April 17, 1977: Apple II Introduced

by Chris Seibold Apr 17, 2011

The specs seem laughable by today's standards: 8 bit processor running at 1 MHz, 4K of RAM, and a not so speedy audio cassette interface. Wrap all that up in a low profile case with an integrated keyboard and you have the first iteration of the Apple II.

The outside of the computer was the result of Steve Jobs' passion for form, but the internal engineering was pure Steve Wozniak brilliance. Through heavy use of clever software and hardware tricks, Woz was able to keep the chip count, and therefore the cost, of manufacturing the Apple II very low. A modest success at first, demand skyrocketed when VisiCalc and a disk drive showed up.

The first mass-produced consumer oriented computer, the Apple II, would go on to carry Apple through the seventies and most of the eighties. The Mac finally outsold the venerable Apple II in 1987, a mere 10 years after the Apple II's introduction on April 17, 1977.

Comments

  • Happy Birthday, Apple II!

    vb_baysider had this to say on Apr 17, 2007 Posts: 243
  • The Apple II had color and high-resolution graphics modes, sound capabilities and one of two built-in BASIC programming languages. The Apple II was targeted for the masses rather than just hobbyists and engineers; it also influenced most of the microcomputers that followed it. Unlike preceding home microcomputers, it was sold as a finished consumer appliance rather than as a kit.

    Yochanan Berkowitz

    Ana had this to say on Aug 16, 2011 Posts: 76
  • Ok I understand that OS9 was a big deal but how is it bigger than the iPod being released on this date? I defintely think this article should have been about the iPod being released instead of OS9 being released. 642-467||  642-583||  350-050||  642-062||  642-185||  642-533||  642-627||  642-357||  642-359||  642-654||

    john had this to say on Aug 26, 2011 Posts: 22
  • This damn information get me much knowledge about apple.
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    Jackysoom had this to say on Sep 29, 2011 Posts: 76
  • It is also most affected by it in accordance Microsoft. Home front, unlike Microsoft, it is rather than as a complete kit was sold to the consumer appliances.
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    Jackysoom had this to say on Nov 05, 2011 Posts: 76
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