Platform: Apple IIgsPlatform description
General descriptionThe Apple IIGS (styled as IIGS), the fifth and most powerful of the Apple II family, is a 16-bit personal computer produced by Apple Computer, Inc. While featuring the Macintosh look and feel, and resolution and color similar to the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST, it remains compatible with earlier Apple II models. The "GS" in the name stands for "Graphics and Sound," referring to its enhanced multimedia hardware, especially its state-of-the-art audio. The microcomputer is a radical departure from any previous Apple II, with its 16-bit 65C816 microprocessor, direct access to megabytes of random-access memory (RAM), and mouse. It was the first computer produced by Apple to use a color graphical user interface (color was introduced on the Macintosh II six months later) and Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) interface for keyboards, mice, and other input devices. It is the first personal computer to have a wavetable synthesis chip, utilizing technology from Ensoniq. The IIGS set forth a promising future and evolutionary advancement of the Apple II line, but Apple increasingly focused on the Macintosh platform. The IIGS clock speed was intentionally limited below the maximum for the 65C816 so the system would not outperform the Macintosh. The IIGS outsold all other Apple products, including the Macintosh, during its first year in production. Apple ceased IIGS production in December 1992. See the Wikipedia page for more detailed information on the Apple IIGS. Games |
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