The Apple IIc computer was the fourth model in the Apple II series of personal computers, as well as Apple Computer’s first endeavor to produce a portable computer.The IIc+ was discontinued in November of 1990. Though much better than the IIc, it did not fare well due to compatibility problems and the rise in popularity of the Macintosh line and Apple II clones. The IIc+ included the new 800k 3.5″ floppy drive, 65C02 running at an option of 1 or 4 MHz using a built-in processor switch, memory expansion capability, and ports with mini DIN-8 connectors (same as IIGS and Mac Plus). It sold well until it was discontinued in September 1988 with the introduction of the IIc+, the last computer in the II series. The machine was destined for the computer illiterate, and its innovative design won it the Industrial Design Excellence Award in October 1984. For portability though, it had to sacrifice the 7 expansion slots found on the earlier Apple IIe, and the motherboard prevented the IIc from getting a reliable high-speed serial connection on early models. The IIc had 2 serial ports, one mouse port, one disk port, and 128k RAM. It also sported a brand-new ROM chip that allowed the user to use lower-case Applesoft BASIC commands for the first time use a new built-in mini-assembler and use MouseWorks, a ProDOS GUI similar to the newly released Mac OS. It ran a 65C02 processor running at 1.4 MHz. The model also included an external 140k 5.25″ floppy disk drive of the same color. The IIc came in a rare, small, portable platinum case and could be lugged around like a suitcase. Although somewhat overshadowed by the introductions of the Macintosh and Lisa 2 lines, the IIc held its own. The Apple IIc computer was released in April 24, 1984, at the Apple Forever Conference held in San Diego. It had a larger screen, compared to the Compact’s 9- or 10-inch displays, as well as a bulging midsection to contain the larger electronics, in stark contrast to the compact Macs’ slimmer designs.
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