The
Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the
Apple II seriesThe Apple II series is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II...
of
personal computersA microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
produced by Apple Computer. The "
GS" in the name stands for
Graphics and
Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line. At the time of its release, while it featured graphics comparable to other advanced
home computerHome computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
s of the era (even more advanced than the black and white
MacintoshThe Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
, apart from a lower vertical resolution), it was most notable for its then state-of-the-art sound and music synthesis which surpassed all other personal computers at the time.
The machine was a radical departure from any previous Apple II, with its true 16-bit architecture, increased processing speed, direct access to megabytes of RAM, wavetable music synthesizer,
graphical user interfaceIn computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
, and
mouseIn computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
. While still maintaining full backwards compatibility with earlier Apple II models, it blended the Apple II and aspects of Macintosh technology into one. Keeping with Apple's "Apple II Forever" slogan of the time, the set forth a promising future and evolutionary advancement of the Apple II line, but Apple paid it relatively little attention as the company increasingly focused on the Macintosh platform.
The Apple was the first computer produced by Apple to use a color
graphical user interfaceIn computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
, as well as the "Platinum" (light grey) color scheme and the
Apple Desktop BusApple Desktop Bus is an obsolete bit-serial computer bus connecting low-speed devices to computers. Used primarily on the Macintosh platform, ADB equipment is still available but not supported by most Apple hardware manufactured since 1999....
interface for keyboards, mice, and other input devices. It was also the first personal computer to come with a built-in "wavetable"
sample-based synthesizerSample-based synthesis is a form of audio synthesis that can be contrasted to either subtractive synthesis or additive synthesis. The principal difference with sample-based synthesis is that the seed waveforms are sampled sounds or instruments instead of fundamental waveforms such as the saw waves...
chip, utilizing technology from
EnsoniqEnsoniq Corp. was an American electronics manufacturer, best known throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s for its musical instruments, principally samplers and synthesizers.- Company history :...
. The machine outsold all other Apple products, including the Macintosh, during its first year in production.
Background
The was released September 15, 1986. Apple's portion of the computer industry at this time was transitioning from the 8-bit 6502 CPU technology that started it, to the newer 16/32 bit
Motorola 68000The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-bit CISC microprocessor core designed and marketed by Freescale Semiconductor...
used by computers such as the Commodore Amiga and
Atari STThe Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
and the Apple Macintosh. In order to maintain compatibility with previous members of the Apple II line, Apple chose the
Western Design CenterThe Western Design Center , located in Mesa, Arizona, USA, is a company developing and manufacturing MOS 65xx-based microprocessors, microcontrollers , and related support chips...
65C816 processor for the IIgs. In addition to providing platform continuity, the lower capability processor kept the IIgs from competing with the Macintosh which, at the time, was monochrome-only. Like the Apple IIe, the IIgs was somewhat popular with schools, but Apple failed to promote and update the , preferring to focus on introducing the Macintosh into these markets instead. The was far more expensively priced and slower in terms of raw processing speed compared to its competitors and increasingly, without regular advancement updates, fell behind other personal computers over its lifetime. Apple finally ceased production of the model in December 1992.
Hardware features
The Apple was an innovative computer with many improvements over the older
Apple IIeThe Apple IIe is the third model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The e in the name stands for enhanced, referring to the fact that several popular features were now built-in that were only available as upgrades and add-ons in earlier models...
and
Apple IIcThe Apple IIc, the fourth model in the Apple II series of personal computers, was Apple Computer’s first endeavor to produce a portable computer. The end result was a notebook-sized version of the Apple II that could be transported from place to place...
. It emulated its predecessors by utilizing a custom
chipAn integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
called the
Mega IIThe Mega II is a custom chip from Apple Computer used in some of their Apple II product line. It was used particularly in the Apple IIGS microcomputer, and an updated version, called the "Gemini" chip, was used in the Apple IIe Card for the Macintosh LC...
and used the new
Western Design CenterThe Western Design Center , located in Mesa, Arizona, USA, is a company developing and manufacturing MOS 65xx-based microprocessors, microcontrollers , and related support chips...
65816
16-bit-16-bit architecture:The HP BPC, introduced in 1975, was the world's first 16-bit microprocessor. Prominent 16-bit processors include the PDP-11, Intel 8086, Intel 80286 and the WDC 65C816. The Intel 8088 was program-compatible with the Intel 8086, and was 16-bit in that its registers were 16...
microprocessorA microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
running at , which was faster than the
8-bitThe first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
6502The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of...
and 65C02 processors used in earlier Apple IIs. This also allowed the to use more RAM. Note that the frequency was a commercial choice from Apple : At that time, the 65C816 was capable of higher frequencies, such as . But it was decided to limit the frequency so that the Apple IIgs would not become a competitor to the Macintosh. This decision had a critical impact on the Apple IIgs' success..
The also included enhanced graphics and sound, which led to its
GS name. Its graphics were the best of the Apple II series, with new Super High Resolution video modes. These included a 640×200-pixel mode with 2-bit color and a 320×200-pixel mode with
4-bitThe Intel 4004, the world's first commercially available single-chip microprocessor, was a 4-bit CPU. The F-14 Tomcat's Central Air Data Computer was created a year before the 4004, but its existence was classified by the United States Navy until 1997...
color, both of which could select 4 or 16 colors (respectively) from a palette of 4,096 colors. By changing the palette on each scanline, it was possible to display up to 256 colors or more per screen, which was quite commonly seen within games and
graphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
software. Through some clever programming, it was possible to display as many as 3,200 colors at once. When first introduced, Apple's user interface known as
MouseDesk and the system
Demo were both in black and white only. Users did not see color until an application which took advantage of the new features was launched. Audio was generated by a built-in sound and music synthesizer in the form of the
EnsoniqEnsoniq Corp. was an American electronics manufacturer, best known throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s for its musical instruments, principally samplers and synthesizers.- Company history :...
Digital Oscillator Chip (DOC), which had its own dedicated
RAM-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
and 32 separate channels of sound. These channels were paired to produce 15 voices, in stereo audio.
The could support both 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch floppy disks and, like the IIe before it, had several expansion slots. These included seven general-purpose expansion slots compatible with those on the Apple II, II+, and IIe, plus a memory expansion slot that could be used to add up to 8
MBThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
of RAM. The , like the IIc, also had dedicated ports for external devices. These included a port to attach floppy disk drives, two
serial portIn computing, a serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time...
s for devices such as
printerIn computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a text or graphics of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many printers are primarily used as local peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable or, in most new printers, a...
s and
modemA modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
s (which could also be used to connect to a
LocalTalkLocalTalk is a particular implementation of the physical layer of the AppleTalk networking system from Apple Computer. LocalTalk specifies a system of shielded twisted pair cabling, plugged into self-terminating transceivers, running at a rate of 230.4 kbit/s...
network), an
Apple Desktop BusApple Desktop Bus is an obsolete bit-serial computer bus connecting low-speed devices to computers. Used primarily on the Macintosh platform, ADB equipment is still available but not supported by most Apple hardware manufactured since 1999....
port to connect the
keyboardIn computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
and
mouseIn computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
, and
compositeComposite video is the format of an analog television signal before it is combined with a sound signal and modulated onto an RF carrier. In contrast to component video it contains all required video information, including colors in a single line-level signal...
and RGB video ports. These ports were associated with the slots, so for example using a card in slot 1 would mean the printer port was disabled.
The also supported booting from an
AppleShareAppleShare was a product from Apple Computer which implemented various network services. Its main purpose was acting as a file server, using the AFP protocol...
server, via the
AppleTalkAppleTalk is a proprietary suite of protocols developed by Apple Inc. for networking computers. It was included in the original Macintosh released in 1984, but is now unsupported as of the release of Mac OS X v10.6 in 2009 in favor of TCP/IP networking...
protocol, over
LocalTalkLocalTalk is a particular implementation of the physical layer of the AppleTalk networking system from Apple Computer. LocalTalk specifies a system of shielded twisted pair cabling, plugged into self-terminating transceivers, running at a rate of 230.4 kbit/s...
cabling. When the "Apple IIe Workstation Card" was introduced, this capability was given to the IIe. This was over a decade before
NetBootNetBoot is a technology from Apple which enables Macs with capable firmware to boot from a network, rather than a local hard disk or optical disc drive. NetBoot is a derived work from the Bootstrap Protocol , and is similar in concept to the Preboot Execution Environment...
offered the same capability to computers running Mac OS 8 and beyond.
Graphics modes
In addition to supporting all graphics modes of previous Apple II models, the Apple introduced several new ones through a custom Video Graphics Chip (VGC), all of which used a 12-bit palette for a total of 4,096 possible colors, though not all colors could appear onscreen at the same time.
- 320×200 pixels with a single palette of 16 colors.
- 320×200 pixels with up to 16 palettes of 16 colors. In this mode, the VGC holds 16 separate palettes of 16 colors in its own memory. Each of the 200 scan lines can be assigned any one of these palettes allowing for up to 256 colors on the screen at once. This mode is handled entirely by the VGC with no CPU assistance, making it perfect for games and high-speed animation.
- 320×200 pixels with up to 200 palettes of 16 colors. In this mode, the CPU assists the VGC in swapping palettes in and out of the video memory so that each scan line can have its own palette of 16 colors allowing for up to 3,200 colors on the screen at once. This mode is computationally intensive, however, and is only suitable for viewing graphics or in paint programs.
- 320×200 pixels with 15 colors per palette, plus a "fill mode" color. In this mode, color 0 in the palette is replaced by the last non-zero color pixel displayed on the scan line (to the left), allowing fast solid-fill graphics (drawn with only the outlines).
- 640×200 pixels with four pure colors. This mode is generally only used for ensuring that the Apple logo and menu bar retain their colors in Desktop applications.
- 640×200 pixels with 16 dithered colors. In this mode, two palettes of four pure colors each are used in alternating columns. The hardware then dithers the colors of adjacent pixels to create 16 total colors on the screen. This mode is generally used for programs requiring finer detail such as word processors and the Finder.
Each scan line on the screen could independently select either 320- or 640-mode, fill mode (320-mode only), and any of the 16 palettes, allowing graphics modes to be mixed on the screen. This is most often seen in graphics programs where the menu bar is constantly in 640-pixel resolution and the working area's mode can be changed depending on the user's needs.
Like other Apple computers, the lacked
hardware spritesIn computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
.
Later on, video cards such as Sequential Systems' Second Sight added SVGA modes allowing 24-bit color to the Apple .
Audio features
The Apple ' sound was provided by an
EnsoniqEnsoniq Corp. was an American electronics manufacturer, best known throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s for its musical instruments, principally samplers and synthesizers.- Company history :...
ES5503 DOC wavetable sound chip, the same chip used in
Ensoniq MirageThe Ensoniq Corporation's Mirage was an 8-bit sampler introduced in 1984. Priced below $2000 with features previously only found on more expensive samplers like the Fairlight CMI, it became a best seller....
and
Ensoniq ESQ-1Ensoniq ESQ-1 is a hybrid digital-analog synthesizer released by Ensoniq in 1986. The ESQ-1 featured 8 voices with 3 digital oscillators per voice. Each oscillator could be set to one of 32 different waveforms. Some of these were standard simple waveforms such as sawtooth and pulse, while others...
professional-grade synthesizers. The chip allowed for 32 separate channels of sound, though most software paired them into 16 stereo voices, as did most of the standard tools of the operating system (the MIDISynth Tool Set grouped four channels per voice, for a limit of seven-voice audio). The is often referred to as a "fifteen-voice system," though one stereo voice is reserved by the OS at all times for timing and system sounds. Software that doesn't use the OS, or uses custom-programmed tools (most games and demos do this), can access the chip directly and take advantage of all 32 voices.
A standard -inch headphone jack was provided on the back of the case, and standard stereo computer speakers could be attached there. However, it provided only mono sound through this jack, and a third-party adapter card was required to produce true two-channel stereo, despite the fact that the Ensoniq and virtually all native software produced stereo audio (stereo audio was essentially built into the machine, but had to be de-multiplexed by third-party cards).
Applied EngineeringApplied Engineering, headquartered in Carrollton, TX, was a leading third-party hardware vendor for the Apple II series of computers from the early 1980s until the mid-1990s.-History:...
's SonicBlaster was one of a few developed cards for this purpose.
Expansion capabilities
Like the Apple IIe before it, the was highly expandable. The expansion slots could be used for a variety of purposes, greatly increasing the computer's capabilities.
SCSISmall Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
host adaptors could be used to connect external SCSI devices such as hard drives and CD-ROM drives. Other mass storage devices such as adaptors supporting more recent internal 2.5-inch IDE hard drives could also be used. Another common class of
Apple
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2011}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Apple {{sc|II|gs}}}}
{{Mac specs
|Image=Apple IIgs 001.jpg
|Introduced=September 1986
|MSRP=$999 USD
|CPU=65C816The W65C816S is a 16-bit microprocessor developed by the Western Design Center . The W65C816S is an enhanced version of the WDC 65C02 8-bit MPU, itself a CMOS enhancement of the venerable MOS Technology 6502 NMOS MPU...
|CPU speed=1 or 2.8 MHz
|OS=Apple ProDOS,
Apple GS/OS
|RAM=256
KBThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
or 1
MBThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
(expandable up to 8 MB)
|RAMtype=
|Discontinued=December 1992}}
The
Apple {{sc|IIGS}}, the fifth and most powerful model in the
Apple II seriesThe Apple II series is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II...
of
personal computersA microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
produced by Apple Computer. The "
GS" in the name stands for
Graphics and
Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line. At the time of its release, while it featured graphics comparable to other advanced
home computerHome computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
s of the era (even more advanced than the black and white
MacintoshThe Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
, apart from a lower vertical resolution), it was most notable for its then state-of-the-art sound and music synthesis which surpassed all other personal computers at the time.
The machine was a radical departure from any previous Apple II, with its true 16-bit architecture, increased processing speed, direct access to megabytes of RAM, wavetable music synthesizer,
graphical user interfaceIn computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
, and
mouseIn computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
. While still maintaining full backwards compatibility with earlier Apple II models, it blended the Apple II and aspects of Macintosh technology into one. Keeping with Apple's "Apple II Forever" slogan of the time, the {{sc|IIgs}} set forth a promising future and evolutionary advancement of the Apple II line, but Apple paid it relatively little attention as the company increasingly focused on the Macintosh platform.
The Apple {{sc|IIgs}} was the first computer produced by Apple to use a color
graphical user interfaceIn computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
, as well as the "Platinum" (light grey) color scheme and the
Apple Desktop BusApple Desktop Bus is an obsolete bit-serial computer bus connecting low-speed devices to computers. Used primarily on the Macintosh platform, ADB equipment is still available but not supported by most Apple hardware manufactured since 1999....
interface for keyboards, mice, and other input devices. It was also the first personal computer to come with a built-in "wavetable"
sample-based synthesizerSample-based synthesis is a form of audio synthesis that can be contrasted to either subtractive synthesis or additive synthesis. The principal difference with sample-based synthesis is that the seed waveforms are sampled sounds or instruments instead of fundamental waveforms such as the saw waves...
chip, utilizing technology from
EnsoniqEnsoniq Corp. was an American electronics manufacturer, best known throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s for its musical instruments, principally samplers and synthesizers.- Company history :...
. The machine outsold all other Apple products, including the Macintosh, during its first year in production.
Background
The {{sc|IIgs}} was released September 15, 1986. Apple's portion of the computer industry at this time was transitioning from the 8-bit 6502 CPU technology that started it, to the newer 16/32 bit
Motorola 68000The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-bit CISC microprocessor core designed and marketed by Freescale Semiconductor...
used by computers such as the Commodore Amiga and
Atari STThe Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
and the Apple Macintosh. In order to maintain compatibility with previous members of the Apple II line, Apple chose the
Western Design CenterThe Western Design Center , located in Mesa, Arizona, USA, is a company developing and manufacturing MOS 65xx-based microprocessors, microcontrollers , and related support chips...
65C816 processor for the IIgs. In addition to providing platform continuity, the lower capability processor kept the IIgs from competing with the Macintosh which, at the time, was monochrome-only. Like the Apple IIe, the IIgs was somewhat popular with schools, but Apple failed to promote and update the {{sc|IIgs}}, preferring to focus on introducing the Macintosh into these markets instead. The {{sc|IIgs}} was far more expensively priced and slower in terms of raw processing speed compared to its competitors and increasingly, without regular advancement updates, fell behind other personal computers over its lifetime. Apple finally ceased production of the model in December 1992.
Hardware features
The Apple {{sc|IIgs}} was an innovative computer with many improvements over the older
Apple IIeThe Apple IIe is the third model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The e in the name stands for enhanced, referring to the fact that several popular features were now built-in that were only available as upgrades and add-ons in earlier models...
and
Apple IIcThe Apple IIc, the fourth model in the Apple II series of personal computers, was Apple Computer’s first endeavor to produce a portable computer. The end result was a notebook-sized version of the Apple II that could be transported from place to place...
. It emulated its predecessors by utilizing a custom
chipAn integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
called the
Mega IIThe Mega II is a custom chip from Apple Computer used in some of their Apple II product line. It was used particularly in the Apple IIGS microcomputer, and an updated version, called the "Gemini" chip, was used in the Apple IIe Card for the Macintosh LC...
and used the new
Western Design CenterThe Western Design Center , located in Mesa, Arizona, USA, is a company developing and manufacturing MOS 65xx-based microprocessors, microcontrollers , and related support chips...
65816
16-bit-16-bit architecture:The HP BPC, introduced in 1975, was the world's first 16-bit microprocessor. Prominent 16-bit processors include the PDP-11, Intel 8086, Intel 80286 and the WDC 65C816. The Intel 8088 was program-compatible with the Intel 8086, and was 16-bit in that its registers were 16...
microprocessorA microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
running at {{nowrap|2.8 MHz}}, which was faster than the
8-bitThe first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
6502The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of...
and 65C02 processors used in earlier Apple IIs. This also allowed the {{sc|IIgs}} to use more RAM. Note that the {{nowrap|2.8 MHz}} frequency was a commercial choice from Apple : At that time, the 65C816 was capable of higher frequencies, such as {{nowrap|16 MHz}}. But it was decided to limit the frequency so that the Apple IIgs would not become a competitor to the Macintosh. This decision had a critical impact on the Apple IIgs' success..
The {{sc|IIgs}} also included enhanced graphics and sound, which led to its
GS name. Its graphics were the best of the Apple II series, with new Super High Resolution video modes. These included a 640×200-pixel mode with 2-bit color and a 320×200-pixel mode with
4-bitThe Intel 4004, the world's first commercially available single-chip microprocessor, was a 4-bit CPU. The F-14 Tomcat's Central Air Data Computer was created a year before the 4004, but its existence was classified by the United States Navy until 1997...
color, both of which could select 4 or 16 colors (respectively) from a palette of 4,096 colors. By changing the palette on each scanline, it was possible to display up to 256 colors or more per screen, which was quite commonly seen within games and
graphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
software. Through some clever programming, it was possible to display as many as 3,200 colors at once. When first introduced, Apple's user interface known as
MouseDesk and the {{sc|IIgs}} system
Demo were both in black and white only. Users did not see color until an application which took advantage of the new features was launched. Audio was generated by a built-in sound and music synthesizer in the form of the
EnsoniqEnsoniq Corp. was an American electronics manufacturer, best known throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s for its musical instruments, principally samplers and synthesizers.- Company history :...
Digital Oscillator Chip (DOC), which had its own dedicated
RAM-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
and 32 separate channels of sound. These channels were paired to produce 15 voices, in stereo audio.
The {{sc|IIgs}} could support both 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch floppy disks and, like the IIe before it, had several expansion slots. These included seven general-purpose expansion slots compatible with those on the Apple II, II+, and IIe, plus a memory expansion slot that could be used to add up to 8
MBThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
of RAM. The {{sc|IIgs}}, like the IIc, also had dedicated ports for external devices. These included a port to attach floppy disk drives, two
serial portIn computing, a serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time...
s for devices such as
printerIn computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a text or graphics of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many printers are primarily used as local peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable or, in most new printers, a...
s and
modemA modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
s (which could also be used to connect to a
LocalTalkLocalTalk is a particular implementation of the physical layer of the AppleTalk networking system from Apple Computer. LocalTalk specifies a system of shielded twisted pair cabling, plugged into self-terminating transceivers, running at a rate of 230.4 kbit/s...
network), an
Apple Desktop BusApple Desktop Bus is an obsolete bit-serial computer bus connecting low-speed devices to computers. Used primarily on the Macintosh platform, ADB equipment is still available but not supported by most Apple hardware manufactured since 1999....
port to connect the
keyboardIn computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
and
mouseIn computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
, and
compositeComposite video is the format of an analog television signal before it is combined with a sound signal and modulated onto an RF carrier. In contrast to component video it contains all required video information, including colors in a single line-level signal...
and RGB video ports. These ports were associated with the slots, so for example using a card in slot 1 would mean the printer port was disabled.
The {{sc|IIgs}} also supported booting from an
AppleShareAppleShare was a product from Apple Computer which implemented various network services. Its main purpose was acting as a file server, using the AFP protocol...
server, via the
AppleTalkAppleTalk is a proprietary suite of protocols developed by Apple Inc. for networking computers. It was included in the original Macintosh released in 1984, but is now unsupported as of the release of Mac OS X v10.6 in 2009 in favor of TCP/IP networking...
protocol, over
LocalTalkLocalTalk is a particular implementation of the physical layer of the AppleTalk networking system from Apple Computer. LocalTalk specifies a system of shielded twisted pair cabling, plugged into self-terminating transceivers, running at a rate of 230.4 kbit/s...
cabling. When the "Apple IIe Workstation Card" was introduced, this capability was given to the IIe. This was over a decade before
NetBootNetBoot is a technology from Apple which enables Macs with capable firmware to boot from a network, rather than a local hard disk or optical disc drive. NetBoot is a derived work from the Bootstrap Protocol , and is similar in concept to the Preboot Execution Environment...
offered the same capability to computers running Mac OS 8 and beyond.
Graphics modes
In addition to supporting all graphics modes of previous Apple II models, the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} introduced several new ones through a custom Video Graphics Chip (VGC), all of which used a 12-bit palette for a total of 4,096 possible colors, though not all colors could appear onscreen at the same time.
- 320×200 pixels with a single palette of 16 colors.
- 320×200 pixels with up to 16 palettes of 16 colors. In this mode, the VGC holds 16 separate palettes of 16 colors in its own memory. Each of the 200 scan lines can be assigned any one of these palettes allowing for up to 256 colors on the screen at once. This mode is handled entirely by the VGC with no CPU assistance, making it perfect for games and high-speed animation.
- 320×200 pixels with up to 200 palettes of 16 colors. In this mode, the CPU assists the VGC in swapping palettes in and out of the video memory so that each scan line can have its own palette of 16 colors allowing for up to 3,200 colors on the screen at once. This mode is computationally intensive, however, and is only suitable for viewing graphics or in paint programs.
- 320×200 pixels with 15 colors per palette, plus a "fill mode" color. In this mode, color 0 in the palette is replaced by the last non-zero color pixel displayed on the scan line (to the left), allowing fast solid-fill graphics (drawn with only the outlines).
- 640×200 pixels with four pure colors. This mode is generally only used for ensuring that the Apple logo and menu bar retain their colors in Desktop applications.
- 640×200 pixels with 16 dithered colors. In this mode, two palettes of four pure colors each are used in alternating columns. The hardware then dithers the colors of adjacent pixels to create 16 total colors on the screen. This mode is generally used for programs requiring finer detail such as word processors and the Finder.
Each scan line on the screen could independently select either 320- or 640-mode, fill mode (320-mode only), and any of the 16 palettes, allowing graphics modes to be mixed on the screen. This is most often seen in graphics programs where the menu bar is constantly in 640-pixel resolution and the working area's mode can be changed depending on the user's needs.
Like other Apple computers, the {{sc|IIgs}} lacked
hardware spritesIn computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
.
Later on, video cards such as Sequential Systems' Second Sight added SVGA modes allowing 24-bit color to the Apple {{sc|IIgs}}.
Audio features
The Apple {{sc|IIgs}}' sound was provided by an
EnsoniqEnsoniq Corp. was an American electronics manufacturer, best known throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s for its musical instruments, principally samplers and synthesizers.- Company history :...
ES5503 DOC wavetable sound chip, the same chip used in
Ensoniq MirageThe Ensoniq Corporation's Mirage was an 8-bit sampler introduced in 1984. Priced below $2000 with features previously only found on more expensive samplers like the Fairlight CMI, it became a best seller....
and
Ensoniq ESQ-1Ensoniq ESQ-1 is a hybrid digital-analog synthesizer released by Ensoniq in 1986. The ESQ-1 featured 8 voices with 3 digital oscillators per voice. Each oscillator could be set to one of 32 different waveforms. Some of these were standard simple waveforms such as sawtooth and pulse, while others...
professional-grade synthesizers. The chip allowed for 32 separate channels of sound, though most software paired them into 16 stereo voices, as did most of the standard tools of the operating system (the MIDISynth Tool Set grouped four channels per voice, for a limit of seven-voice audio). The {{sc|IIgs}} is often referred to as a "fifteen-voice system," though one stereo voice is reserved by the OS at all times for timing and system sounds. Software that doesn't use the OS, or uses custom-programmed tools (most games and demos do this), can access the chip directly and take advantage of all 32 voices.
A standard {{frac|1|8}}-inch headphone jack was provided on the back of the case, and standard stereo computer speakers could be attached there. However, it provided only mono sound through this jack, and a third-party adapter card was required to produce true two-channel stereo, despite the fact that the Ensoniq and virtually all native software produced stereo audio (stereo audio was essentially built into the machine, but had to be de-multiplexed by third-party cards).
Applied EngineeringApplied Engineering, headquartered in Carrollton, TX, was a leading third-party hardware vendor for the Apple II series of computers from the early 1980s until the mid-1990s.-History:...
's SonicBlaster was one of a few developed cards for this purpose.
Expansion capabilities
Like the Apple IIe before it, the {{sc|IIgs}} was highly expandable. The expansion slots could be used for a variety of purposes, greatly increasing the computer's capabilities.
SCSISmall Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
host adaptors could be used to connect external SCSI devices such as hard drives and CD-ROM drives. Other mass storage devices such as adaptors supporting more recent internal 2.5-inch IDE hard drives could also be used. Another common class of
Apple
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2011}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Apple {{sc|II|gs}}}}
{{Mac specs
|Image=Apple IIgs 001.jpg
|Introduced=September 1986
|MSRP=$999 USD
|CPU=65C816The W65C816S is a 16-bit microprocessor developed by the Western Design Center . The W65C816S is an enhanced version of the WDC 65C02 8-bit MPU, itself a CMOS enhancement of the venerable MOS Technology 6502 NMOS MPU...
|CPU speed=1 or 2.8 MHz
|OS=Apple ProDOS,
Apple GS/OS
|RAM=256
KBThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
or 1
MBThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
(expandable up to 8 MB)
|RAMtype=
|Discontinued=December 1992}}
The
Apple {{sc|IIGS}}, the fifth and most powerful model in the
Apple II seriesThe Apple II series is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II...
of
personal computersA microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
produced by Apple Computer. The "
GS" in the name stands for
Graphics and
Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line. At the time of its release, while it featured graphics comparable to other advanced
home computerHome computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
s of the era (even more advanced than the black and white
MacintoshThe Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
, apart from a lower vertical resolution), it was most notable for its then state-of-the-art sound and music synthesis which surpassed all other personal computers at the time.
The machine was a radical departure from any previous Apple II, with its true 16-bit architecture, increased processing speed, direct access to megabytes of RAM, wavetable music synthesizer,
graphical user interfaceIn computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
, and
mouseIn computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
. While still maintaining full backwards compatibility with earlier Apple II models, it blended the Apple II and aspects of Macintosh technology into one. Keeping with Apple's "Apple II Forever" slogan of the time, the {{sc|IIgs}} set forth a promising future and evolutionary advancement of the Apple II line, but Apple paid it relatively little attention as the company increasingly focused on the Macintosh platform.
The Apple {{sc|IIgs}} was the first computer produced by Apple to use a color
graphical user interfaceIn computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
, as well as the "Platinum" (light grey) color scheme and the
Apple Desktop BusApple Desktop Bus is an obsolete bit-serial computer bus connecting low-speed devices to computers. Used primarily on the Macintosh platform, ADB equipment is still available but not supported by most Apple hardware manufactured since 1999....
interface for keyboards, mice, and other input devices. It was also the first personal computer to come with a built-in "wavetable"
sample-based synthesizerSample-based synthesis is a form of audio synthesis that can be contrasted to either subtractive synthesis or additive synthesis. The principal difference with sample-based synthesis is that the seed waveforms are sampled sounds or instruments instead of fundamental waveforms such as the saw waves...
chip, utilizing technology from
EnsoniqEnsoniq Corp. was an American electronics manufacturer, best known throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s for its musical instruments, principally samplers and synthesizers.- Company history :...
. The machine outsold all other Apple products, including the Macintosh, during its first year in production.
Background
The {{sc|IIgs}} was released September 15, 1986. Apple's portion of the computer industry at this time was transitioning from the 8-bit 6502 CPU technology that started it, to the newer 16/32 bit
Motorola 68000The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-bit CISC microprocessor core designed and marketed by Freescale Semiconductor...
used by computers such as the Commodore Amiga and
Atari STThe Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
and the Apple Macintosh. In order to maintain compatibility with previous members of the Apple II line, Apple chose the
Western Design CenterThe Western Design Center , located in Mesa, Arizona, USA, is a company developing and manufacturing MOS 65xx-based microprocessors, microcontrollers , and related support chips...
65C816 processor for the IIgs. In addition to providing platform continuity, the lower capability processor kept the IIgs from competing with the Macintosh which, at the time, was monochrome-only. Like the Apple IIe, the IIgs was somewhat popular with schools, but Apple failed to promote and update the {{sc|IIgs}}, preferring to focus on introducing the Macintosh into these markets instead. The {{sc|IIgs}} was far more expensively priced and slower in terms of raw processing speed compared to its competitors and increasingly, without regular advancement updates, fell behind other personal computers over its lifetime. Apple finally ceased production of the model in December 1992.
Hardware features
The Apple {{sc|IIgs}} was an innovative computer with many improvements over the older
Apple IIeThe Apple IIe is the third model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The e in the name stands for enhanced, referring to the fact that several popular features were now built-in that were only available as upgrades and add-ons in earlier models...
and
Apple IIcThe Apple IIc, the fourth model in the Apple II series of personal computers, was Apple Computer’s first endeavor to produce a portable computer. The end result was a notebook-sized version of the Apple II that could be transported from place to place...
. It emulated its predecessors by utilizing a custom
chipAn integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
called the
Mega IIThe Mega II is a custom chip from Apple Computer used in some of their Apple II product line. It was used particularly in the Apple IIGS microcomputer, and an updated version, called the "Gemini" chip, was used in the Apple IIe Card for the Macintosh LC...
and used the new
Western Design CenterThe Western Design Center , located in Mesa, Arizona, USA, is a company developing and manufacturing MOS 65xx-based microprocessors, microcontrollers , and related support chips...
65816
16-bit-16-bit architecture:The HP BPC, introduced in 1975, was the world's first 16-bit microprocessor. Prominent 16-bit processors include the PDP-11, Intel 8086, Intel 80286 and the WDC 65C816. The Intel 8088 was program-compatible with the Intel 8086, and was 16-bit in that its registers were 16...
microprocessorA microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
running at {{nowrap|2.8 MHz}}, which was faster than the
8-bitThe first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
6502The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of...
and 65C02 processors used in earlier Apple IIs. This also allowed the {{sc|IIgs}} to use more RAM. Note that the {{nowrap|2.8 MHz}} frequency was a commercial choice from Apple : At that time, the 65C816 was capable of higher frequencies, such as {{nowrap|16 MHz}}. But it was decided to limit the frequency so that the Apple IIgs would not become a competitor to the Macintosh. This decision had a critical impact on the Apple IIgs' success..
The {{sc|IIgs}} also included enhanced graphics and sound, which led to its
GS name. Its graphics were the best of the Apple II series, with new Super High Resolution video modes. These included a 640×200-pixel mode with 2-bit color and a 320×200-pixel mode with
4-bitThe Intel 4004, the world's first commercially available single-chip microprocessor, was a 4-bit CPU. The F-14 Tomcat's Central Air Data Computer was created a year before the 4004, but its existence was classified by the United States Navy until 1997...
color, both of which could select 4 or 16 colors (respectively) from a palette of 4,096 colors. By changing the palette on each scanline, it was possible to display up to 256 colors or more per screen, which was quite commonly seen within games and
graphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
software. Through some clever programming, it was possible to display as many as 3,200 colors at once. When first introduced, Apple's user interface known as
MouseDesk and the {{sc|IIgs}} system
Demo were both in black and white only. Users did not see color until an application which took advantage of the new features was launched. Audio was generated by a built-in sound and music synthesizer in the form of the
EnsoniqEnsoniq Corp. was an American electronics manufacturer, best known throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s for its musical instruments, principally samplers and synthesizers.- Company history :...
Digital Oscillator Chip (DOC), which had its own dedicated
RAM-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
and 32 separate channels of sound. These channels were paired to produce 15 voices, in stereo audio.
The {{sc|IIgs}} could support both 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch floppy disks and, like the IIe before it, had several expansion slots. These included seven general-purpose expansion slots compatible with those on the Apple II, II+, and IIe, plus a memory expansion slot that could be used to add up to 8
MBThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
of RAM. The {{sc|IIgs}}, like the IIc, also had dedicated ports for external devices. These included a port to attach floppy disk drives, two
serial portIn computing, a serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time...
s for devices such as
printerIn computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a text or graphics of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many printers are primarily used as local peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable or, in most new printers, a...
s and
modemA modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
s (which could also be used to connect to a
LocalTalkLocalTalk is a particular implementation of the physical layer of the AppleTalk networking system from Apple Computer. LocalTalk specifies a system of shielded twisted pair cabling, plugged into self-terminating transceivers, running at a rate of 230.4 kbit/s...
network), an
Apple Desktop BusApple Desktop Bus is an obsolete bit-serial computer bus connecting low-speed devices to computers. Used primarily on the Macintosh platform, ADB equipment is still available but not supported by most Apple hardware manufactured since 1999....
port to connect the
keyboardIn computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
and
mouseIn computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
, and
compositeComposite video is the format of an analog television signal before it is combined with a sound signal and modulated onto an RF carrier. In contrast to component video it contains all required video information, including colors in a single line-level signal...
and RGB video ports. These ports were associated with the slots, so for example using a card in slot 1 would mean the printer port was disabled.
The {{sc|IIgs}} also supported booting from an
AppleShareAppleShare was a product from Apple Computer which implemented various network services. Its main purpose was acting as a file server, using the AFP protocol...
server, via the
AppleTalkAppleTalk is a proprietary suite of protocols developed by Apple Inc. for networking computers. It was included in the original Macintosh released in 1984, but is now unsupported as of the release of Mac OS X v10.6 in 2009 in favor of TCP/IP networking...
protocol, over
LocalTalkLocalTalk is a particular implementation of the physical layer of the AppleTalk networking system from Apple Computer. LocalTalk specifies a system of shielded twisted pair cabling, plugged into self-terminating transceivers, running at a rate of 230.4 kbit/s...
cabling. When the "Apple IIe Workstation Card" was introduced, this capability was given to the IIe. This was over a decade before
NetBootNetBoot is a technology from Apple which enables Macs with capable firmware to boot from a network, rather than a local hard disk or optical disc drive. NetBoot is a derived work from the Bootstrap Protocol , and is similar in concept to the Preboot Execution Environment...
offered the same capability to computers running Mac OS 8 and beyond.
Graphics modes
In addition to supporting all graphics modes of previous Apple II models, the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} introduced several new ones through a custom Video Graphics Chip (VGC), all of which used a 12-bit palette for a total of 4,096 possible colors, though not all colors could appear onscreen at the same time.
- 320×200 pixels with a single palette of 16 colors.
- 320×200 pixels with up to 16 palettes of 16 colors. In this mode, the VGC holds 16 separate palettes of 16 colors in its own memory. Each of the 200 scan lines can be assigned any one of these palettes allowing for up to 256 colors on the screen at once. This mode is handled entirely by the VGC with no CPU assistance, making it perfect for games and high-speed animation.
- 320×200 pixels with up to 200 palettes of 16 colors. In this mode, the CPU assists the VGC in swapping palettes in and out of the video memory so that each scan line can have its own palette of 16 colors allowing for up to 3,200 colors on the screen at once. This mode is computationally intensive, however, and is only suitable for viewing graphics or in paint programs.
- 320×200 pixels with 15 colors per palette, plus a "fill mode" color. In this mode, color 0 in the palette is replaced by the last non-zero color pixel displayed on the scan line (to the left), allowing fast solid-fill graphics (drawn with only the outlines).
- 640×200 pixels with four pure colors. This mode is generally only used for ensuring that the Apple logo and menu bar retain their colors in Desktop applications.
- 640×200 pixels with 16 dithered colors. In this mode, two palettes of four pure colors each are used in alternating columns. The hardware then dithers the colors of adjacent pixels to create 16 total colors on the screen. This mode is generally used for programs requiring finer detail such as word processors and the Finder.
Each scan line on the screen could independently select either 320- or 640-mode, fill mode (320-mode only), and any of the 16 palettes, allowing graphics modes to be mixed on the screen. This is most often seen in graphics programs where the menu bar is constantly in 640-pixel resolution and the working area's mode can be changed depending on the user's needs.
Like other Apple computers, the {{sc|IIgs}} lacked
hardware spritesIn computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
.
Later on, video cards such as Sequential Systems' Second Sight added SVGA modes allowing 24-bit color to the Apple {{sc|IIgs}}.
Audio features
The Apple {{sc|IIgs}}' sound was provided by an
EnsoniqEnsoniq Corp. was an American electronics manufacturer, best known throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s for its musical instruments, principally samplers and synthesizers.- Company history :...
ES5503 DOC wavetable sound chip, the same chip used in
Ensoniq MirageThe Ensoniq Corporation's Mirage was an 8-bit sampler introduced in 1984. Priced below $2000 with features previously only found on more expensive samplers like the Fairlight CMI, it became a best seller....
and
Ensoniq ESQ-1Ensoniq ESQ-1 is a hybrid digital-analog synthesizer released by Ensoniq in 1986. The ESQ-1 featured 8 voices with 3 digital oscillators per voice. Each oscillator could be set to one of 32 different waveforms. Some of these were standard simple waveforms such as sawtooth and pulse, while others...
professional-grade synthesizers. The chip allowed for 32 separate channels of sound, though most software paired them into 16 stereo voices, as did most of the standard tools of the operating system (the MIDISynth Tool Set grouped four channels per voice, for a limit of seven-voice audio). The {{sc|IIgs}} is often referred to as a "fifteen-voice system," though one stereo voice is reserved by the OS at all times for timing and system sounds. Software that doesn't use the OS, or uses custom-programmed tools (most games and demos do this), can access the chip directly and take advantage of all 32 voices.
A standard {{frac|1|8}}-inch headphone jack was provided on the back of the case, and standard stereo computer speakers could be attached there. However, it provided only mono sound through this jack, and a third-party adapter card was required to produce true two-channel stereo, despite the fact that the Ensoniq and virtually all native software produced stereo audio (stereo audio was essentially built into the machine, but had to be de-multiplexed by third-party cards).
Applied EngineeringApplied Engineering, headquartered in Carrollton, TX, was a leading third-party hardware vendor for the Apple II series of computers from the early 1980s until the mid-1990s.-History:...
's SonicBlaster was one of a few developed cards for this purpose.
Expansion capabilities
Like the Apple IIe before it, the {{sc|IIgs}} was highly expandable. The expansion slots could be used for a variety of purposes, greatly increasing the computer's capabilities.
SCSISmall Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
host adaptors could be used to connect external SCSI devices such as hard drives and CD-ROM drives. Other mass storage devices such as adaptors supporting more recent internal 2.5-inch IDE hard drives could also be used. Another common class of
Apple {{scThe Apple II line of computers supported a number of Apple II peripheral cards, expansion cards which plugged into slots on the motherboard, and added to and extended the functionality of the base system....
was accelerator cards, such as
Applied EngineeringApplied Engineering, headquartered in Carrollton, TX, was a leading third-party hardware vendor for the Apple II series of computers from the early 1980s until the mid-1990s.-History:...
's TransWarp GS, replacing the computer's original processor with a faster one.
Applied EngineeringApplied Engineering, headquartered in Carrollton, TX, was a leading third-party hardware vendor for the Apple II series of computers from the early 1980s until the mid-1990s.-History:...
developed the PC Transporter, which was essentially an IBM-XT PC on a card. A variety of other cards were also produced, including ones allowing new technologies such as
10BASE-TEthernet over twisted pair technologies use twisted-pair cables for the physical layer of an Ethernet computer network. Other Ethernet cable standards employ coaxial cable or optical fiber. Early versions developed in the 1980s included StarLAN followed by 10BASE-T. By the 1990s, fast, inexpensive...
EthernetEthernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
and
CompactFlashCompactFlash is a mass storage device format used in portable electronic devices. Most CompactFlash devices contain flash memory in a standardized enclosure. The format was first specified and produced by SanDisk in 1994...
cards to be used on the {{sc|IIgs}}.
Development and codenames
Apple's first internal project to develop a next-generation Apple II based on the 65816 was known as the "IIx". The IIx project, though, became bogged down when it attempted to include various coprocessors allowing it to emulate other computer systems. Early samples of the 65816 were also problematic. These problems led to the cancellation of the IIx project, but later, a new project was formed to produce an updated Apple II. This project, which led to the released {{sc|IIgs}}, was known by various codenames while the new system was being developed, including "Phoenix", "Rambo", "Gumby", and "Cortland". There were rumors of several vastly enhanced prototypes built over the years at Apple but none were ever released. Only one, the "Mark Twain", has been revealed so far.
Release
During its introduction, Apple sold a specialized set of Bose Roommate speakers that were platinum colored with the Apple logo next to the Bose on each front speaker grille.
Some design features from the ill-fated
Apple IIIThe Apple III is a business-oriented personal computer produced and released by Apple Computer that was intended as the successor to the Apple II series, but largely considered a failure in the market. Development work on the Apple III started in late 1978 under the guidance of Dr. Wendell Sander...
lived on in the Apple {{sc|IIgs}}, such as GS/OS borrowing elements from SOS (including, by way of ProDOS, the SOS filesystem), a unique keyboard feature for dual-speed arrow keys, and colorized ASCII text.
An
easter eggImage:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
(activated by Command-Option-Control-N) in ROM 3 lists the members of development team, and plays an audio clip of them shouting "Apple II!".
Limited Edition ("Woz" signed case)
As part of a commemorative celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the Apple II series' development, as well as Apple Computer itself celebrating the same anniversary, a special limited edition was introduced at product launch. The first 50,000 Apple {{sc|IIgs}}'s manufactured had a reproduced copy of
Steve WozniakStephen Gary "Woz" Wozniak is an American computer engineer and programmer who founded Apple Computer, Co. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne...
's signature ("Woz") at the front right corner of the case, with a dotted line and the phrase "Limited Edition" printed just below it. Owners of the Limited Edition, after mailing in their Apple registration card, were mailed back a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Wozniak and 12 key Apple engineers, as well as a personal letter from Steve Wozniak himself (both machine reproduced). Seeing as the difference between standard and Limited Edition machines were purely cosmetic, many users were able to "convert" to the Limited Edition by merely swapping the case lid from an older, existing machine. While of nostalgic value to Apple II users and collectors, presently these stamped lid cases are not considered rare nor do they have any particular monetary worth.
Influence on later computers
The Apple Desktop Bus, which for a long time was the standard for most input peripherals for the Macintosh, first appeared on the Apple {{sc|IIgs}}. In addition, the other standardized ports and addition of SCSI set a hallmark which allowed, for the first time, Apple to consolidate their peripheral offerings across both the Apple II and Macintosh product lines, permitting one device to be compatible with multiple, disparate computers.
The {{sc|IIgs}} was also the first Apple product to bear the new brand-unifying color scheme, a warm gray color Apple dubbed "Platinum". This color would remain the Apple standard used on the vast majority of all products for the next decade. The {{sc|IIgs}} was also the second major computer design after the Apple IIc by Apple's outsourced industrial designer Frogdesign and together with its new corporate color and matching peripherals, officially ushered in the
Snow White design languageThe Snow White design language was an industrial design language developed by Hartmut Esslinger's Frog Design. Used by Apple Computer from 1984 to 1990, the scheme has vertical and horizontal stripes for decoration, ventilation, and the illusion that the computer enclosure is smaller than it...
which was used exclusively for the next five years and made the Apple product line instantly recognizable around the world.
The inclusion of a professional-grade sound chip in the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} was hailed by both developers and users, and hopes were high that it would be added to the Macintosh; however, it drew a lawsuit from
Apple RecordsApple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
. As part of an earlier trademark dispute with the record company, Apple Computer had agreed not to release music-related products. Apple Records considered the inclusion of the
EnsoniqEnsoniq Corp. was an American electronics manufacturer, best known throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s for its musical instruments, principally samplers and synthesizers.- Company history :...
chip in the {{sc|IIgs}} as a violation of that agreement. Though the {{sc|IIgs}} was allowed to keep the Ensoniq, Apple has not included dedicated hardware sound synthesizers in any of its Macintosh models since (though of course, third-party products exist){{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}.
Software features
Broadly speaking, software that runs on the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} can be divided into two major categories: 8-bit software compatible with earlier Apple II systems such as the IIe and IIc, and 16-bit {{sc|IIgs}} software, most of which runs under the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} System Software and takes advantage of its advanced features, including a near clone of the Macintosh
graphical user interfaceIn computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
.
8-bit Apple II compatibility
The Apple {{sc|IIgs}} was almost completely backward compatible with older Apple II computers, so that users (particularly in education) wouldn't be left with large libraries of useless software. The {{sc|IIgs}} could run all of Apple's earlier Apple II
operating systemAn operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s:
Apple DOSApple DOS refers to operating systems for the Apple II series of microcomputers from late 1978 through early 1983. Apple DOS had three major releases: DOS 3.1, DOS 3.2, and DOS 3.3; each one of these three releases was followed by a second, minor "bug-fix" release, but only in the case of Apple DOS...
,
ProDOSProDOS was the name of two similar operating systems for the Apple II series of personal computers. The original ProDOS, renamed ProDOS 8 in version 1.2, was the last official operating system usable by all Apple II series computers, and was distributed from 1983 to 1993...
8, and
Apple PascalApple Pascal was a language and operating system based on the UCSD Pascal system.Apple Pascal refers to an operating system for the Apple II family of computers released in August 1979 between the Apple DOS 3.2 and 3.3 versions. The system was included as part of a software/hardware package adding...
. It was also compatible with nearly all 8-bit software running under those systems. Like the Apple II+, IIe, and IIc, the {{sc|IIgs}} also included
Applesoft BASICApplesoft BASIC was a dialect of Microsoft BASIC supplied with the Apple II series of computers. It superseded Integer BASIC and was the BASIC in ROM in all Apple II series computers after the original Apple II model. It was also referred to as FP because of the command used to invoke it instead...
and a monitor (which could be used for very simple assembly language programming) in ROM, so they could be used even with no operating system loaded from disk. The 8-bit software ran twice as fast unless the user turned down the processor speed in the {{sc|IIgs}} control panel.
Apple {{sc|IIgs}} System Software
The Apple {{sc|IIgs}} System Software utilized a graphical user interface (GUI) very similar to that of the Macintosh and somewhat like
GEMGEM was a windowing system created by Digital Research, Inc. for use with the CP/M operating system on the Intel 8088 and Motorola 68000 microprocessors...
for PCs and the operating systems of contemporary Atari and Amiga computers. Initial versions of the System Software were based on the
ProDOSProDOS was the name of two similar operating systems for the Apple II series of personal computers. The original ProDOS, renamed ProDOS 8 in version 1.2, was the last official operating system usable by all Apple II series computers, and was distributed from 1983 to 1993...
16 operating system, which was based on the original ProDOS operating system for 8-bit Apple II computers. Although it was modified so that 16-bit Apple {{sc|IIgs}} software could run on it, ProDOS 16 was written largely in 8-bit code and did not take full advantage of the {{sc|IIgs}}'s capabilities. Later System Software versions (starting with version 4.0) replaced ProDOS 16 with a new 16-bit operating system known as
GS/OSGS/OS is an operating environment developed by Apple Computer for its Apple IIGS personal computer that uses the ProDOS filing system. It provides facilities for accessing the file system, controlling input/output devices, loading and running program files, and a system allowing programs to handle...
. It better utilized the unique capabilities of the {{sc|IIgs}} and included many valuable new features. The Apple {{sc|IIgs}} System Software was substantially enhanced and expanded over the years during which it was developed, culminating in its final version, System 6.0.1, which was released in 1993.
Graphical user interface
The {{sc|IIgs}} system software provided a
mouseIn computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
-driven graphical user interface using concepts such as
windowIn computing, a window is a visual area containing some kind of user interface. It usually has a rectangular shape that can overlap with the area of other windows...
s, menus, and icons. This was implemented by a "toolbox" of code, some of which resided in the computer's ROM and some of which was loaded from disk. The {{sc|IIgs}} GUI was very similar to that of early Macintoshes. Only one major application could run at a time, although other, smaller programs, known as Desk Accessories, could be used simultaneously. The {{sc|IIgs}} had a Finder application very similar to the Macintosh's, which allowed the user to manipulate files and launch applications. By default, the Finder was displayed when the computer started up and whenever the user quit an application that had been started from it, although the startup application could be changed by the user.
Extensibility
The {{sc|IIgs}} System Software could be extended through various mechanisms. New Desk Accessories were small programs ranging from a calculator to simple
word processorA word processor is a computer application used for the production of any sort of printable material....
s that could be used while running any standard desktop application. Classic Desk Accessories also served as small programs available while running other applications, but they used the text screen and could be accessed even from non-desktop applications. Control Panels and initialization files were other mechanisms that allowed various functions to be added to the system. Finder Extras permitted new capabilities to be added to the Finder, drivers could be used to support new hardware devices, and users could also add "tools" that provided various functions that other programs could utilize easily. These features could be used to provide features never planned for by the system's designers, such as a
TCP/IPThe Internet protocol suite is the set of communications protocols used for the Internet and other similar networks. It is commonly known as TCP/IP from its most important protocols: Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol , which were the first networking protocols defined in this...
stack known as "Marinetti".
Multitasking capability
An interesting feature of the {{sc|IIgs}} was that
multitaskingIn computing, multitasking is a method where multiple tasks, also known as processes, share common processing resources such as a CPU. In the case of a computer with a single CPU, only one task is said to be running at any point in time, meaning that the CPU is actively executing instructions for...
was possible. A
UNIXUnix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
-like multitasking kernel was produced, called GNO/ME, which ran under the GUI and provided
preemptiveIn computing, preemption is the act of temporarily interrupting a task being carried out by a computer system, without requiring its cooperation, and with the intention of resuming the task at a later time. Such a change is known as a context switch...
multitasking. In addition, a system called
The Manager could be used to make the Finder more like the one on the Macintosh, allowing major software (other than just the "accessory" programs) to run simultaneously through cooperative multitasking.
Upgrading from an Apple IIe
Upon its release in September 1986, Apple announced it would be making a kit that would upgrade an
Apple IIeThe Apple IIe is the third model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The e in the name stands for enhanced, referring to the fact that several popular features were now built-in that were only available as upgrades and add-ons in earlier models...
to a {{sc|IIgs}} available for purchase. The upgrade replaced the Apple IIe
motherboardIn personal computers, a motherboard is the central printed circuit board in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple...
with a 16-bit Apple {{sc|IIgs}} motherboard. Users would bring their Apple IIe machines into an authorized Apple dealership, where the IIe motherboard and lower baseboard of the case were swapped for an Apple {{sc|IIgs}} motherboard with a new
baseboardIn architecture, a baseboard is a board covering the lowest part of an interior wall...
(with matching cut-outs for the new built-in ports). New metal sticker ID badges replaced those on the front of the Apple IIe, rebranding the machine. Retained were the upper half of the IIe case, the keyboard, speaker and power supply. Original {{sc|IIgs}} motherboards (those produced between 1986 to mid-1989) had electrical connections for the IIe
power supplyA power supply is a device that supplies electrical energy to one or more electric loads. The term is most commonly applied to devices that convert one form of electrical energy to another, though it may also refer to devices that convert another form of energy to electrical energy...
and keyboard present, although only about half produced had the physical plug connectors factory pre-soldered in, which were mostly reserved for the upgrade kits.
The upgrade cost US$500, plus the trade-in of the user's existing Apple IIe motherboard.
It proved unpopular as it did not include a mouse (which was an essential part of the new machine, much like the Macintosh); the keyboard, although functional, did not mimic all the features and functions of the
Apple Desktop BusApple Desktop Bus is an obsolete bit-serial computer bus connecting low-speed devices to computers. Used primarily on the Macintosh platform, ADB equipment is still available but not supported by most Apple hardware manufactured since 1999....
keyboard, as well as lacking a numeric keypad. Some cards designed for the new 16-bit machine did not fit in the Apple IIe's slanted case, either. In the end, most users found they were not saving much, once they had to purchase a 3.5-inch floppy drive, analog RGB monitor and mouse. Although it could use some IIe peripherals, most of them became obsolete in the upgrade due to their functionality being already built-in. It did, however, make an attractive upgrade for Apple IIe users wanting to use the machine strictly in IIe-emulation mode (ignoring the native part of the machine), which provided faster CPU operation, 256
KBThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
RAM, a clock, and many built-in peripherals via the back ports.
Microprocessor
- 65C816
The W65C816S is a 16-bit microprocessor developed by the Western Design Center . The W65C816S is an enhanced version of the WDC 65C02 8-bit MPU, itself a CMOS enhancement of the venerable MOS Technology 6502 NMOS MPU...
running at 2.8 MHz
- 16-bit internal data bus, 8-bit external
Memory
- 1.125 MB
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
RAM built-in (256 KB in original) (expandable to 8.125 MB)
- 256 KB ROM built-in (128 KB in original)
Emulation video
- 40 and 80 columns text, with 24 lines (16 selectable foreground, background, border colors){{Cref|1}}
- Low-Resolution: 40×48 (16 colors)
- High-Resolution: 280×192 (6 colors)
- Double-Low-Resolution: 80×48 (16 colors)
- Double-High-Resolution: 560×192 (16 colors)
Native video
- Super-High-Resolution (320 mode)
- 320×200 (16 colors, selectable from 4,096 color palette)
- 320×200 (256 colors, selectable from 4,096 color palette)
- 320×200 (3200 colors, selectable from 4,096 color palette)
- Super-High-Resolution (640 mode)
- 640×200 (4 colors, selectable from 4,096 color palette)
- 640×200 (16 colors, selectable from 4,096 color palette)
- 640×200 (64 colors, selectable from 4,096 color palette)
- 640×200 (800 colors, selectable from 4,096 color palette)
- Fill-mode
- 320×200, sections of screens filled in on-the-fly for up to 60 frame/s full-screen animation
- Mixed-mode
- 320/640×200, horizontal resolution selectable on a line by line basis
Audio
- Ensoniq 5503 Digital Oscillator Chip
- 8-bit audio resolution
- 64 kB dedicated sound RAM
- 32 oscillator channels (15 voices when paired)
- Support for eight independent stereo speaker channels
Expansion
- Seven Apple II Bus slots (50-pin card-edge) Memory Expansion slot (44-pin card-edge)
Internal connectors
- Game I/O socket (16-pin DIP)
- Ensoniq I/O expansion connector (7-pin molex)
Specialized chip controllers
- IWM (Integrated Wozniak Machine) for floppy drives
- VGC (Video Graphics Controller) for video
- MEGA II (Apple IIe computer on chip)
- Ensoniq DOC (wavetable synthesizer)
- Zilog Z8530 SCC (serial port controller)
- Apple Desktop Bus microcontroller
- FPI/CYA
External connectors
- NTSC composite video output (RCA connector)
- Joystick (DE-9)
- Audio-out ({{frac|1|8}}-inch mono phono jack)
- Printer-serial 1 (mini-DIN8)
- Modem-serial 2 (mini-DIN8)
- Floppy drive (D-19)
- Analog RGB video (D-15)
- Apple Desktop Bus (mini-DIN4)
Revision history
While in production between September 1986 and December 1992, the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} remained relatively unchanged from its original inception. During those years, however, Apple did produce some maintenance updates to the system which mainly comprised two new ROM-based updates and a revamped motherboard. It is rumored several prototypes that greatly enhanced the machine's features and capabilities were designed and even built, though only one has ever been publicly exposed (i.e. the "Mark Twain"). Outlined below are only those revisions and updates officially released by Apple.
Original firmware release ("ROM version 00")
During the entire first year of the machine's production an early, almost beta-like, firmware revision shipped with the machine and was notably bug-ridden. Some limitations included the fact that the built-in
RAM DiskA RAM disk or RAM drive is a block of RAM that a computer's software is treating as if the memory were a disk drive...
couldn't be set larger than 4 MB (even if more RAM was present) and the firmware contained the very early System 1.x toolsets. It became incompatible with most native Apple {{sc|IIgs}} software written from late-1987 onwards, and OS support only lasted up to System 3. The startup splash screen of the original ROM only displayed the words "Apple {{sc|IIgs}}" at the top center of the screen, in the same fashion that previous Apple II models identified themselves.
Video Graphics Controller (VGC) replacement
Very early production runs of the machine had a faulty Video Graphics Controller (VGC) chip that produced strange cosmetic glitches in emulated (IIe/IIc) video modes. Specifically, the 80-column text display and monochrome Double-High-Resolution graphics had a symptom where small flickering or static pink bits would appear between the gaps of characters and pixels. Most users noticed this when using
AppleWorksAppleWorks refers to two different office suite products, both of which are now discontinued. Originally, AppleWorks was an integrated software package for the Apple II platform, released in 1984 by Apple Computer...
classic or the Mousedesk application that was a part of System 1 and 2. Apple resolved the issue by offering a free chip swap upgrade to affected owners.
Second firmware release ("ROM version 01")
In August 1987, Apple released an updated ROM that was included in all new machines and was made available as a free upgrade to all existing owners. The main feature of the new ROM was the presence of the System 2.x toolsets and several bug fixes. The upgrade was vital, as software developers, including Apple, ceased support of the original ROM upon its release (most native Apple {{sc|IIgs}} software written from late-1987 onwards would
not run unless a ROM 01 or higher was present, and this included the GS/OS operating system). This update also allowed up to 8 MB for the RAM Disk, added some new features for programmers, and reported the ROM version and copyright information on the startup splash screen.
Increase standard RAM to 512 KB
In March 1988, Apple began shipping Apple {{sc|IIgs}} units with 512 KB of RAM as standard. This was done by pre-installing the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} Memory Expansion Card (that was once sold separately) in the memory expansion slot—the card had 256 KB of RAM on board with empty sockets for further expansion. The built-in memory on the motherboard remained at 256 KB and existing users were not offered this upgrade.
Third firmware release ("ROM version 3"), The Apple {{sc|IIgs}} with 1 MB of RAM
In August 1989, Apple increased the standard amount of RAM shipped in the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} to 1.125 MB. This time, the additional memory was built-in on the motherboard, which required a layout change and allowed for other minor improvements as well. This update introduced both a new motherboard and a new ROM firmware update; however, neither was offered to existing owners—even as an upgrade option (the new ROM, being larger, was incompatible with the original motherboard). Apple had cited the reason an upgrade was not being offered was that most of the features of the new machine could be obtained in existing machines by installing System 5 and a fully populated Apple {{sc|IIgs}} Memory Expansion Card.
The new ROM firmware was now 256KB in size and contained the System 5.x toolsets. The newer toolsets increased the performance of the machine by up to 10%, due to the fact that less had to be loaded from disk and their highly optimized routines compared to the older toolsets (pre-GS/OS based). In addition to several bug fixes, more programmer assistance commands and features, a cleaned up Control Panel with improved mouse control, RAM Disk functionality, more flexible Appletalk support and slot mapping were added.
In terms of hardware, the new motherboard was a cleaner design that drew less power and resolved audio noise issues that interfered with the Ensoniq synthesizer in the original motherboard. Over four times more RAM was built-in, with double the ROM size, and an enhanced ADB micro-controller provided native support for sticky keys, mouse emulation, and keyboard LED support (available on Extended keyboards). The clock battery was now user-serviceable, being placed in a removable socket, and a jumper location was added to lock out the text-based Control Panel (mainly useful in school environments). Support for the Apple IIe to Apple {{sc|IIgs}} upgrade was removed, and some cost-cutting measures had some chips soldered in place rather than socketed. As the firmware only worked in this motherboard and no new firmware updates were ever issued, users commonly referred to this version of the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} as the "ROM 3".
International versions
Like the
Apple IIeThe Apple IIe is the third model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The e in the name stands for enhanced, referring to the fact that several popular features were now built-in that were only available as upgrades and add-ons in earlier models...
and
Apple IIcThe Apple IIc, the fourth model in the Apple II series of personal computers, was Apple Computer’s first endeavor to produce a portable computer. The end result was a notebook-sized version of the Apple II that could be transported from place to place...
built-in keyboards before it, the detached Apple {{sc|IIgs}} keyboard differed depending on what region of the world it was sold in, with extra local language characters and symbols printed on certain keycaps (e.g. French accented characters on Canadian {{sc|IIgs}} keyboard such as "à", "é", "ç", etc., or the
British PoundThe pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
"£" symbol on the UK {{sc|IIgs}} keyboard). Unlike previous Apple II models, however, the layout and shape of keys were the same standard for all countries, and the ROMs inside the computer were also the same for all countries, including support for all the different international keyboards. In order to access the local character set layout and display, users would change settings in the built-in software-based Control Panel, which also provides a method of toggling between 50/60 Hz video screen refresh. The composite video output was NTSC only on all {{sc|IIgs}}; users in PAL countries were expected to use an RGB monitor. This selectable internationalization made it quick and simple to "localize" any given machine. Also present in the settings was a QWERTY/DVORAK keyboard toggle for all countries, much like that of the Apple IIc. Outside North America, the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} shipped with a different 220 V clip-in power supply, making this and the plastic keycaps the only physical difference (and also very modular, in the sense of converting a non-localized machine to a local one).
Gus
Apple designed the
Apple IIe CardThe Apple IIe Card is a compatibility card which allows compatible Macs to run software designed for Apple II computers...
to transition Apple IIe customers to the
Macintosh LCThe Macintosh LC was Apple Computer's product family of low-end consumer Macintosh personal computers in the early 1990s. The original Macintosh LC was released in 1990 and was the first affordable color-capable Macintosh. Due to its affordability and Apple II compatibility the LC was adopted...
, particularly schools who had a large investment in Apple II software. While Apple discussed creating an LC plug-in {{sc|IIgs}} card, they felt that the cost of selling it would be as much as an entire LC and abandoned it. However, the educational community had a substantial investment in the {{sc|IIgs}} software as well, which made upgrading to a Macintosh a less attractive proposition than had been for the Apple IIe. As a result, Apple software designers Dave Lyons and Andy Nicholas spearheaded a program to develop a {{sc|IIgs}} software emulator they called
Gus in their spare time, which would run on the
Power MacintoshPower Macintosh, later Power Mac, was a line of Apple Macintosh workstation-class personal computers based on various models of PowerPC microprocessors that were developed, marketed, and supported by Apple Inc. from March 1994 until August 2006. The first models were the Power Macintosh 6100,...
only. Apple did not officially support the project. Nevertheless, seeing the need to help switch their educational customers to the Macintosh (as well as sell Power Macs), Apple unofficially distributed the software for free to schools and institutions that signed a non-disclosure agreement. It was never offered for public sale, but is now readily available on the internet, along with many third party Apple II emulators. Gus represents one of the few software emulators developed within Apple (officially or not), including MacWorks and
Mac OS X Classic environmentClassic, or Classic Environment, was a hardware and software abstraction layer in Mac OS X that allowed applications compatible with Mac OS 9 to run on the Mac OS X operating system...
.
Apple II developers
John Carmack, founder of
id SoftwareId Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
, started his career by writing commercial software for the Apple {{sc|IIgs}}. The same is true of
John RomeroAlfonso John Romero is a game designer, programmer, and developer in the video game industry. He is best known as a co-founder of id Software and was a designer for many of their games, including Wolfenstein 3D, Dangerous Dave, Doom and Quake...
and
Tom HallTom A. Hall is a game designer born in Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he received a B.S. in Computer Science. In 1987, he worked at Softdisk Inc., where he was both a programmer and the editor of Softdisk, a software bundle delivered monthly...
.
Wolfenstein 3DWolfenstein 3D is a video game that is generally regarded by critics and gaming journalists as having both popularized the first-person shooter genre on the PC and created the basic archetype upon which all subsequent games of the same genre would be built. It was created by id Software and...
, based on the Apple II originated game
Castle WolfensteinCastle Wolfenstein is an early stealth-based action-adventure shooter computer game developed by Muse Software for the Apple II. It was first released in 1981 and later ported to DOS, the Atari 8-bit family, and the Commodore 64.- Description :...
, came full circle back to the Apple II series when it was released for the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} in 1994.
Bob Yannes, creator of the
SIDThe MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID is the built-in Programmable Sound Generator chip of Commodore's CBM-II, Commodore 64, Commodore 128 and Commodore MAX Machine home computers...
synthesizer chip used in the
Commodore 64The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, went on to design the
EnsoniqEnsoniq Corp. was an American electronics manufacturer, best known throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s for its musical instruments, principally samplers and synthesizers.- Company history :...
5503 DOC synthesizer used in the Apple {{sc|IIgs}}.
Two mainstream video games,
Zany GolfZany Golf, also known as Will Harvey's Zany Golf, is a video game with a fantasy take on miniature golf, developed by Sandcastle Productions and published by Electronic Arts. The game was originally developed in 1988 for the Apple IIGS and became the first Apple IIGS game to attract the mainstream...
and
The ImmortalThe Immortal is an isometric adventure game originally created for the Apple IIGS, which was ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, MS DOS based PCs, NES, and Mega Drive/Genesis...
, originated as Apple {{sc|IIgs}}-specific games that were later ported to several platforms due to their immense popularity.
Naughty DogNaughty Dog, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1986 as an independent developer, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001...
, the well known
PlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
game developer, started as an Apple {{sc|IIgs}} game software company.
Pangea SoftwarePangea Software is an Apple computer game company based in Austin, Texas that is owned and operated by Brian Greenstone. The company is a former developer of Macintosh and Apple IIGS games, the former of which they still currently sell, however have recently stated their intention to focus solely...
, one of the best-known and popular Macintosh game developers, also started as an Apple {{sc|IIgs}} game software company.
Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} developed its own
demosceneThe demoscene is a computer art subculture that specializes in producing demos, which are non-interactive audio-visual presentations that run in real-time on a computer...
very similar in vein to that of the
AmigaThe Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
and
Atari STThe Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, albeit much smaller and lesser known. The most popular demo group was called FTA (Free Tools Association) and was from France. Two of their demos (Nucleus and Modulae) were very popular and were used by Apple itself and by retailers to show off the computer.
Nintendo adopted the 65C816 as the basis for the custom CPU in the
Super Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
. Many early SNES programmers used the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} as a SNES game development platform to write code on{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}.
Prototype of the MEGA II chip was a large board containing mostly discrete logic parts called "El Grande".
Failed developments
VTechVTech is the common name of Video Technology Ltd. , a Hong Kong-based manufacturer of consumer electronics...
, makers of the
LaserThe Laser 128 was a clone of the Apple II series of personal computers, first released by VTech in 1984. Unlike the Apple II clones from Franklin, VTech reverse-engineered the Apple ROMs using a clean room design rather than copying them...
series, demonstrated a prototype of a more powerful Apple {{sc|IIgs}} compatible in 1989. It was never released due to licensing issues with Apple{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}.
A project called "Avatar" in the early 1990s promised a
32-bitThe range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GB of byte-addressable memory....
state-of-the-art machine that was backwards compatible with the Apple {{sc|IIgs}}. It was never finished or released. Some doubt that the project even got out of the conceptualization stage{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}.
Cirtech started work on, but never completed, a black and white Macintosh hardware
emulationIn computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
plug-in card for the Apple {{sc|IIgs}} dubbed "Duet"{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}.
{{Timeline of Apple II Family|headerextension
}}
See also
- Apple II series
The Apple II series is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II...
- Apple II Plus
The Apple II Plus was the second model of the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer, Inc. It was sold new from June 1979 to December 1982.-Features:...
- Apple IIc Plus
The Apple IIc Plus is the sixth and final model in the Apple II line of personal computers, produced by Apple Computer. The "Plus" in the name was a reference to the additional features it offered over the original portable Apple IIc, such as greater storage capacity , increased processing speed,...
- Juiced.GS
Juiced.GS is a print magazine/newsletter for Apple II computer users. Although the name implies a focus on the Apple , its coverage encompasses all Apple II systems...
, the last remaining Apple II publication
- KansasFest
KansasFest is an annual event for Apple II computer enthusiasts. Held every July at Rockhurst University of Kansas City, Missouri, KansasFest typically lasts five days and features presentations from Apple II experts and pioneers, as well as games, fun events, after-hours hallway chatter,...
, an annual convention for Apple II users
- List of Apple IIGS games
External links
- "The New Apple IIGS" from Compute!
Compute! was an American computer magazine that was published from 1979 to 1994, though it can trace its origin to 1978 in Len Lindsay's PET Gazette, one of the first magazines for the Commodore PET computer. In its 1980s heyday Compute! covered all major platforms, and several single-platform...
magazine (November 1986)
- Apple II History from Steven Weyhrich
- What is the Apple {{sc|IIgs}}, reviews of many Apple {{sc|IIgs}} applications
{{Apple hardware before 1998}}
{{Apple hardware}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Apple Iigs}}