Re: Apple ][c questions?

[spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article greg@aracnet.com (Greg) writes...

>I just picked up a ][c & monitor to play my old Apple ][e games and was
>wondering about the specs of this model. Is it just a 64k ][e in a compact,
>portable case, or does it have more memory or any other features? It behaves
>exactly like my old ][e, and it doesn't seem any faster. Anyone know where I
>can get the owner's manual for this machine? Thanks in advance?

    The Apple IIc is basically a compact (hence the "c" in the name)
version of the Apple IIe. Of course one notiable difference is many
popular add-ons for the IIe were built-in (as standard) in the IIc.
This was mainly due to the fact the IIc lacks something the IIe has:
slots, for expandability, so there was really no choice but give users
features which they otherwise would not be able to obtain.

    The expansion ports in back gave it the equivalent of the follwing:
Two Super Serial Cards, Disk II 5.25 controller, UniDisk 3.5 controller
(with ROM update) and Apple II Mouse card. It also had a game port and
NTSC composite connector like the IIe, as well a Video Expansion Port
which would hook up to an RF-modulator (or directly to a rare LCD
flat-panel display. In addition, convertor adapters boxes were made
available for that port to provide digital RGB). Another feature the
IIc had built-in was the equivalent of an Extended 80 Columns Card
(128K RAM, 80 columns text and Double-Hi-Res graphics out of the box).
It also came with some nice extras, like a built-in 5.25 floppy drive
and a volume control knob for the internal speaker (as well as a 1/8" 
sound-out jack for headphones or an external speaker).

    When it was first introduced, it was a little more powerful than
currently available Apple IIe's, but Apple soon offered a chip kit 
enhancement set that brought the two machines up to par. This is what 
an "Enhanced" IIe is, an older IIe upgraded to have the same features 
as a IIc (simply by adding a 65C02, updated ROM firmware and a new 
video character ROM). All IIe's shipped after March 1985 were pre-
Enhanced.

    So basically the Apple IIc is a luggable version of the Apple IIe.
Yes, luggable, despite some claims it was a portable computer. It's
powersupply was an external part (annoying for carrying it around)
and although it had a voltage convertor, which could allow it to be
powered off a car cigarette-lighter, not many people would want to
drag a car-battery onto a plane or into a class lecture at school. ;)
The LCD screen for it was anything but common, and was difficult
to view. Besides, it didn't fold over the keyboard, it was a flimsy
piece that would mount on the top of the case. With an LCD screen,
internal hardrive (yes, they made a few) and battery, it came close,
but not quite. It was relatively unexpandable too, aside from being
able to drop in more memory (a few companies managed to squeeze more
in there though, like clocks, accelerators, Z80's, or even music and
speech through the external ports though). 

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca