Apple IIgs
| Manufacturer: | Apple Computer |
| Year Introduced: | 1986 |
| Cost (new): | $999 (without monitor) |
| Processor: | Western Design Center W65C816S |
| Speed | 2.8 Mhz |
| RAM: | 256 KB - 8 MB |
| ROM: | 128 KB - 256 KB |
| Expansion Slots: | Seven Internal |
| I/O Ports: | Floppy Joystick Serial (2) |
| Storage Media | 3.5" & 5.25" Floppy Drives Optional 20 MB - 100 MB Hard Disk |
| Operating System: | DOS 3.3, GS/OS, or ProDOS |
| System Bus: | 16-bit |
The final member of the Apple II family, the IIgs, was introduced in September of 1986. It ran on a 2.8 Mhz Western Design Center W65C816S (also known as the 65816). Since the 65816 was backwards-compatible with the 6502, the IIgs was able (when slowed to 1 Mhz) to run all Apple II software.
The "gs" stood for "graphics and sound." The IIgs was capable of displaying 256-color (or with CPU assistance, up to 3,200-color) graphics at 320x200 resolution, and 16-color graphics at 640x200 - which was state-of-the-art in 1986. Sounds were generated by an Ensoniq chip capable of playing 15 sounds simultaneously.
Despite the fact that the IIgs sold very well, Apple had already decided that it would be moving away from the II line in favor of the new Macintoshes. The machine was never heavily advertised, and it was phased out in 1992.