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Apple II

This article is about the 1977–1993 line of microcomputers. For the first model in the series, see Apple II (original).
"Apple 2" redirects here. For the nuclear test during Operation Teapot, see Apple-2.
Not to be confused with Macintosh II.

Apple II
The 1977 Apple II, shown here with two Disk II floppy disk drives and a 1980s-era Apple Monitor II
DeveloperSteve Wozniak (original lead designer)
ManufacturerApple Computer, Inc.
Release dateJune 1977 (1977-06) (original Apple II)[1]
DiscontinuedOctober 1993 (1993-10)
Operating system
CPU
Storage
DisplayNTSC video out (built-in RCA connector)
PredecessorApple I
SuccessorApple III (intended)

The Apple II series of microcomputers was initially designed by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.), and launched in 1977 with the Apple II model that gave the series its name. It was followed by the Apple II Plus, Apple IIe, Apple IIc, and Apple IIc Plus, with the 1983 IIe being the most popular. The name is trademarked with square brackets as Apple ][, then, beginning with the IIe, as Apple //. In terms of ease of use, features, and expandability, the Apple II was a major advancement over its predecessor, the Apple I, a limited-production bare circuit board computer for electronics hobbyists.

The Apple II computers are based on the 6502 8-bit processor and can display text and two resolutions of color graphics. A software-controlled speaker provides one channel of low-fidelity audio. A model with more advanced graphics and sound and a 16-bit processor, the Apple IIGS, was added in 1986. It remained compatible with earlier Apple II models, but the IIGS has more in common with mid-1980s systems like the Atari ST, Amiga, and Acorn Archimedes.

An Apple II Europlus

The Apple II was first sold on June 10, 1977.[2][3] By the end of production in 1993, somewhere between five and six million Apple II series computers (including about 1.25 million Apple IIGS models) had been produced.[4] The Apple II was one of the longest running mass-produced home computer series, with models in production for just under 17 years.

The Apple II became one of several recognizable and successful computers during the 1980s and early 1990s, although this was mainly limited to the US. It was aggressively marketed through volume discounts and manufacturing arrangements to educational institutions, which made it the first computer in widespread use in American secondary schools, displacing the early leader Commodore PET. The effort to develop educational and business software for the Apple II, including the 1979 release of the popular VisiCalc spreadsheet, made the computer especially popular with business users and families.[5][6][7]

An Apple IIe with disk drive and monitor

Despite the introduction of the Motorola 68000-based Macintosh in 1984, the Apple II series still reportedly accounted for 85% of the company's hardware sales in the first quarter of fiscal 1985.[8] Apple continued to sell Apple II systems alongside the Macintosh until terminating the IIGS in December 1992[9] and the IIe in November 1993.[10] The last II-series Apple in production, the IIe card for Macintoshes, was discontinued on October 15, 1993. The total Apple II sales of all of its models during its 16-year production run were about 6 million units, with the peak occurring in 1983 when 1 million were sold.

  1. ^ Weyhrich, Steven (July 10, 2010). "1969-1977". Apple II History. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  2. ^ "June 10, 1978 - Apple II Released Today". This Day in History. Mountain View, CA: Computer History Museum. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  3. ^ Weyhrich, Steven (December 2008). "4-The Apple II, cont. - Product Introduction". Apple II History. Apple2History.org. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2012. The first motherboard-only Apple II computers shipped on May 10, 1977, for those who wanted to add their own case, keyboard, and power supply (or wanted to update their Apple-1 "system" with the latest and greatest). A month later, on June 10, 1977, Apple began shipping full Apple II systems.
  4. ^ Forster, Winnie (2005). The encyclopedia of consoles, handhelds & home computers 1972–2005. GAMEPLAN. p. 18. ISBN 3-00-015359-4.
  5. ^ Chris Cavanaugh (May 2004). "Apple II Biography". Archived from the original on September 18, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  6. ^ Wilson Rothman (July 19, 2009). "Apple II: The World Catches On". Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  7. ^ Mary Bellis. "The First Spreadsheet". Archived from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  8. ^ Libes, Sol (June 1985). "Apple Bytes and Pits". BYTE. pp. 468–469. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  9. ^ "Apple IIGS // Collections". Applematters.com. May 23, 2005. Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  10. ^ Steven Weyhrich (May 16, 2003). "Apple II History Timeline". Apple2history.org. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved May 25, 2010.

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