RANDOM APPLE MEMORY

Remembering the Apple IIGS

The Apple IIGS, released in September 1986, was the final model of the Apple II range. It was a groundbreaking machine in several ways. Most notably, it was the first Apple computer with a colour Graphical User Interface (GUI). There was also the availability of Super-High Resolution graphics mode. This made possible a greater number of colour choices than both the high-resolution and double high-resolution modes of previous models.

Its sound also had a massive upgrade, powered by an Ensoniq 5503 Digital Oscillator Chip (DOC). This allowed up to 32 voices – Apple paired them to create 16 richer sounding voices, taking it well beyond the arcade-like sounds expected of computers in the mid-1980s.

So significant were these upgrades that the device was named after them – the GS in the title stands for Graphics and Sound. In this particular focus on sound and graphics capabilities one can see much of what we associate with Apple today – an appeal to creatives and music fans of all kinds. The Apple IIGS also came with the Apple Desktop Bus interface which connected the keyboard, mouse, and other input devices. It contained a 16-bit, 2.8MHz 65C816 microprocessor, 256KB or 1MB of memory (which could be expanded up to 8MB) and supported 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch floppy disks. The seven general-purpose expansion slots were compatible with those on earlier models in the range – the original Apple II, II+, and IIe. The microcomputer started at $999.

The Apple IIGS unveiling also marked 10 years of the company and, to celebrate, the first 10,000 were signed ‘Woz’ by co-founder Steve Wozniak, who had been so central to their invention.

While there was much to admire about the Apple IIGS, some software publishers found there were technical limitations and declined to create original products for it. By the end of 1992, the Apple IIGS had been discontinued.

ABOUT CHARLOTTE HENRY

Charlotte Henry is a journalist and author covering media and technology. Based in London, she is the UK Associate of The Mac Observer, hosts its Media+ podcast, and has written for various other outlets. Her first book, Not Buying It, was published in 2019.