Apple IIGS

Apple IIGS
Manufacturer	Apple Computer
Release date	September 15, 1986
Introductory price	US$999 (equivalent to $2,780 in 2023), excluding monitor
Discontinued	December 1992
Operating system	Apple ProDOS; Apple GS/OS; GNO/ME
CPU	65C816 @ 2.8 MHz
Memory	256 KB or 1 MB (expandable to 8 MB)
Graphics	VGC 12-bpp palette, 320×200, 640×200
Sound	Ensoniq ES5503 DOC 8-bit wavetable synthesis sound chip,; 32 oscillators/voice channels

The Apple IIGS (styled as IIGS) is a 16-bit personal computer produced by Apple Computer. It is the fifth and most powerful of the Apple II family. It is compatible with earlier Apple II models but has a Macintosh look and feel, and resolution and color similar to the Amiga and Atari ST. The "GS" in the name stands for "Graphics and Sound", referring to its enhanced multimedia hardware, especially its state-of-the-art audio.^[1]

The microcomputer is a radical departure from any previous Apple II, with a 16-bit 65C816 microprocessor, direct access to megabytes of random-access memory (RAM), and bundled mouse. It is the first computer from Apple with a color graphical user interface (color was introduced on the Macintosh II six months later) and Apple Desktop Bus interface for keyboards, mice, and other input devices. It is the first personal computer with 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 chose to focus on the Macintosh and no new Apple IIGS models were released. Apple ceased IIGS production in December 1992.

^ Manning, Peter (2004). Electronic and computer music. p. 317. ISBN 9780195144840. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.

[1] Manning, Peter (2004). Electronic and computer music. p. 317. ISBN 9780195144840. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.

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