Today marks the 30th birthday of the Apple II computer.
RetroThing.com reports, “There were other affordable hobbyist computer kits available before, but the Apple II was the first computer that was ready to run out of the box. It’s not surprising that an Apple II was the first computer that I used in elementary school since Apple made inroads with the U.S. educational system from their earliest offerings. What may be a surprise is that the Apple II was manufactured up until 1993 (with some redesigns and cost-reduced versions), with many still in operation today. Between five and six million of the putty colored machines were sold, (which still isn’t close to the Commodore 64’s record of 17 million!)”
RetroThing.com asks, “There’s still one question no Apple fan has ever been able to answer for me: Why in the hell does that green power light get so hot? Ouch!”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Happy 30th, Apple ][ !!!
I loved my Apple IIc.
Apple II Forever!
Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.
Ask anyone who’s used an Apple II or one of its variants about it and typically they will wax nostalgic. I learned basic computing on one. Our teacher used to play Lemonade Stand and some sort of turret war game (the kind with the whole angle and velocity trying to kill them before they kill you type game) of which so many versions have spawned. I’ll never forget the first Oregon Trail and Carmen Sandiego. Now that’s education for you! I’m glad to see Apple showing up more in schools. Sad that the students have to have better taste than the teachers and school boards and IT departments.
My first encounter with an Apple computer was the GS II. Nice machine but the Macintosh computers sitting in the same room were a bigger attraction. Not to mention Dark Castle I loved (and still do as a matter of fact !)
“with many still in operation today”
Yes in schools, that doesn’t surprise me.
The other day I asked the school principle where my kids go to use email to send out announcements from the school and notes on my kids instead of the automated phone call system they are singing up for and spending money on.
I told them I could set-up a free email account for the school and they only need the free software Apple already includes with every Mac.
She told me “No, we need to wait for some district approved system before we could do something like that.”
Welcome to 1970.
On another note, if the Mac 128 -> Mac Plus had power supplies that didn’t self-destruct, they would be in use as well.
uh, other Steve, that’s principal.
I had a IIc back in middle school and high school. It was a great little computer.
My first computer than I bought with my own money was an Apple IIgs. I used it longer as my “main computer” than any other computer I’ve owned since then. Computers stayed relevant longer back in the 80’s. And if you think Mac users are a fanatic and loyal bunch, you should have seen the Apple II users back then…
Happy birthday, Apple II!
0 0
| |
____|___|____
0 |~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~| 0
| | | |
___|__|___________|___|__
|/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/|
0 | H a p p y | 0
| |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| |
_|___|_______________________|___|__
|/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/|
| |
| B i r t h d a y! ! ! |
| ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ |
|___________________________________|
Looks like the delivery van messed up the birthday cake taking a corner too fast.
I remember using Apple IIe’s in high school in th 1980s to format stories for our yearbooks. We were considered “cutting edge” because most other schools were still using typewriters. And in our down time, we played alot of “Karateka”
What’s a typewriter?
I’m gonna have to dig the ][e out of the closet tonight for a little nostalgic celebration. Happy birthday Apple ][, and thanks Woz & Steve!
So many hours playing Prince of Persia. Good times.
Ah, playing Microsoft Olympic Decathlon on the Apple ][+ and a pair of paddles was hours of family fun.
Even in College in 1989 up very late playing Ultima III on the ole Apple //e was good times.
I feel old.
The only Apple worth anything is the old ][.
They’ve all sucked big donkey balls since then.
“They’ve all sucked big donkey balls since then.”
That’s bad?
Botvinnik,
Thanks, I deserved that.
I just picked up a IIc with monitor at a thrift store for $5! Very exciting.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
Between five and six million of the putty colored machines were sold
FWIW the Apple IIc had the “Snow White” design, i.e. white or platinum (?) case and art-deco lines, before the Mac did.
</i>They’ve all sucked big donkey balls since then.</i>
Apple’s old hardware was legendary for its sheer ruggedness (the Apple /// doesn’t count). The ImageWriters, the LaserWriter II series, CPU’s from the Apple II Plus thru the Mac II line.
Last winter I dug out the old IIc, popped in the original 1984 system disk, and flipped the switch. It booted and ran like always. It’s a bit yellowed from the years but no worse for the wear.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
I just picked up a IIc with monitor at a thrift store for $5! Very exciting
Does it have the little green “E.T.” monitor, or the larger color one?
I remember being blown away by Apple’s first two-page Mac monitor.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
Imagine if we knew monsters like the 30″ Cinema were coming.
And if you think Mac users are a fanatic and loyal bunch, you should have seen the Apple II users back then…
How about the animosity between the Apple II and Mac users? It didn’t help that the Mac got the spotlight while the Apple II sales subsidized its launch.
There was no “transition path” at first, you had to completely reinvest to switch to Mac. Hardware, apps, data, everything. While the Mac may have been the quantum leap, the old user base wasn’t entirely keen with making a leap as well.
IMO the internal Apple II vs Mac friction hurt Apple as much as the sales guys firing Jobs. The transition certainly could have been better managed.
Sorry, I was off topic on my last post here. Let me try again.
My first experience with a computer was at Golden West College in CA and it was a dummy terminal that acted like a typewriter. (Yes, I’m that old)
When they need a typesetter at the GWC college newspaper I was working for they brought in an original Apple II.
I was AMAZED when I typed letters on the keyboard and saw them appear on the screen. I had know idea how to use the computer at the time and I wasn’t in a word processor. I just hit the keys and it occasionally responded with the words “Syntax Error.” But that didn’t matter. I was amazed.
The original Apple II didn’t have upper or lower case so the school plugged in a dummy terminal to the Apple II and that was how we entered stories.
Now I use Aperture, PhotoShop, and Final Cut on a regular bases for the newspaper I work for and take for granted what it can do. Goes to show you just how far we’ve come in a very short 30 years!
Happy 30th Birthday Apple II
I miss the Multi-coloured logo!