The Mac NC, sometimes referred to as the Macintosh NC, was a network thin client

Thin client

A thin client is a computer or a computer program which depends heavily on some other computer to fulfill its traditional computational roles. This stands in contrast to the traditional fat client, a computer designed to take on these roles by itself...

 that was expected to be released by Apple by April 1998. The device was widely promoted by then-Apple director Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison

Lawrence Joseph "Larry" Ellison is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation, one of the world's leading enterprise software companies. As of 2011, he is the third wealthiest American citizen, with an estimated worth of $33 billion.- Early life :Larry Ellison was born in the...

, apparently as part of his Oracle

Oracle Corporation

Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...

 Network Computer

Network computer

Network Computer is a trademark of Oracle Corporation that was used, from approximately 1996 to 2000, to market a range of diskless desktop computer devices. The devices were designed and manufactured by an alliance, which included Sun Microsystems, IBM, and others...

 initiative. The Mac NC was ultimately never released, although key components of its technology were inherited by the original iMac

IMac

The iMac is a range of all-in-one Macintosh desktop computers built by Apple. It has been the primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since its introduction in 1998, and has evolved through five distinct forms....

, which was released in August 1998.

History

In December 1997, while talking to the Harvard Computer Society, Apple director Larry Ellison announced that Apple would release a product called the Macintosh NC in April 1998. He suggested the network computer would have a "near-300 MHz" processor and a 17-inch screen, and would sell for less than $1,000 (with a hard disk

Hard disk

A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...

 drive available as an extra costing an additional $100). Ellison, as chief executive officer at Oracle Corporation

Oracle Corporation

Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...

, had overseen the development of a business alliance that produced a number of Network Computer

Network computer

Network Computer is a trademark of Oracle Corporation that was used, from approximately 1996 to 2000, to market a range of diskless desktop computer devices. The devices were designed and manufactured by an alliance, which included Sun Microsystems, IBM, and others...

-branded devices from companies such as Sun and IBM. Apple never manufactured any devices under the Oracle alliance, but did endorse the Network Computer Reference Profile

Network Computer Reference Profile

Network Computer Reference Profile was a specification for a network computer put forward by Oracle Corporation, endorsed by Sun Microsystems, IBM, Apple Computer, and Netscape, and finalized in 1996.-NC1:...

.

External links

• Birth of the iMac article at The Mac Observer