Apple IIc Plus (1988)

Features

CPU: MOS 65C02 4MHz
Memory: 128kB RAM, 128kB ROM
Screen: 16 colors at 560 x 192 (256 colors with a upgrade that was availble in 1989); 4-bit color text mode at 40 x 48
Data path: 8-bit
I/O Ports: Monitor, Joystick/Mouse, RGB, Floppy Disk, RS232c (2), Video Expansion, Internal Modem Connector
Keyboard: Full stroke keyboard
Built In Media: one 3.5” diks-drive
OS: DOS 3.3, ProDOS, UCSD Pascal

Usage

MESS supports the emulation of apple2cp with two floppy drives, “slot6disk1” (s6d1) and “slot6disk2” (s6d2), for disk images in one of the following supported formats: .do, .dsk, .bin, .po, .nib

This system requires full keyboard emulation to work correctly. At startup, full keyboard emulation mode is enabled by default. Whilst in full keyboard emulation mode, some key associated functionality may be disabled (like the ESC key for EXIT). The keyboard emulation mode is toggled using the “Scroll Lock” key (by default).

RAM options

Different RAM configurations are possible for apple2cp in MESS. You can switch between them, changing the -ramsize parameter. At command line, you simply have to add -ramsize ram_value, where ram_value can assume one of the following values

64k
128k (default)

History and Trivia

The Apple IIc Plus unit was a direct response to the Laser 128EX/2.

Apple retrofitted the IIc design to try to compete with Video Technology's high-speed Apple II clone. The retrofitting is evident in the design of the motherboard. The motherboard runs at 1MHz, unlike the Laser 128EX/2. In order to run its programs faster, Apple used a 4MHz 65C02 with 8k of high speed SRAM cache and licensed the accelerator design from Zip Technologies (makers of the ZipChip accelerator for the IIe and IIc). They built an accelerator into a 1MHz motherboard rather than designing a faster motherboard from scratch.

The designers of the Apple IIc Plus originally wanted to make a portable IIGS. Apple's management, bent on promoting the Mac, balked at the idea. At the same time, the Laser 128EX/2 made a quick design cycle mandatory. The result was an updated IIc.

The Apple IIc Plus was the finest Apple 8-bit computer ever built, but due to a lack of marketing, the apparent backward step in technology compared to the 16-bit Apple IIGS, and the aggressive sales of the Laser 128EX/2, the IIc Plus also was to be the most short-lived of the Apple II models.

(info from old-computers.com)

Revisions

Apple //c went under several revisions: you can discover which machine you are using issuing the command

PRINT PEEK(64447).

If 255 is displayed, you have the first, original model. This model is known to have problems producing accurate baud rates for serial communications.
If 0 is displayed, you can use 3.5” drives, but you don't have the memory expansion connector.
If 3 is displayed, you have the memory expansion connector and you can plug in extra memory.
If 4 is displayed, you have the latest model with memory expansion connector and extra upgrades.
If 5 is displayed, you have an Apple IIc+.

Apple "][", Apple "II", Apple "//" : which is correct?

”][”, “II”, and ”//” tend to be used pretty much interchangeably for any model of Apple II computer, although, practically speaking, there are a few usages which may provoke a correction.

”][” is the original Apple II symbol. It appears on all early II's and II+'s as well as on the Disk ][ drive. It is, easily, the most attractive and distinctive II symbol; but, it is also associated with old Apple II's. The ”//” usage is generally associated with the “c” and newer “e” models.

The generally preferred machine designations are: