Re: Whats it for?

[a_specto@alcor.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

"Mark Cummings" <NOTfigjams@primus.com.au> wrote:

>> - Keyboard not ADB compatible (and often, lack of numeric keypad)
>
>true, but the Platimum has the keypad.

    Yes, but keys on the numeric keypad function as merely duplicates
of keys on the main keyboard. Software which makes specific use of 
the IIgs keypad will not recognize it (there's a fair bit that does).

>> - Many IIgs-specific cards would not fit in IIe's slanted case
>
>I havn't got that far yet, don't try to put me off, I'll only try harder to
>make it work ! :). As long as the memory fits, and a Focus card I'm happy.
>Besides, don't forget most of the ports are built in, so you don't need to
>expand as much as you would in a regular IIe.

    Well both accelerators have a slanted edge, as do the Apple SCSI
boards and older RamFAST. Memory cards might be the catch, neither
my RAM GS/4M's or CV-RAM/8M have a slanted edge and would most
likely not fit at the front of a IIe case.

    The Alltech Sirius/8M may actually have a slanted edge though and
there  was at least one decent 4MB card that was identical in shape
and configuration as Apple's (it used 1MBx1 chips in each bank instead

of 256Kx1--can't remember the company who made it though the
name "RAM 4000" comes to mind). Stereo cards may also be iffy...

>>     Hmm, I wonder if Apple ever thought to include a
>> small "GS" sticker to place over the "e" for just the
>> Platinum IIe (those metal badges would look rather
>> gaudy on the platinum style case). Guess they left
>> it up to the user to print out his/her own sticker..
>
>The IIeGS was dropped AFAIK, before the Platinum came out,

    Are you positive about that? The Apple IIgs was introduced
September 1986 (I presume the IIe upgrade was announced
the same time or shortly afterwards) and the Platinum IIe was
released January 1987--just 4 months later.

    Also, magazines wrote reviews for the IIe upgrade a couple
of months after the Platinum IIe had been on the market with
no mention of it being discontinued at the time. I seem to 
remember it being dropped sometime in 1988...

Mitchell Spector
a_specto@alcor.concordia.ca