Welcome to The Drive, a weekly column looking at some wacky, interesting, cool, and pivotal things within the tech space! Curated by PC Hardware Lead Editor Richard Edmonds through almost two decades covering the sector. Think something should be covered? Hit me up at rich.e@valnetinc.net!
Microsoft's Windows may be on most desktop and laptop computers but the Apple II is regarded as the first mass-produced home computer. Not only was it among the first to bring the PC (sorry, Mac!) to the home, but the Apple II was vital in influencing software development through its hardware advancements, innovations, and support for graphics.
How the Apple II came to be
Steve Wozniak is the primary genius behind the Apple II. It went on sale on June 10th, 1977, and this system had numerous improvements over the outgoing Apple I. It was frequently found in schools throughout the U.S. This approach would remain unchanged through the decades, as I recall seeing rows of colorful iMac G3 systems at secondary schools in the UK. They weren't frequently used for work, though we did enjoy many hours of Marble Blast Gold.
"To me, a personal computer should be small, reliable, convenient to use and inexpensive." — Steve Wozniak
One major selling point of the Apple II was its finished look, resembling a home appliance rather than something technical. Unlike computers today, the Apple II had an integrated keyboard. Inside the Apple II was a 1MHz MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor — compare that against a modern AMD Ryzen 9 9950X running at 5,700MHz. A whopping 4KB of RAM was available for storing data outside of audio cassettes. Yes, audio cassettes.
This paved the way for the wonderful floppy disk, which could be connected to the Apple II via a controller card. The original Apple II had an MSRP of $1,298, which some could call a bargain given how Apple prices its products and various specification configurations. This was still the case in the late 70s with up to 48KB of RAM setting you back more than $2,000.
Why was the Apple II such a big deal?
There were numerous options available in the early 1980s, so what made the Apple II such a hit? The renowned IBM PC hit the market in 1981, but it's the Apple II series that stole the show. As covered in my feature on the microprocessor, extremely smart individuals have been attempting to make computers more accessible for years, but it was the Apple II that took this to the next level. Everything was powered by Apple DOS.
It all started with cost savings and the trusty MOS 6502. This wasn't a bad CPU, but it was one that allowed Wozniak and co. to work magic such as eliminating the requirement for specific RAM circuits. Additional savings could be made by using software for tasks usually handled by hardware and memory. This also led to software being used for high-res (at the time) graphics instead of relying on chips. Bringing the costs down helped Apple aggressively price the Apple II.
And these graphics were something not seen on other computers. Apple focused on the user interface, which is reflected in continued development across the company's family of operating systems today. Best of all, Apple marketed the device as a "home" PC and not one built for enthusiasts and businesses. Whether you wanted to create music, learn programming, track finances, or write up documents, the Apple II was revolutionary.
The device also had a hand in the classic beige chassis design we all fell in love with up until the early 2000s.
All it took was one piece of software
Do you use a Mac? If so, did you purchase it to run Numbers, Apple's Excel competitor? Of course not, but this wasn't always the case. The Apple II shifted in volume largely thanks to a single app called VisiCalc. As the name suggests, it's spreadsheet software and one of the very first released on PCs. Apple designed the Apple II and its various models to be fun, reliable, and inexpensive.
Not only did the Apple II have decent software support, but the system also had multiple ways to add expansion cards. These came in the form of sound cards, modems, and even hard disks. Although initially limited at launch, these expansion cards allowed the Apple II to perform advanced tasks. What made the Apple II critical to the company's future was its sales during a rough point in its history.
Apple wouldn't be the same company it is today without the Apple II and the industry as a whole wouldn't have progressed in quite the same fashion without all the advancements made to this system.