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Re: Happy 13th Birthday to the Apple IIgs

On 20 Sep 1999 06:20:07 GMT, supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer) wrote:

>But Apple still called it "Apple IIGS."  The ROM 3 model,
>it seems, did not justify a new name from Apple.  No
>"Apple IIGS Plus."

Personally, I think the name Apple //c+ was just a marketing ploy.
Don't forget they were trying to foist an 8 bit machine on us in 1988.
Had the //c+ been a 16 bit machine (ie. a IIgs portable), then I would
have understood the name change.

I think there are more hardware improvements between the ROM 01 and
ROM 3 IIgs then there are between any //c and a //c+.

   IIgs ROM 3                           //c+
   ---------------------------------   -----------------------
   better sound hardware               faster processor
   new ADB controller                  better drive controller
   hardware shadowing of text page 2   built in 3.5" drive
   battery in a socket
   more RAM
   more ROM

I do believe there is a jumper on the motherboard to disable the
control panel on the ROM 3 as well.  However, the ROM changes for the
IIgs are what cause the big difference between ROM versions.  The ROM
3 has better slot support, newer tool sets and other improvements.

ROM 01 and ROM 3 machines overall operate pretty much the same but
there are still a lot of differences between them.

The //c+ uses almost the exact same ROM as the other //c models.
There is practically no difference between a //c with a ZipChip or
RocketChip installed with a Unidisk 3.5 Drive attached and a //c+ with
a Unidisk 5.25 Drive attached.

So, in my mind, the naming could have more accurately been done as:

   IIgs with 1 MB RAM should have been called the IIgs+

and

   //c+ should have been called the //c with 3.5" drive

But that's just my opinion.  :-)

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| Jeff Blakeney - Dean of the Apple II University in A2Pro on Delphi     |
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