History of computer design: Macintosh IIsi
4-frogdesign || 5-Corporate focus || Conclusion || Bibliography & links
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The most
similar to previous modular Macintosh designs, the Macintosh
IIsi was also the most powerful, expandable and expensive of
the three consumer-oriented computers introduced in October
1990 (see
technical
specifications). Snow White lines cover its sides and
top, associating it to the performance of the other
Macintosh II models. The IIsi has the recessed base of the
Mac II, but its surface is unadorned; the Snow White lines
appear only above it. This contributes visually to the
machine's already relatively small size. The front bezel has
only the strip containing the floppy slot, and this surface
is further softened by its 50-inch radial curve. This curve
is answered playfully by the
bulging vents that arc out of the back of the machine. The
front bezel also tilts backwards five degrees to face the
user in what suggests a gesture of anticipation.
The backward tilt and radial curve
of the IIsi front bezel allowed it to 
appear closely
integrated with a monitor which Apple designed to sit on top
of the computer, and the IIsi case and this display were
shaped together to have the same footprint. The curve and
tilt of the IIsi also make it consistent with the Macintosh
LC, another new computer also shaped to have a close fit
with its monitor.
To a crisis at Apple
(1989)
To the Macintosh LC
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