On January 1st, 1985, Apple introduced the Macintosh XL, a powerful personal computer that was part of the Macintosh series. At a starting price of $9,995, the Macintosh XL was geared toward professionals and power users looking for a high-performance machine.
The Macintosh XL featured a 5 MHz Motorola 68000 processor, which was considered fast at the time. It also came with a 12″ monochrome display, 512 KB of RAM, 10 MB of hard drive storage, and a 400 KB floppy disk drive. These specs were impressive for the time and made the Macintosh XL a formidable machine for its day.
However, despite its impressive specs, the Macintosh XL was only available for a little over a year. On August 1st, 1986, Apple discontinued the Macintosh XL, making it a short-lived but notable addition to the Macintosh lineup. Today, 39 years after its discontinuation, the Macintosh XL remains a piece of Apple’s history and a reminder of the company’s early efforts to push the boundaries of personal computing.
Macintosh XL Details
| Introduced | January 1, 1985 |
| Discontinued | August 1, 1986 |
| Model Identifier | 2 |
| Original Price | $9,995 |
| Colors | Beige |
| Weight | 55 Ibs. 24.947 KG |
| Dimensions | 13.8” H x 18.5” W x 15.2” D 35.05 cm H x 47 cm W x 38.6 cm D |
Mac XL Tech Specs
Processor
| Processor | Motorola 68000 |
| Processor Speed | 5 MHz |
| Architecture | 16-bit |
| Number of Cores | 1 |
| Coprocessor | None |
| Cache | None |
| System Bus | 5 MHz |
Memory
| Storage | Built-in 10 MB hard disk drive and optional external 5 or 10 MB Apple ProFile hard disk drive |
| Built-in Memory | 512 KB |
| Maximum Memory | 2 MB |
| Memory Slots | 2 – Apple Lisa memory boards |
| Minimum Speed | 150 ns |
| ROM | 16 KB |
Display
| Built-in Display | 12″ monochrome display |
| Resolution | 720 x 364 |
Graphics
| Graphics Card | None |
| Graphics Memory | None |
Connections
| Modem | None |
| Ethernet | None |
| ADB | None |
| SCSI | None |
| Serial | 2 – RS-232C 1 – DE-9 |
| Parallel | 1 – D-25 |
| Audio In | None |
| Audio Out | 1 – Built-in speaker |
| Floppy Port | None |
| Display | 1 – RCA composite video output |
Expansion
| Slots | 3 – Apple Lisa expansion slots |
| Media | Built-in 400 KB 3.5-inch floppy disk drive |
Accessories
| Keyboard | 76-key Selectric-style, detached keyboard with 10-key pad |
Software
| Original OS | MacWorks XL (support for up to System Software 1.1) |
| Maximum OS | MacWorks Plus II (support for up to System 7.5.5) |
| Firmware | N/A |
Power
| Backup Battery | 4.8 V NICAD or None |
| Maximum Continuous Power | 150 W |
| Line Voltage | 115 or 230V AC |
Further Reading and References
- Macintosh XL: Technical Specifications – Apple Support
- Macintosh XL – Wikipedia
- Apple Lisa 2 (Macintosh XL) – Low End Mac
- Computer System – Apple Lisa 2 (modified to Macintosh XL) – Museums Victoria
- Macintosh XL MacWorks XL – Software – Computing History
Disclaimer: The data presented in this article is under continuous development and has been manually collected from various sources based on their availability. The author of this article may revise this dataset as additional research is conducted and reviewed. Please note that the information is provided “as is” and “as available” without express or implied warranties. The author cannot be held responsible for any omissions, inaccuracies, or errors in the published information. Any warranties relating to this information are hereby disclaimed.
Last updated: March 13, 2023
