KB10008: Apple II Models Compared – Every Model and What Changed

Apple produced the Apple II family from 1977 through 1993, spanning eight distinct models across nearly two decades. Each revision brought meaningful changes in processing power, memory, storage, and form factor. This article covers every major model in the lineup, what set each apart, and what collectors and restorers should know.

Apple II (1977)

The machine that launched the personal computer revolution. Steve Wozniak designed the Apple II around the MOS 6502 processor running at approximately 1.023 MHz. It shipped with 4 KB of RAM, expandable to 48 KB by populating additional banks on the motherboard. The system included eight internal expansion slots, color graphics capability (a rarity at the time), a built-in NTSC composite video output, and a cassette interface for program storage. The ROM contained Wozniak's Integer BASIC, which was fast but limited to whole-number math. The open architecture with those eight slots became one of its greatest strengths, enabling third-party cards for disk drives, memory expansion, serial communication, and more. The case was a distinctive beige plastic design by Jerry Manock.

Apple II Plus (1979)

The II Plus was an evolutionary update rather than a redesign. The most significant change was replacing Integer BASIC in ROM with Applesoft BASIC, a floating-point BASIC licensed from Microsoft. This made it far more practical for scientific and mathematical programs out of the box. The system also introduced "Autostart ROM," which allowed the machine to automatically boot from a Disk II drive on power-up instead of dropping to a BASIC prompt. RAM configurations started at 16 KB or 48 KB depending on the model purchased. The expansion slot architecture and physical form factor were essentially identical to the original Apple II. A notable variant is the Bell & Howell model, a black-cased version marketed to schools with an added A/V jack.

Apple IIe (1983)

The IIe ("enhanced" in name only at launch—the "Enhanced" upgrade came later) was a substantial engineering overhaul. Apple used custom-designed chips to reduce the component count on the motherboard by roughly 75% compared to the II Plus, which cut manufacturing costs and improved reliability. It was the first Apple II to include built-in support for uppercase and lowercase characters and 80-column text display (with the addition of an auxiliary memory card). Standard RAM was 64 KB, expandable to 128 KB with the auxiliary slot card. The IIe retained seven of the eight expansion slots (one was repurposed as the auxiliary slot) and introduced a new keyboard with full typewriter-style layout. The IIe became the longest-produced Apple II model, manufactured from 1983 all the way to late 1993.

Apple IIe Enhanced (1985)

The Enhanced IIe was a mid-life upgrade rather than a new model. It swapped the original 6502 CPU for the CMOS 65C02, replaced the character generator ROM to support the MouseText character set (special symbols for drawing rudimentary GUI elements in text mode), and updated the system firmware ROMs. Existing IIe owners could upgrade by replacing four chips on the motherboard. The Enhanced designation is important because certain later software titles require the 65C02 and updated ROMs to run.

Apple IIe Platinum (1987)

The Platinum was a cosmetic and minor functional refresh of the Enhanced IIe. It came in a lighter platinum-gray case to match the aesthetics of the Apple IIGS and Macintosh product lines. It included a built-in numeric keypad (previously an option), and the 80-column/extended memory card was now included as standard. Internally it used the same Enhanced IIe logic. The Platinum was the last version of the IIe manufactured.

Apple IIc (1984)

The IIc ("compact") took the Apple II in a completely different direction. It was the first Apple II designed as a closed system with no internal expansion slots. Instead, Apple built in the most commonly needed peripherals: a 5.25-inch floppy drive, 128 KB of RAM, serial ports for a printer and modem, a mouse port, and an external drive connector. It used the 65C02 processor at 1.023 MHz. The system was roughly the size of a notebook (though much thicker) and weighed about 7.5 pounds, making it Apple's first portable computer. Despite the lack of slots, the IIc ran virtually all Apple II software. A carrying handle folded out from the back and doubled as a tilt stand. An optional flat-panel LCD display was available but was expensive and never sold well.

Apple IIc (Memory Expansion, 1986)

Apple released a revised IIc ROM (ROM version 3, sometimes called "ROM 3" or the "Memory Expandable IIc") that added support for an external RAM expansion card produced by Applied Engineering. This allowed IIc users to expand beyond 128 KB, using the extra memory as a RAM disk. The revision also introduced a new 3.5-inch UniDisk interface, allowing the IIc to use the 800 KB 3.5-inch floppy drives externally.

Apple IIc Plus (1988)

The IIc Plus was the sixth and final model in the Apple II series and the last 8-bit Apple computer. Its headline feature was a 65C02 running at a user-switchable 1 MHz or 4 MHz, making it the fastest 8-bit Apple II ever produced. The built-in floppy drive was upgraded to a 3.5-inch 800 KB unit—nearly six times the capacity of the original IIc's 5.25-inch drive, with roughly three times the seek speed and motorized button-activated ejection. A custom chip called the MIG ("Magic Interface Glue") with a dedicated 2 KB static RAM buffer handled the increased data throughput of the new drive. RAM remained 128 KB, expandable to 1.125 MB. The power supply moved from an external brick to an internal unit. Apple priced the IIc Plus at $1,099 and discontinued it in November 1990.

Apple IIGS (1986)

The IIGS ("Graphics and Sound") was the most capable machine in the Apple II family and straddled the line between the 8-bit Apple II world and the 16-bit Macintosh era. It used a Western Design Center 65C816 processor at 2.8 MHz—a true 16-bit CPU with 24-bit address bus that maintained backward compatibility with the 65C02 instruction set. This let it run virtually all older Apple II software while also supporting a new generation of 16-bit native applications.

Graphics

The IIGS introduced "Super Hi-Res" graphics modes with a 12-bit color palette supporting 4,096 possible colors. Standard modes included 320×200 with 16 colors from the palette, and 640×200 with 4 colors. Through palette-swapping techniques on each scanline, skilled programmers could display 256 or even up to 3,200 colors on screen simultaneously. This was a dramatic leap from the 6-color high-resolution graphics of earlier models.

Sound

Perhaps the IIGS's most distinctive feature was its Ensoniq 5503 DOC (Digital Oscillator Chip) sound synthesizer—a 32-oscillator wavetable synthesis chip with 64 KB of dedicated sound RAM. Oscillators could be paired for stereo output, producing up to 15 independent stereo voices. The same Ensoniq chip family was used in professional music synthesizers of the era, giving the IIGS audio capabilities far beyond any other home computer in its price range.

Revisions

The IIGS shipped in two main revisions. The original 1986 model (commonly called "ROM 01") came with 256 KB of RAM and 128 KB of ROM. The 1989 revision ("ROM 3"—Apple skipped "ROM 2" to avoid confusion) increased standard RAM to 1.125 MB and ROM to 256 KB. The ROM 3 version also included bug fixes and performance improvements in the built-in GS/OS Toolbox routines. Both versions feature seven expansion slots compatible with older Apple II cards plus a dedicated memory expansion slot.

Quick Comparison Table

Model	Year	CPU	Speed	Base RAM	Slots	Notable Feature
Apple II	1977	6502	1 MHz	4 KB	8	Integer BASIC, color graphics
Apple II Plus	1979	6502	1 MHz	16–48 KB	8	Applesoft BASIC, Autostart ROM
Apple IIe	1983	6502	1 MHz	64 KB	7 + aux	Lower-case, 80-column support
Apple IIe Enhanced	1985	65C02	1 MHz	64 KB	7 + aux	MouseText, updated firmware
Apple IIe Platinum	1987	65C02	1 MHz	128 KB	7 + aux	Built-in keypad, platinum case
Apple IIc	1984	65C02	1 MHz	128 KB	0	Portable, all-in-one design
Apple IIc Plus	1988	65C02	1/4 MHz	128 KB	0	4 MHz speed, 3.5″ floppy
Apple IIGS	1986	65C816	2.8 MHz	256 KB–1.125 MB	7 + mem	16-bit, Ensoniq sound, Super Hi-Res

Identifying Your Apple II

For collectors and restorers, the quickest way to identify a model is by the label on the bottom or back of the case and the motherboard part number. On IIe units, checking whether the machine is original, Enhanced, or Platinum matters for software compatibility. Look at the character ROM and CPU: an original IIe has a plain 6502 and no MouseText; an Enhanced unit will have a 65C02 and MouseText characters visible when pressing Open-Apple. The Platinum is easy to spot by its lighter case color and built-in numeric keypad. For the IIGS, the ROM version is shown at boot or can be checked in the Control Panel—ROM 01 machines have a vertical case badge reading "Apple IIGS," while ROM 3 units have a horizontal badge.