The Apple IIe (styled as Apple //e) is the third model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The e in the name stands for enhanced, referring to the fact that several popular features were now built-in that were formerly only available as upgrades or add-ons in earlier models. Improved expandability combined with the new features made for a very attractive general-purpose machine to first-time computer shoppers. As the last surviving model of the Apple II computer line before discontinuation, and having been manufactured and sold for nearly 11 years with relatively few changes, the IIe earned the distinction of being the longest-lived computer in Apple’s history.
Apple Computer planned to discontinue the Apple II series after the introduction of the Apple III in 1980; the company intended to clearly establish market segmentation by designing the Apple III to appeal to the business market, leaving the Apple II for home and education users. Management believed that “once the Apple III was out, the Apple II would stop selling in six months”, cofounder Steve Wozniak later said.[3]
By the time IBM released the rival IBM PC in 1981, the Apple II’s technology was already four years old.[4] In September 1981 InfoWorld reported—below the PC’s announcement—that Apple was secretly developing three new computers “to be ready for release within a year”: Lisa, “Macintosh”, and “Diana”. Describing the last as a software-compatible Apple II replacement—”A 6502 machine using custom LSI” and a simpler motherboard—it said that Diana “was ready for release months ago” but decided to improve the design to better compete with the Xerox 820. “Now it appears that when Diana is ready for release, it will offer features and a price that will make the Apple II uncompetitive”, the magazine wrote.[5]
“Apple’s plans to phase out the Apple II have also been delayed by complications in the design of the Apple III”, the article also said.[5] After the Apple III initially struggled, management decided in 1981 that the further continuation of the Apple II was in the company’s best interest. After 3 1⁄2 years of the Apple II Plus, essentially at a standstill, came the introduction of a new Apple II model — the Apple IIe (codenamed “Diana” and “Super II”). The Apple IIe was released in January 1983, the successor to the Apple II Plus. The Apple IIe was the first Apple computer with a custom ASIC chip, which reduced much of the old discrete IC-based circuitry to a single chip. This change resulted in reducing the cost and size of the motherboard. Some of the hardware features of the Apple III (e.g. bank-switched memory) were borrowed in the design of the Apple IIe, and some from incorporating the Apple II Plus Language card. The culmination of these changes led to increased sales and greater market share of home, education, and small business use.
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The Apple \e basics:
OS: Apple DOS | Purchased: Gifted | Series: Apple
