LocalTalk

LocalTalk is an implementation of the AppleTalk protocol over serial ports that was developed by Apple Computer for its early Macintosh product line. It gradually fell out of use as Apple introduced the faster EtherTalk protocol in 1987 and finally dropped legacy serial ports with the introduction of the iMac in 1998.

History
LocalTalk was first released in 1985 for the Macintosh Office and was included with most LaserWriter models. LocalTalk bandwidth could reach up to 230.4 kbps, a four-fold increase over the standard 57.6 kbps speed of the serial port. PhoneNet was developed by Farallon as to use standard phone lines as a popular alternate to Apple's relatively expensive LocalTalk cables.

Discontinuation
In October 1991, Apple introduced its Macintosh Quadra line with faster proprietary AAUI Ethernet connectors, though RS-422 serial ports were still retained in early Power Macintosh models. In November 1997, Apple switched to as its preferred Ethernet connector in the "beige" Power Macintosh G3, which was also the last model to have built-in LocalTalk support.