Apple II Computer History and Review

[@LGR]

Best review I've seen for the Apple II, fantastic work! Really enjoyed discussing the machines prior to it, too.

[@BrianPicchi]

Thanks, bro. It was fun to make.

[@spencerh8426]

:D

[@whasspedtzerthal4399]

Hey lazy games!Wow I didn't expect to see you here!

[@circuit-breakermi3865]

Lazy Game Reviews I see you have a Black "poloroid" II, nice!

[@oprahwinfrey878]

Holy crap, it’s LGR!!!

[@8BitKeys]

Why does this not have like a million views?

[@jakesueldo891]

My Favorite Computer For Apple is The MacBook Pro

[@redmaggit5524]

because nobody be curious for this great memories

[@fifaworldcup1994]

Didn't expected to see you here,David!

[@KrazyMitchAdventures]

In 1976 I had a Zenith ZR1, I bought it from a Military Auction, its manufacture date was 1971.. My computer collection at one time read much like yours.. I had to downsize after my mom died, and sold off majority of my machines, including my Apple I (serial number 05) and my Apple II (serial number 0089), and my Apple IIc (serial number 0010), and my 8088, 8086, 80186, and 80286 (all with low serial numbers) I also had a Compaq portable (which was a desktop computer case, with a 12v battery and an inverter, made in 1989)

[@saturn5tony]

All the games and that history really was the best time of my life and many others I am sure. Thank you for all this great work and your awesome collection. Apple][ 4-ever!

[@Chud_Bud_Supreme]

Even in the early nineties we had a bunch of these things in my elementary school. So much time spent playing games on those. Even the educational games still managed to be fun.

[@Membrane556]

I remember using these in school and playing games on them. I have a working IIe and ///+ in my computer collection.

[@ToddFun]

That was a great look back at some amazing history. Thanks for putting this all together and sharing!

[@cityside75]

A very high quality review! As a child of the 80's who has been fascinated by these machines since my first exposure in third grade, you really nailed it. Awesome collection you have there as well!

[@DavidLovrien]

Great retrospective! And thanks for using my Applied Engineering music demo at 7:12 :-)

[@BrianPicchi]

You made this? That is too cool! It is a brilliant rendition and really shows off the sound capabilities of the system well.

[@MarkSimonsen]

I love the t-shirt and the shot of our old office! Thanks

[@BrianPicchi]

Thank you for making amazing software!

[@ColinReay]

Thank you so much sir! I'm actually a high school volunteer at the Computer History Museum, and it was great to watch your video while I was researching the Personal Computers Gallery.

[@ripoutyourprejudice]

You got really awesome videos and this is one of the best videos here on YT covering the apple2 that I saw. Being born in '91 I never got to live the "magic" of witnessing how these machines competed to build the industry we have today, but I find them fascinating. And with the presence of really good emulators like AppleWin I can experience at least a bit of the hardware in the case of games.

[@Genethagenius]

Great video! I’m so fascinated by that time period in computer hardware and software. There were so many free thinkers taking risks and creating or improving things.

[@Elhardt]

I had piles of Apple II stuff up until about 3 years ago that I thought I couldn't even give away, when I learned that vintage computing was alive and well, and that Apple II stuff was selling for a reasonable amount of money. So I gathered up all my Apple cards and software, put the bundle on ebay and got $620 for it... I however kept all of my Beagle Brothers peeks and pokes charts thinking I could wallpaper a small portion of a wall with them.

[@tenminutetokyo2643]

Walked into my high school on the 1st day and saw one of these, and was hooked.

[@sburton015]

I remember this was the first computer that I learned how to type on back when I was in middle school back in 1996.

[@MrChrisc2002]

Great video. Those games bring back memories and I loved the Beagle Bros utilities.

[@crossgeek1774]

Straight up played Oregon Trail in school, in the 90's on an Apple II.

[@airtrek1065]

Loved the video. Looked up the Apple II since I'm studying for an exam. Good job!

[@levimonsen1006]

Love this video! Thanks for the info. My old school still used an Apple II in 2010! I am an Apple collector and at the time i didnt know what type of computer it was, but years later i learned, and went back to see if they still had it, but they threw it away :(

[@stevenwilliams2617]

brings back memories, my brother in law had the apple 2 plus when i was a teen. it was a big deal when he upgraded to floppy disk from cassette, then upgraded from 48 k ram to 64 k, oooh. it had a cool game where you could play as ww1 biplanes and do dog fights. a game where you raided an aztec pyramid for treasure with many foes and traps. and of course swashbuckler, which was protected but i broke it and wanted to see the machine language made for the game but that crashed his computer, then it met its demise when he tossed it down a flight of basement steps. for the time it was advanced for a home computer with spreadsheet programs and the ability to create your own programs. apple also had a lot of good software for children to learn basic math and language that were quite entertaining making learning more fun. the big reason for success was hi resolution graphics lines instead of blocks was a big seller.

[@X-OR_]

Happy 40th Birthday Apple II. Introduced at the West Coast Computer Faire on April 16, 1977

[@vwestlife]

Games for the Apple II (excluding the IIGS) were always subpar compared to the C64 and Atari 8-bit series, but considering that the hardware dated back to 1977, many were able to make remarkably good use of it nonetheless. Apple II's lasted until about 1996 in my high school. By then they had been banished to a back corner of the library, but they were still set up and operational.

[@BrianPicchi]

I had a similar experience with my school around that same time. We had just one Apple IIe (with duodisk and green screen) in the corner of the classroom. It was just me and one other kid that actually used it. I wonder if there's still a school out in the boonies that still has one...

[@CaptainRufus]

As a kid Apples always seemed to cost more for less computer. Little has changed. Of course if Jobs wasn't such a tool the II line could have at least been competitive in specs at least. Apple's dislike of gaming and their seeming worship of the Mac didn't help any either. Of course their competitors had their own issues and flawed leadership too. But when you compare what a stock C64 or Atari 800 XL could do the IIs just weren't going to be a home computer. Then the PC showed up that won the business war...

[@BrianPicchi]

When the Apple II first debuted, it was one of the most affordable non-kit computers around and had more to offer than most. However, as technology quickly evolved and manufacturing costs shrank, Apple didn't really lower their sticker prices. The same can be said today. :)

[@NJRoadfan]

I'm actually surprised how long Apple IIs lasted in schools. The last year for them in the main computer lab was 1995 around here. There was a row of Mac LCIIs that appeared in the lab in 1992 with Apple IIe cards as a "test" purchase. They were debating Mac vs. PC. By 1994 they decided on PCs and later replaced them all. I think the Apple IIs remained in the classrooms as secondary machines for a while. I know a few were still floating around my high school in 96-97, mostly to teach basic robotics using that LEGO system.

[@Gpalmer16]

NJRoadfan In 2003 my local high school had a storage full of them and compaq 486...I think. Not a lot of people showed up. A got about 20 for 1 buck each. Haha.

[@ncf1]

great to see youre still going at it programming! Brilliant!

[@ToddFun]

That was so good I had to watch it again this weekend. Great video!

[@BrianPicchi]

Thanks! It was fun to make, in part as an excuse to show off some of my collection. :)

[@Polaventris]

Excellent video as always! Didn't know Hard Hat Mack was an Apple II game originally. Just by coincidence I just did a video of the C64 conversion and I was wondering what was the original format.

[@BeyondTheScanlines]

Wonderful overview. I was exposed to the II's (primarily the IIgs) back in primary school, and so never really got to tinker around with them as much as I'd like to now ;) Then again… that's what hunting down old retro hardware is for :)

[@JimLeonard]

You had me at the Beagle Bros. shirt. But the rest of the video was very well presented too -- always a pleasure. I had no idea the ALF card was so advanced, or that there was music support for a MIDI peripheral. Also, good cross-section of games that were representative of the platform. "We Gotcha!"

[@BrianPicchi]

I had a lot more games to show, like ones by Bill Budge, Infocom, etc, but that segment was passing the 2 minute mark and I didn't want to get carried away!

[@peterharoldjanakjr2078]

What were the original specs for the first gen Apple II's. Total RAM, CPU speed, etc. I'm reading that the computers for the first moon landing(4 of them), each had around the same processing power as a first gen apple II.

[@jackobyuk]

awesome review i hope you do more :)

[@nowaymangoshtomuchna]

HEY cool that you are back! i cant wait for more vintage computer reviews! like for the keypro or the amiga line of computers. the 70s 80s and early 90s where a amazing era of micro and home computers. its really sad that many of those companys arent really around anymore like commodore and amiga or atari. sure the different formats where confiusing and all but all those computerlines and variations of systems had userbases which felt like true familys! nowadays we only got 3 main demographics "windows,mac,linux" and it makes me kinda sad but anyway good video ^^

[@padodado]

Amazing video.... Very well done.

[@tominrochester]

Question re. the original Apple II ('77)- what level of computer literacy did you actually need to effectively use the Apple II? Was it as simple as knowing how to read and following the manual, or did you have to have some level of IT skills, use BASIC, etc...? What's the most complex thing the Apple II could do, back then? I'm specifically asking re. the original and not the later models...

[@datasilouk1995]

Great review. I still have two early Apple 2's in the loft.

[@BenevolentDick]

really great video man. inspiring really. now whats nipple magazine lol. those games were a trip too. castle wolfenstein i didnt expect to see. looks fun.

[@A123unit]

Hey I saw your video and I'm on the verge to figuring this kind of stuff out. I'm 16 and I'm wanting to start from scratch from when computers were first and learn simple stuff from how they simply get letters on the screen and how the northern parse work. I'm currently studying objective-C and I feel like I'd have a better understanding of someone could relate to what I'm trying to learn. If you could reach out and share some of your knowledge with me that would be great I'm always wanting to learn.

[@Morbatx]

I just stumbled across your channel, and it looks great so far! So you're one of the minds behind Retro Fever? That's awesome. Coincidentally, I just watched the video LGR made for it and it made me want to get a copy of the game for myself. I also noticed you have an Adventure Vision there...whoa. Super cool!!

[@bzert281]

Loved Merlin, and Beagle Brothers stuff. WHERE do you get that T-shirt????

[@vkoskiv]

Been looking for an EuroPlus for a good price, but those are rare!

[@warylv]

I'm guessing Apple computers are pretty rare here in Sweden because in my whole life I've only ever seen a single one with my own eyes. It was at a friends house when I was about 18 years old (31 now), it had a screen that was taller than it was wide and my reaction to it was something like "This has fun written nowhere on it". It looked like a computer for work and nothing else. Maybe because it was?

[@penguinworks]

Would you know where I could have my apple II euro plus looked at? It's been in the family forever but it hasn't been taken care of...

[@whatamalike]

Fantastic video, by a million miles the best video on the subject on the Apple II (have you seen LGR's Apple ii GS vid ? that's also awesome). But considering how popular apple is there are very little videos online dedicated to the Apple 2, 3 or lisa. It's all mac and jobs which is cool but a bit of variety would be nice :/

[@BrianPicchi]

madcapoperator Thanks! It was a lot of fun to make. I would have liked to include so much more like showing each of the various Apple II models and talk about the different graphics modes, etc, but it was just too much to cram into one video.

[@chemergency]

Very remarkable for something created back in the 1970's.

[@sherri419]

My parents bought me a Basis 108 which was an Apple II compatible it cost $2,000! back then.

[@agranero6]

The T-shirt with Beagle Bros remembers me of Apple Mechanic software.

[@CT6502]

Great video! I'm glad you showed The Bilestoad. My brother and I wasted a lot of time chopping each other's arms off in that game...

[@BrianPicchi]

What better way to bond with your sibling!

[@Mr_Meowingtons]

i had a Apple IIGS but it died a few years back... :( wish i still had one..

[@ShamrockParticle]

Emulators work to a point but the real hardware can be found on ebay or other sites. Usually it's a power supply or capacitor that's worn out but the chips themselves dont last forever. Adding heatsinks on them and adding airflow through the case can help extend their lifespans...

[@dave4shmups]

What model of Sanyo monitor is that in this video? I see it in so many images of the Apple II.

[@Zorkmid123]

Beagle Bros did make some awesome programming tools!

[@BollingHolt]

I never knew there was a "Prince of Persia" released for the Apple II! I'm going to have to find a copy of it now and load it up on my IIe!

[@SuperMoleRetro]

Great vid! I hope the original Apple II was just the first you plan on doing!

[@y0sh1rulez]

This video is just full of awesome, and

[@PCsrot]

OYG, this is fantastic. I do not have Apple computers, but it looks so cute

[@BryonLape]

Woz did well with the low res graphics of the Apple ][, but his compromises for high res are a bit mind boggling.

[@dowekeller]

Even in low res, the way the memory is mapped to the screen is, well odd.

[@bryede]

Woz developed the architecture using off the shelf TTL so many of the decisions were based on things which reduced the chip count. Companies like Atari and Commodore had the luxury of being able to design their own ASICs with sprites and multi-voice sound.

[@JoeSiegler]

Love the Beagle Bros shirt!

[@felipealva00]

Great review, I just got an Apple II+ and I trying to write a program from the tv show LOST, what do you think is the best way to go about it, I want to do a logging screen with the dharma initiative logo.

[@AllGamingStarred]

what's the system on the middle right?

[@lynskyrd78]

Great video Bro, and Nice Computer collection,

[@BrianPicchi]

Ronald S Thank you!

[@barth8258]

Hello TanRu, I noticed you have Mickey's Space Adventure. Do you have the Tandy/IBM version of it? If so, would you be willing to sell it, or trade for it?

[@stephanielane3165]

omg i used one of these in elemenatry school back in 1993 :O

[@Mastergeko4]

A portrait display? I'm more jealous that you have that than the Apple II.

[@forevernow9459]

Nice shirt. Please let me know where you got it

[@Kairi091]

Why does every copy of the Oregon Trail have that gravestone ("here lies Andy pepperony and cheese")? It was on the copy at my school in the 90s and when I torrented a copy circa 2005, it was there too! And now here it is in this vid. Was that gravestone part of the original game or something?

[@BrianPicchi]

It was part of a very popular pirated copy that almost everyone played.

[@ShamrockParticle]

Tombstone

[@dave4shmups]

Excellent video! Apple should totally re-release those retro apple t-shirts! I honestly think they'd sell really well! What model of Macintosh is that one in the video with the long rectangular monitor??

[@BrianPicchi]

Thanks. That is a Mac IIsi with a Radius Full Page Display monitor on top. It's a behemoth, but was groundbreaking for its use in early desktop publishing.

[@circuit-breakermi3865]

TanRu Nomad I see you have a Black "poloroid" II, nice!

[@VenoStuff]

Awesome video! I learned a lot! :)

[@Blubberbot]

Thanks for the cool video.

[@dansomebody9627]

Oh my God no not the Oregon trail why must that game still haunt me today

[@xiv1496]

awesome video man.

[@imarcoosx]

Lol ‘oh hi there’ like he’s surprised by his camera

[@lazavideoz]

Great videos! Keep it up!

[@Lordblackfair]

I loved the apple ii but parents could not afford on back in the 80s

[@BlueMSX.]

What's the music at 1:21?

[@BrianPicchi]

It's the theme from Disco Fever on the Mattel Aquarius.

[@BlueMSX.]

Thank you so much. :)

[@DanHowardMtl]

Very cool but you forgot Aztec. ;)

[@bdwilcox]

***** Yes! And don't forget Montezuma's Revenge!

[@bdwilcox]

bdwilcox Oh, and Captain Goodnight.

[@michaellyga4726]

1:03 kind of the opposite of apple today

[@TheGuyThatEveryoneIgnores]

Apple's openness disappeared with the introduction of the Macintosh. This is one reason that, while being an avid Apple II user, I never used Macintosh or any later Apples much. In the mid 1990s I switched to the PC and never went back.

[@hitssquad]

Another great utility was Inspector 48K.

[@maxmarelli7076]

Great Video !!!

[@Tb0ne212]

Fantastic, Thank you.

[@Supcharged]

Is this upgradable to MacOS 10?

[@warrax111]

Nobody wants stupid comments here. This is for old generation, who appreciate stuff around it.

[@X-OR_]

Super good Apple II goodness

[@channelshutdown330]

I can't believe apple made Atari

[@SaintPaul_yea]

Amazing

[@dominykaskruopis5126]

Yooooo I wrote a code that just adds up 2 numbers.... It takes up over 200K So the chess was some REAL optimization

[@leonardoantonio8756]

Great video, also you look kinda like bruce campbell

[@Votax81]

But can it run crysis?

[@ultron1809]

2:26 dat shirt tho

[@dayoldpepsi652]

wate you mean EA the makers of sims?

[@pyramidblack]

You are too luck to "see" and "own" these masterpieces. Please enjoy your life.

[@rafos7160]

+OldePak exactly pple need to start realizing that they ar lucky to even look at shit like this

[@MetalSonicodraco7342]

+OldePak Anybody can enjoy his life with whatever they want...and nobody can say nothing

[@simonvv1002]

Interesting!

[@wojiaobill]

"Dr Wily and Dr Light" lol

[@askhowiknow5527]

Yikes, $1600 was a lot of dollars in those days

[@oprahwinfrey878]

Looking to rent out that room? You call me!

[@noelbu]

Dats the lost terminal

[@Rogerdis215]

reading "becoming Steve Jobs" brought me here.

[@kuchenrolledeluxe1803]

Kings Quest ♥️

[@pankeyreal]

Apple 2 can run better than my pc

[@Shinobi33]

Castle Wolfenstein in 1981? Huh look at that

[@kennyadvocat]

I loved the apple II for games. By the time the mac came out i switched to pc. PC was getting games way before they got around to releasing them on Mac in the late 90's. They are too much $$ now. Sorry mac.

[@MrAsiris23]

i would like to go back to 70s and 80s with my 2015 cellphone XD i would be famous :D

[@AxelWerner]

" oh hi there... " ... -___- Seriously ?!?!???!

[@djcb4190]

Why the United States seem th get everything outdated.