Re: Apple //x: Did it ever exist?

[ltchean@iss.nus.sg (Lim Thye Chean)]

David Empson (dempson@actrix.gen.nz) wrote:
: In article <CuJFEo.Bo6@rci.ripco.com>, Eli Lehrer <eli@ripco.com> wrote:
: > About five years ago, a friend told me about an Apple //x.
: > Supposedly, the new computer had a faster chip and some other
: > assorted enhancments.  As best as I can tell, it never shipped.  Was
: > such a machine ever on the drawing board?   

: The Apple //x was a rumoured new Apple II back in early 1985.  This
: rumour turned out to be true, if a little premature.  The //x
: materialised as the Apple IIgs in late 1986.

Apple IIx did exist in Apple for a while. But it is NOT Apple IIGS. It has
a co-processor slot and Apple put in a lot of effort playing with that slot
and didn't focus much on the Apple II side.

At last that project was killed. One year later, another attempt started from
the mistake learned from Apple IIx project. First, they use the then-new
65816 chip, second, they started thinking about the compatibiity problem -
that's why you see all sort of design like memory shadowing, etc that is
so unique on the Apple IIGS. Apple IIGS in my opinion is a success, but
unfortunately Apple is never really serious about upgrading the machine, so
we all end up in the current state, and I swear that I would never, never,
never buy another machine from the Apple company.

: I'm not aware of any more recent rumoured machine called the //x.

Avatar is close. Unfortunately it is now dead. The effort of the Avatar 
project (cloning of the toolbox - heard that it is almost completed) IMHO
should be used in another project. Not to make another Apple II (there will
be no market for such a machine), but port the IIGS to another platform such
as a PC or PowerPC machine. Something like NextStep that preserved the
spirit of the original machine.

: -- 
: David Empson
: dempson@actrix.gen.nz
: Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand

--
           Lim Thye Chean: Lim is my surname. My name is Thye Chean.
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  Research Engineer, Institute of Systems Science.   Email: ltchean@iss.nus.sg
    Author of GALAXIA Authoring Environment and ActionScript Visual Language