Apple II | 1977

Apple II

 On June 10, 1977, the Apple II was released. The price at the time was $1,298, which was about 630,000 won, making it quite expensive considering the inflation. Back then, computers were not common items that everyone could use, which made the price even more significant. The Apple II was the first in the II series, and its hardware design and the Integer BASIC interpreter were created by Steve Wozniak. By this point, the basic structure of the Apple II was almost complete, and the title screen during boot-up displayed "APPLE ][," which is why many classic computer enthusiasts still refer to the Apple II’s II as ][ to this day.

The basic specifications of the Apple II were as follows: It used the MOS Technology 6502 CPU at 1.023 MHz. It had 4 KB of RAM, which could be expanded up to 48 KB on the board, and with an Apple II language card or firmware card, it could be expanded up to 64 KB. The sound was produced by a 5V speaker, and there were 8 expansion slots. It also had NTSC TV output capability. The graphics included a text mode of 40 characters by 24 lines in monochrome, with the ability to reverse and blink characters. The semi-graphic mode had 7x4 block sizes, with 40x48 resolution and 16 colors, while the graphic mode had 280x192 resolution with 4 colors.

Initially, cassette tape data recorders were used for storage, but in 1978, the Disk II was released, switching to floppy disks. The Apple II was designed by engineers like Steve Wozniak and Randy Wigginton, and due to the semiconductor technology at the time, the motherboard was filled with IC chips. In the 48 KB version, there were 24 RAM chips of 2 KB each, and nearly 50 TTL (Transistor-Transistor Logic) chips, with over 80 chips in total. This complex design remained in the Apple II Plus until 1979, and the number of chips was reduced to around 20 and the size was also reduced with the release of the Apple IIe.

The Apple II's keyboard had a unique layout compared to other keyboards of the time. It did not support lowercase letters, and some special characters could not be input. The arrangement of special characters was also different from the standard keyboard layout we use today, resembling the Japanese JIS keyboard. There was a peculiar key labeled "REPT" located to the left of the return key. This was used to repeat a key input when pressed together with another key. As a result, the Apple II keyboard did not have automatic key repeat functionality.

The motherboard of the Apple II was made during a time when semiconductor integration was still in its early stages, and VLSI had not yet been commercialized. It was designed using readily available components, resulting in a complex and large motherboard. This complexity continued in the Apple II Plus until 1979, and later, with the Apple IIe, the number of chips was reduced, and the size was made smaller.

The joystick and paddle connectors were uniquely designed in the form of standard IC chip sockets. When opening the top panel, one would see a socket next to the expansion slots, which appeared as if an IC chip had been removed. This is where the joystick connector, resembling an IC chip with eight pins, was inserted.