Classic Systems Emulated: The Apple III

 

Apple Drops The Ball

Apple was ridding high from the success of the Apple II Plus. A successful computer needs a successful follow-up...right? Apple had their sights on their next goal; the corporate market. Their was a lot riding on Apple. While they've been successful conquering the the small business and education markets, they had no experience reaching out to corporate users. Microcomputers weren't a thing within the corporate realm.

Corporate computing was very different in the 70's compared to today. The ubiquitous PC was nowhere to be found. The office was dominated by various electric typewriters made by manufactures like Smith-Corona and IBM. For those who did interact with a computer, it was typically a mainframe that was accessed via a dumb terminal, which was basically a monitor with a network connector. Apple saw a huge potential in the corporate market. However, they would need a computer to meet the needs of the office minions.

The needs of corporate users were very different from hobbyist and small business users. Corporate users needs furnished systems that would be ready to go out of the box. The systems demanded solid stability. The applications needed to meet the heavy workload demanded out of them. Their needed to be enough RAM to hold those giant reports and spreadsheets. These computers needed larger disk capacities to store various documents. The office user needed a display to accommodate all that on-screen data at once. An 80-Column display was a must. The hobbyist computers of the 70's were no match for the demands of office users. Thus, Apple was going to build that machine. In time, this computer would serve as the successor of the Apple II as well.

The Apple III was powered by a 1,8MHz 6502-compatible processor with 256KB of RAM, which was a lot by 1980 standards. The 6502 CPU was only capable of addressing 64KB of RAM, but the Apple III used bank-switching techniques to address more RAM. The Apple III could address up to 512KB of RAM. Bank-switching was later used on the Apple II via memory expansion boards. Bank-switching is accomplished via operating system drivers. In the case of the Apple III, this was done by SOS (Sophisticated Operating System). It was pronounced "Apple Sauce". SOS was very powerful for it's time as it allowed files to be stored in hierarchical directories and was able to handle hard-disc drives. Apple DOS on the Apple II could only store files on the root directory without the support of additional directories. Apple DOS could only handle floppies as well.

Due to the popularity of the Apple II, the Apple III had a Apple II compatibility mode. However, because Apple wanted everybody to use the III and not continue software development on the Apple II, they crippled compatibility mode. This decision would later haunt Apple.

On the Apple III, the DiskII floppy controller was integrated onto the board itself. The computer could operate into two graphics mods:
560 by 192, monochrome depth
280 by 192, 16-color depth

The Apple III, like the Apple II, supported expansion slots. The Apple III had four expansion slots which are compatible with the II, but require special Apple III drivers in order to use them. Apple released their own version of BASIC for their new computer. Business BASIC took advantage of the powerful features offered by the new computer.

Motherboard Is Packing Heat!
Steve Jobs made the final decisions. Why shouldn't he be! He understood industrial design. He knew what appealed to any audience. One decision that he made though would doom the platform. (He was human after all) Their would be no fans in the system. This wasn't the wisest of choices as the Apple III motherboard had a much higher chip count compared to the II.

Jobs justified his choice as they were noisy and inelegant. However, the motherboard would overheat without ventilation. Jobs had already thought of that though. Their would be an aluminum shield to dissipate heat. This idea was actually quite revolutionary. Their was a problem though. Even though the shielding did it's job, where would the heat go once it was dissipated from the motherboard. Their was little ventilation in the case, thus causing that heat to be trapped within the case and causing the temperature of the computer to rise.

Big Blue Takes Notice
Their were other problems for Apple as well. IBM started to take notice of the microcomputer market. Big Blue had been dismissive of the market when the Altair 8080 hit the scene in 1975. Why wouldn't they! The microcomputer was no match for the mainframe or minicomputers that they made. Also, the hobbyist computers wasn't able to meet the needs of corporate users either. However, the opinion of that sleeping giant changed as the 70's progressed. By the end of that decade, they realized that they needed to make a microcomputer of their own. Even though Big Blue was getting a very late start, they were loaded with money and technical experience. They could build that new platform quickly in no time. 

The Apple III is released......
Their was a lot of pressure on Apple to deliver that computer that was going to set the corporate world ablaze before Big Blue got in on the act. The Apple III was introduced on November 1980 with a introductory price of $4,340. That price tag openly declared the target demographic that Apple was catering too. While well-beyond the reach of hobbyist, it was comfortably within the price paint of those Fortune 500 companies that Apple was going to sell their hardware to. Apple was making that grand declaration that they have moved beyond the hobbyist. The Apple II was going to be put to sleep while the III was going to start singing these new songs of praise. This celebration didn't last long though.

...and crap immediately hits the fan!
The heat issues became apparent immediately. While the aluminum shielding dissipated the heat, poor ventilation caused that heat to become trapped in the case. The motherboard overheated. The chip would pop out of their sockets, causing the computer to fail. The Apple III suffered from 100% hardware failure, soiling its name to its potential customers. This was where one of the worst advice in computing was ever given. When the computer failed, the user was to pick it up the computer one foot off the table and drop it. The force of the fall would cause those chip to fall back into their sockets. Apple was letting the force of gravity do all the dirty work!

Their were other issues as well. At over $4,000, the Apple III was much more expensive than many of the CP/M based computers, as well as the Apple II. As noted earlier, Apple purposely crippled the Apple II compatibility mode to coerce developers to move onto the III. It was restricted to 48KB of RAM. This was despite the fact that most Apple II machines were already reaching 64KB of RAM, and would soon surpass it. Many Apple II programs were already demanding 64KB of RAM, making the 48KB mode unusable. Also, Apple II mode didn't have 80-column text support, even though this was rapidly becoming standard on many Apple II's.

Their was a lack of software for the Apple III. The Apple II's killer app, VisiCalc, was released for the III, but not much more beyond that. Apple did port their AppleWriter word processor, but business applications were lacking. This wasn't good as the competitors, including Apple's own offerings, was undoing the Apple III's potential. The CP/M platform was already heavily populated by business applications while the Apple II had a very healthy library as well.


Potential Apple III customers were in a dilemma. Since Apple III software was rare, they would most certainly become a slave to the Apple II's compatibility mode. If the vast majority of applications that user was going to run on the III were Apple II programs, then why just simply buy an Apple II. They would be getting a much better return from their investment, and it would have been much more affordable than a III anyway.

People who wanted to use CP/M had little incentive to buy the Apple III either. Like the Apple II, the III supported a Z80 hardware card that allowed it to run CP/M applications. If most people who bought the III were going to use it just to run CP/M applications, then why just by a CP/M-based system. The CP/M-based systems and the Apple II with the Z80 Softcard were still were substantially cheaper than the Apple III, and these systems allowed for much more expansion opportunities as well.

As if that wasn't bad enough, because Apple didn't cater the III towards hobbyist, Apple didn't release technical information for it. Thus, creating expansion adapters for the III was substantially harder.

Conclusion
The Apple III was screwed. To make matters worse for Apple, IBM really started to get their act together. The Apple III was suppose to be the company's insurance policy. It ended up becoming a dumpster fire that quickly got out of hand. The Apple III was suppose to dominate corporate offices while succeeding the Apple II. The III did neither. Not only that, since the III was a market failure, making a new computer was going to take time. Apple would have to continue to support the II. The ball was in IBM's court. The engineering team in Boca Raton, Florida would release their machine to the world on August 1981. The IBM Model 5150, ie. The IBM PC, would redefine computing. It's follow-up, the PC/XT, which came shortly thereafter, would fulfill the role that was originally intended for the Apple III

Their were other repercussions as well. Because the decision of not allowing fans in the system was dictated by Jobs, Apple's upper management lost confidence in his direction and they removed him from from the leadership position on the Lisa workstation project. While Apple's management did allow Jobs to make some decisions in regard to the Lisa (like the name and case design), they didn't allow him to direct the project or make technical decisions. They had the power to do this because they, along with the investors, were pouring the money that was fueling Apple's research. An embittered Jobs found a skunk-works project headed by an engineer named Jeff Raskin and commandeered it. The project, named after Raskin's favorite apple, the macintosh, was a all-in-one computer that would work out of the box and have universal appeal. The Macintosh, like the IBM PC and Apple II, would also redefine computing in time.

It wasn't all doom-and-gloom for Apple though. Many of the OS concepts in SOS would eventually be incorporated into ProDOS for the Apple II, LisaOS, and the Macintosh System Software. Despite the failures of the III, Apple continued growing at a frenzy pace. Sales of the II Plus remained very strong as Apple would continue to dominate the educational and small business market for several years.

The Apple IIe, the successor to the II Plus, was released on 1983 to great fanfare. That machine in particular became THE defining Apple II. Shortly thereafter, the AppleWorks integrated software program was released. This program combined the spreadsheet, database, and word-processor into an single program. AppleWorks became for the Apple IIe what Lotus 123 was for the IBM PC; the killer application that put computers into corporate offices. AppleWorks demonstrated that the Apple II was capable of serious office work. In fact, the Apple IIe enjoyed much more success as an office computer than the machine that was originally destined for that role, the Apple III.


Emulation

I'm using an older build of MESS in order to emulate the Apple III. I'm a sucker for batch files and command lines. However, one could use the MESSUI for an easier emulator experience. The emulation is very solid and highly configurable.  The slots can be configured. It's at this point that I would highly recommend "Apple /// Ready-to-Run"  by datajerk. This archive is basically MESS/MAME already preconfigured to run the Apple III and its software library. For those who want to experience the computer, this is basically the only way to start. This archive contains virtually all the software that was ever released for that platform. Highly recommended. Not only that, one can be sure that your emulated III is not going to overheat. For the love of God though, don't pick up your PC gaming rig and drop it back on your desk!

Articles Of Interest
Apple 3.org : https://www.apple3.org/
Apple /// Ready-to-Run : https://github.com/datajerk/apple3rtr
Apple III (Wikipedia) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_III
Apple II (Wikipedia) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II
History of Apple Inc. 1975–1985: Jobs and Wozniak (Wikipedia) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Apple_Inc.#1975%E2%80%931985:_Jobs_and_Wozniak
Steve Jobs (Wikipedia) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs
Apple II Plus (Wikipedia) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II_Plus
VisiCalc (Wikipedia) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VisiCalc
Z-80 SoftCard (Wikipedia) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z-80_SoftCard
Applesoft BASIC (Wikipedia) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applesoft_BASIC

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