iheartvelma: vintagecomputers: Apple IIc The Apple IIc, the...

iheartvelma:

vintagecomputers:

Apple IIc

The Apple IIc, the fourth model in the Apple II series of personal computers, is Apple Computer’s first endeavor to produce a portable computer. The result was a 7.5 lb (3.4 kg) notebook-sized version of the Apple II that could be transported from place to place. The c in the name stood for compact, referring to the fact it was essentially a complete Apple II computer setup (minus display and power supply) squeezed into a small notebook-sized housing. While sporting a built-in floppy drive and new rear peripheral expansion ports integrated onto the main logic board, it lacked the internal expansion slots and direct motherboard access of earlier Apple IIs, making it a closed system like the Macintosh. However, that was the intended direction for this model — a more appliance-like machine, ready to use out of the box, requiring no technical know-how or experience to hook up and therefore attractive to first-time users.

The Apple IIc was released on April 24, 1984, during an Apple-held event called Apple II Forever. With that motto, Apple proclaimed the new machine was proof of the company’s long-term commitment to the Apple II series and its users, despite the recent introduction of the Macintosh. 

The machine introduced Apple’s Snow White design language, notable for its case styling and a modern look designed by Hartmut Esslinger which became the standard for Apple equipment and computers for nearly a decade. The Apple IIc introduced a unique off-white coloring known as “Fog,” chosen to enhance the Snow White design style. The IIc and some peripherals were the only Apple products to use the “Fog” coloring. While relatively light-weight and compact in design, the Apple IIc was not a true portable in design as it lacked a built-in battery and display.

While noting its lack of an internal modem and inability to use expansion cards such as the popular Z-80 SoftCard, BYTE in May 1984 described the Apple IIc as a “head-to-head with the IBM PCjr” for novice computer users. Creative Computing agreed, stating that “This war will have no clear winner. Apple fans will buy the IIc, and IBM fans will buy the PCjr.”

The IIe was more popular than the IIc because of its greater expandability.

Plus it was very photogenic; it cameos in A View To A Kill and 2010: The Year We Make Contact. http://ift.tt/1LEEyZI

via Tumblr http://ift.tt/1FT9Kx5