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Apple III Datasheet

Apple III
Source: Courtesy of Gates Foundation/popularmechanics – Apple III

The Apple III was a personal computer produced by Apple Computer and was intended as the successor to the Apple II. It was released in 1980, but it was not as successful as the Apple II and was discontinued in 1984. The Apple III was designed to be a more business-oriented machine, with improved hardware and an operating system more suited to business applications.

Key Takeaways

Apple released the Apple III personal computer in 1980 as part of their Apple III series. It was made available for purchase on May 19th but did not start shipping until November of that year. The starting price for the computer was $4,340. The Apple III was produced and sold by Apple until 1984.

The computer is equipped with a 1.4 MHz MOS Technology 6502A processor, a choice of 128 KB or 256 KB of RAM, 4 KB of ROM, possible addition of a 5 MB Apple ProFile hard drive, a 140 KB 5.25” floppy drive, and an integrated 74-key ASCII keyboard.

This computer was discontinued on April 24, 1984. Today Apple III is 44 years old!

Apple III Computer with ProFile, Monitor III, Silentype, and Disk III
Source: Apple Museum Poland – Apple III Computer with ProFile, Monitor III, Silentype, and Disk III

A Brief History of Apple III Computer

The Apple III was a personal computer produced by Apple Computer in 1980. It was intended as a business-oriented successor to the Apple II, but it was plagued with numerous technical problems and was ultimately a commercial failure.

The development of the Apple III began in 1977 when Apple co-founder Steve Jobs decided to shift the company’s focus from hobbyist computers to the business market. Jobs believed that the personal computer market was about to take off and that Apple had the opportunity to become a major player in the industry.

To that end, Apple began work on a new computer designed specifically for businesses. The Apple III was designed to be more powerful and feature-rich than the Apple II, with a more robust operating system, improved graphics and memory capabilities, and a built-in floppy disk drive.

However, the development of the Apple III was fraught with problems from the start. The computer was originally intended to be released in 1979, but delays and technical issues pushed the release date back to May 1980.

When the Apple III finally hit the market, it was plagued with a number of serious problems. The computer was prone to overheating, which caused the system to crash and the hardware to fail. It also had many hardware and software bugs, which made it difficult to use and unreliable.

Despite these problems, Apple initially tried to market the Apple III as a high-end business computer. However, the computer’s high price and lack of compatibility with the popular software programs of the time made it a tough sell.

To salvage the Apple III, Apple released several updates and fixes for this computer. They also redesigned the system to include a new motherboard and an upgraded operating system. These efforts had little effect, however, and the Apple III remained a commercial failure.

By the mid-1980s, the Apple III had been largely abandoned by both consumers and businesses. In 1984, Apple officially discontinued the Apple III and shifted its focus to the Macintosh line of computers.

In hindsight, the Apple III can be seen as a cautionary tale about the importance of quality control and the dangers of trying to rush a product to market. Despite its original intentions as a powerful business computer, the Apple III was ultimately a poorly designed and poorly executed product that was unable to compete in the rapidly evolving personal computer market.

Today, the Apple III is largely forgotten and is remembered mostly as a footnote in the company’s history. However, the lessons learned from the Apple III’s failure have undoubtedly influenced Apple’s approach to product development and have helped the company become the successful and innovative tech giant it is today.

Apple II and Apple III
Source: Press Apple – Apple II and Apple III

Apple III Details

IntroducedMay 19, 1980 – 44 years ago
ReleasedNovember 1980 – 43 years ago
DiscontinuedApril 24, 1984 – 40 years ago
Time on the Market41 months (3 years)
Original Price$4,340
$7,800
ColorsBeige
Weight26 Ibs.
11.793 KG
Dimensions4.8” H x 17.5” W x 18.2” D
12.19 cm H x 44.45 cm W x 46.22 cm D

Apple III Tech Specs

ProcessorMOS Technology 6502A
Processor Speed1.4 MHz average
1.8 MHz maximum
Architecture8-bit
Number of Cores1
Storage5MB Apple ProFile hard disc drive (Optional)
Built-in Memory128 KB
256 KB
Maximum Memory512 KB with memory board replacement
Memory SlotsNone
ROM4 KB

Connections

Serial1 – DB-25 RS-232C compatible
2 – DB-9
Audio Out1 – 3.5-mm analog output jack
1 – Built-in speaker
Display Connection1 – RCA composite positive video
1 – DB-15
Display1 – RCA for composite video output (Display resolution 280 x 192 – 16 colors (with some limitations), 280 x 192 – monochromatic, 560 x 192 monochromatic)
Text Display80-column, 24-line monochromatic,
40-column, 24-line, 16-color foreground and background,
40-column, 24-line monochromatic
Expansion Slots4 – 50-pin Apple II peripheral
Media1 – 140 KB 5.25-inch floppy drive

Accessories

KeyboardBuilt-in 61-key (main) 13-key (numeric) ASCII keyboard

Software

SoftwareApple Sophisticated Operating System 1.0 (Apple SOS 1.0)

Power

Line Voltage110 or 110/220V AC

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Further Reading and References

Disclaimer: The data presented in this article is under continuous development and has been manually collected from various sources based on their availability. The author of this article may revise this dataset as additional research is conducted and reviewed. Please note that the information is provided “as is” and “as available” without express or implied warranties. The author cannot be held responsible for any omissions, inaccuracies, or errors in the published information. Any warranties relating to this information are hereby disclaimed.