LGR - Apple IIGS - Vintage Computer System Review
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Date: 2022-04-14
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Comments and reviews: 10
Mr.
The Apple IIGS didn't sell many because it was abandoned by Apple long before they stopped selling it. It could have been a capable machine but it was hobbled by a glacially slow (2. 8MHz) processor so it wouldn't cannibalize sales of Macs of the time. The Apple II was the cash cow Apple needed in the 80s to keep the company afloat so they could focus their attention on their darling: the Macintosh. Pricing on Apple II was ridiculously high and nothing was bundled with the machine; everything was a la carte (computer, monitor, floppy drive(s, hard drive, hard drive interface, joystick, software, etc. In the early 90s, there were promises from Apple for a -ROM 04- IIGS but it was killed before it was put into production as didn't fit into the company's roadmap. At the very end, HyperCard IIGS was released but it was too little, too late and it was difficult to get Stacks created on the Mac to run on the IIGS. Elementary education had been a huge market for Apple II line but most software in schools was 8-bit software so Apple transitioned educational customers to the Mac by including the Apple IIe card that fit into the Macintosh LC expansion PDS.
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The Apple IIGS didn't sell many because it was abandoned by Apple long before they stopped selling it. It could have been a capable machine but it was hobbled by a glacially slow (2. 8MHz) processor so it wouldn't cannibalize sales of Macs of the time. The Apple II was the cash cow Apple needed in the 80s to keep the company afloat so they could focus their attention on their darling: the Macintosh. Pricing on Apple II was ridiculously high and nothing was bundled with the machine; everything was a la carte (computer, monitor, floppy drive(s, hard drive, hard drive interface, joystick, software, etc. In the early 90s, there were promises from Apple for a -ROM 04- IIGS but it was killed before it was put into production as didn't fit into the company's roadmap. At the very end, HyperCard IIGS was released but it was too little, too late and it was difficult to get Stacks created on the Mac to run on the IIGS. Elementary education had been a huge market for Apple II line but most software in schools was 8-bit software so Apple transitioned educational customers to the Mac by including the Apple IIe card that fit into the Macintosh LC expansion PDS.
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Spitfeuer
They should of lost the -shelf- up front and put it in a case like the IIci.
The IIgs was way better than the Macs of the time, but it was a dead end and we all knew it. The Mac was the new hotness. just looking at the Big Thick Developer GUI guidelines told you that. The Mac software and Quickdraw and Multifinder was a whole paradigm shift, whereas the IIgs was just trying to fake it a bitl onger. It was fun to play Hellcats over the Pacific and Tetris on the IIgs in that awesome color and sound, but really what you wanted was that legit Mac Desktop. Fortunately, I had that in a Mac SE. but got to play with a IIgs at work at Software Etc. I ended up pirating the whole dang store of every big of Mac software, which was. well. a lot lol. One of thep erks of the job of being able to open and close the store and reshrink everything you took home (and you were allowed to take one title home every now and then. I was taking them home by the armful lol.
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They should of lost the -shelf- up front and put it in a case like the IIci.
The IIgs was way better than the Macs of the time, but it was a dead end and we all knew it. The Mac was the new hotness. just looking at the Big Thick Developer GUI guidelines told you that. The Mac software and Quickdraw and Multifinder was a whole paradigm shift, whereas the IIgs was just trying to fake it a bitl onger. It was fun to play Hellcats over the Pacific and Tetris on the IIgs in that awesome color and sound, but really what you wanted was that legit Mac Desktop. Fortunately, I had that in a Mac SE. but got to play with a IIgs at work at Software Etc. I ended up pirating the whole dang store of every big of Mac software, which was. well. a lot lol. One of thep erks of the job of being able to open and close the store and reshrink everything you took home (and you were allowed to take one title home every now and then. I was taking them home by the armful lol.
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Cuvtixo
That's not quite right for a timeline. The Macintosh was developed simultaneously with the Apple III. Apple fans weren't -waiting-, it's just the Apple III was so highly priced and had so many problems, that the original Macs seemed like the best alternative, even though it was monochrome at the time, and had worse graphics and sound. It seems likely to me that Steve Jobs did various things to sabotage Woz's Apple III, like insisting that it have no internal fan, and indeed the failure of the Apple III caused Woz to leave the company. THAT'S the history of Apple. Clint's version is over-sanitized
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That's not quite right for a timeline. The Macintosh was developed simultaneously with the Apple III. Apple fans weren't -waiting-, it's just the Apple III was so highly priced and had so many problems, that the original Macs seemed like the best alternative, even though it was monochrome at the time, and had worse graphics and sound. It seems likely to me that Steve Jobs did various things to sabotage Woz's Apple III, like insisting that it have no internal fan, and indeed the failure of the Apple III caused Woz to leave the company. THAT'S the history of Apple. Clint's version is over-sanitized
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Brian
We used these in school all through the 90s in elementary and middle school, was way cheaper I guess to use all the old software and run it on the IIgs than upgrade to macintosh, since the software was still usable and relevant. Not that I was affiliated with the decision at the time, I was too busy playing Oregon trail during my computer time. Macintosh had taken over the school by the time I was in high school and the imac was out. by then we had a PC at home and an old apple III but that thing never worked right. I wish I still had it to refurb but sadly it's long gone.
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We used these in school all through the 90s in elementary and middle school, was way cheaper I guess to use all the old software and run it on the IIgs than upgrade to macintosh, since the software was still usable and relevant. Not that I was affiliated with the decision at the time, I was too busy playing Oregon trail during my computer time. Macintosh had taken over the school by the time I was in high school and the imac was out. by then we had a PC at home and an old apple III but that thing never worked right. I wish I still had it to refurb but sadly it's long gone.
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Dean
I need help! Can anyone help me? In 1986 or 87 I bought an Apple that came with a sample disc. On this disc was my fathers name and it is this software I'm looking for.
The Apple sample disc came with, I think, Space invaders. Also on this sample disc was a page that demonstrated how to cross reference names such as a celebrity name and then the name they were born with.
My father's name was top of the list. First was his birth name of Muzayd Yakhoob and across from this was his celebrity name of Danny Thomas
Can Anyone Help?
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I need help! Can anyone help me? In 1986 or 87 I bought an Apple that came with a sample disc. On this disc was my fathers name and it is this software I'm looking for.
The Apple sample disc came with, I think, Space invaders. Also on this sample disc was a page that demonstrated how to cross reference names such as a celebrity name and then the name they were born with.
My father's name was top of the list. First was his birth name of Muzayd Yakhoob and across from this was his celebrity name of Danny Thomas
Can Anyone Help?
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Nathan
Our very FIRST PC we ever owned was actually an Apple IIGS. Interesting enough it featured -mostly- a text-based OS similar to DOS or BASIC; but you could also switch it to a GUI similar to a Macintosh at the time. It kinda looked similar to a Commodore 64 with like the screen colors and stuff. Although about a year or two after we first got it, we ended-up getting a Compaq Presario afterwards with Windows 98 Second Edition; brand new at the time as well. This was like back in 1999?
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Our very FIRST PC we ever owned was actually an Apple IIGS. Interesting enough it featured -mostly- a text-based OS similar to DOS or BASIC; but you could also switch it to a GUI similar to a Macintosh at the time. It kinda looked similar to a Commodore 64 with like the screen colors and stuff. Although about a year or two after we first got it, we ended-up getting a Compaq Presario afterwards with Windows 98 Second Edition; brand new at the time as well. This was like back in 1999?
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Dikran
Back i the old days my school had these. I even ended up getting one as a thank you from my school as I was able to reconstitute two working ones out of three dead ones so as a thank you the computer teacher let me take one home. It even had a PC transporter card. I could basically run DOS and DOS programs on my IIGS. That thing is still kicking around somewhere. (buried in my locker with my Tandy CoCo3)
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Back i the old days my school had these. I even ended up getting one as a thank you from my school as I was able to reconstitute two working ones out of three dead ones so as a thank you the computer teacher let me take one home. It even had a PC transporter card. I could basically run DOS and DOS programs on my IIGS. That thing is still kicking around somewhere. (buried in my locker with my Tandy CoCo3)
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Gustavo
I heard that it was going to be even better and faster, but apple execs limited its performance so it would not canabalize and shame the much more expensive black and white bip bop macs. No wonder around that time woz stoped giving a shi- and kind of retired after the gs. In some alternative universe people are still be awed by Apple II XG 2020 editions, and the macs are the ones that got canned: -D
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I heard that it was going to be even better and faster, but apple execs limited its performance so it would not canabalize and shame the much more expensive black and white bip bop macs. No wonder around that time woz stoped giving a shi- and kind of retired after the gs. In some alternative universe people are still be awed by Apple II XG 2020 editions, and the macs are the ones that got canned: -D
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Adam
Is there any truth to the story that jobs killed the Apple IIGS in order for the Mac to survive? The IIGS OS predated the Mac, and I heard that Jobs intentionally underpowered the GS to make the Mac look better (Even with it's terrible black and white tiny screen and bleep bloop sound effects, which is why the GS requires those expensive upgrade cards in order to function well.
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Is there any truth to the story that jobs killed the Apple IIGS in order for the Mac to survive? The IIGS OS predated the Mac, and I heard that Jobs intentionally underpowered the GS to make the Mac look better (Even with it's terrible black and white tiny screen and bleep bloop sound effects, which is why the GS requires those expensive upgrade cards in order to function well.
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dorpth
Had no idea the IIGS could run Out of This World. Damn!
My hometown made the IIGS the official computer of all the public schools. Each had two computer labs of 30 of the things. They were supposed to be used as word processors to type up papers, but most kids used them to play Oregon Trail.
The real shocker was the school kept them well into the mid 90s, at least.
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Had no idea the IIGS could run Out of This World. Damn!
My hometown made the IIGS the official computer of all the public schools. Each had two computer labs of 30 of the things. They were supposed to be used as word processors to type up papers, but most kids used them to play Oregon Trail.
The real shocker was the school kept them well into the mid 90s, at least.
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