Macintosh IIcx

Half a year following the release of the Macintosh IIx passed before Apple introduced the Macintosh IIcx in 1989. Despite resembling the IIx to a great extent and providing the same performance, the IIcx was quieter (due to its quieter fan on a smaller power supply) than its predecessor. The design was also made much more compact by reducing the number of NuBus slots from 6 to 3. The new case, Apple's first to be designed to operate in either horizontal or vertical orientation, remained in use for its successors the IIci and Quadra 700. The idea for vertical orientation, one of the first minitower cases, was suggested by Apple CEO John Sculley, who was running out of space on his desk.The model was designated IIcx for compact (echoing the earlier Apple IIc compact model in the Apple II series), and the x was Apple's designation for the 68030 processor.