to 2 MB – quadruple the maximum capacity of earlier Macintosh computers. With modifications to the CPU board, the XL could accommodate up to 4 MB of RAM.[6]
MacWorks Plus was developed bySun Remarketing as a successor to MacWorks XL in order to provide application compatibility with theMacintosh Plus computer. MacWorks Plus added support for an 800 KB 3.5" floppy disk and System software up through version 6.0.3. MacWorks Plus II extended that to the same System 7.5.5 limit imposed on all 68000 processors.[7]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Macintosh XL" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Apple Computer announced Macintosh XL at its January 1985annual meeting as part ofMacintosh Office.[8] After two years of lackluster sales, the company attempted to salvageApple Lisa by redesigning some hardware components and renaming it as Macintosh XL. Basing on the previous sale figures of Lisa, Apple ordered the limited number of parts as to last through 1985 before ending the production. The redesign caused a record number of orders for this addition to the Macintosh line, which caught Apple off-guard.[9]
The company discontinued Macintosh XL less than four months after its introduction.[8] Due to the limited number of parts ordered, Apple sold its entire allocations of Macintosh XL for 1985 much earlier than anticipated. Had Apple continued to manufacture Macintosh XL as to meet the demand at lower price, the company would have lost even more money on each unit. Additionally, the cancellation was also due to the necessary consolidation of expenses and projects.[9][10]
A developer said that Macintosh XL existed only so Apple could say that a Macintosh with hard drive and more memory existed. Most developers were not surprised, he said, because of Apple's obvious preference for Macintosh over Lisa.[8] In 1986, Apple offered an exchange program for the owners of Lisa and Macintosh XL: The owners could exchange their Lisa and Macintosh XL along with $1,495 US for the newMacintosh Plus andHard Disk 20 (list price of $4,098 US).[11]
After Apple dropped the XL from its price list in September 1985,Sun Remarketing ofLogan, Utah, bought a number of Apple's remaining inventory and continued to sell them under license with their updated version of MacWorks Plus, re-branding it asMacintosh Professional.
Although no new Lisas were available for sale, development continued on MacWorks Plus to support the installed base of Lisas, making them as relevant as their closely related cousin Macintosh Plus.
Macintosh XL shares the same legacy as Lisa before it. However, the increased sales from the emulation of the Macintosh operating system proved that the Macintosh family badly needed a more professional environment which could support larger monitors, greater memory, and more expandability thanMacintosh 512K offered.
| Timeline ofCompact Macintosh models |
|---|
 See also:List of Mac models andCompact Macintosh |
