<s>
The	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
is	O
the	O
sixth	O
and	O
final	O
model	O
in	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
series	I-Device
of	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
produced	O
by	O
Apple	O
Computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
notable	O
change	O
of	O
direction	O
,	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
,	O
for	O
the	O
most	O
part	O
,	O
did	O
not	O
introduce	O
new	O
technology	O
or	O
any	O
further	O
evolutionary	O
contributions	O
to	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
series	I-Device
,	O
instead	O
merely	O
integrating	O
existing	O
peripherals	O
into	O
the	O
original	O
Apple	O
IIc	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
8-bit	O
machine	O
was	O
criticized	O
by	O
quarters	O
more	O
interested	O
in	O
the	O
significantly	O
more	O
advanced	O
16-bit	O
Apple	B-Device
IIGS	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
was	O
introduced	O
on	O
September	O
16	O
,	O
1988	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
AppleFest	O
conference	O
in	O
San	O
Francisco	O
,	O
with	O
less	O
fanfare	O
than	O
the	O
Apple	O
IIc	O
had	O
received	O
four	O
years	O
earlier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
the	O
official	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
machine	O
,	O
it	O
had	O
been	O
rumored	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
slotless	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIGS	I-Device
squeezed	O
into	O
the	O
portable	O
case	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	O
IIc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
employee	O
John	O
Arkley	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
engineers	O
working	O
on	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
project	O
,	O
had	O
devised	O
rudimentary	O
plans	O
for	O
an	O
enhanced	O
Apple	B-Device
IIGS	I-Device
motherboard	O
that	O
would	O
fit	O
in	O
the	O
IIc	O
case	O
,	O
and	O
petitioned	O
management	O
for	O
the	O
go-ahead	O
with	O
such	O
a	O
project	O
;	O
the	O
idea	O
was	O
rejected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
believed	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
design	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
existence	O
at	O
all	O
,	O
was	O
influenced	O
by	O
a	O
third-party	O
Apple	O
IIc-compatible	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
not	O
a	O
coincidence	O
that	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
is	O
very	O
similar	O
in	O
design	O
to	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128EX/2	I-Device
model	O
,	O
released	O
shortly	O
before	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
it	O
was	O
fully	O
backwards-compatible	O
,	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
replaced	O
the	O
Apple	O
IIc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
had	O
comprised	O
three	O
new	O
features	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
IIc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
accommodate	O
the	O
increased	O
data	O
flow	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
drive	O
,	O
specialized	O
chip	O
circuitry	O
called	O
the	O
MIG	O
,	O
an	O
acronym	O
for	O
"	O
Magic	O
Interface	O
Glue	O
"	O
,	O
was	O
designed	O
and	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
motherboard	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
dedicated	O
2KB	O
static	B-Architecture
RAM	I-Architecture
buffer	O
(	O
the	O
MIG	O
chip	O
is	O
the	O
only	O
exception	O
to	O
there	O
being	O
no	O
new	O
technological	O
developments	O
present	O
in	O
the	O
machine	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	O
most	O
important	O
feature	O
was	O
a	O
faster	O
65C02	B-General_Concept
processor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Running	O
at	O
4MHz	O
,	O
it	O
made	O
the	O
computer	O
faster	O
than	O
any	O
other	O
Apple	O
II	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
IIGS	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
licensed	O
the	O
Zip	O
Chip	O
Apple	O
II	O
accelerator	O
from	O
third-party	O
developer	O
Zip	O
Technologies	O
and	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
IIc	O
Plus	O
;	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
all-in-one	O
tall	O
chip	O
design	O
,	O
Apple	O
engineers	O
broke	O
out	O
the	O
design	O
into	O
its	O
core	O
components	O
and	O
integrated	O
them	O
into	O
the	O
motherboard	O
(	O
a	O
4MHz	O
CPU	O
,	O
8KB	O
of	O
combined	O
static	B-Architecture
RAM	I-Architecture
cache	O
,	O
and	O
logic	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
third	O
major	O
change	O
was	O
the	O
internalization	O
of	O
the	O
power	O
supply	O
into	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
's	O
case	O
,	O
utilizing	O
a	O
new	O
miniature	O
design	O
from	O
Sony	O
and	O
replacing	O
the	O
previous	O
"	O
brick	O
on	O
a	O
leash	O
"	O
external	O
supply	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
keyboard	O
layout	O
and	O
style	O
now	O
mirrored	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIGS	I-Device
and	O
Macintosh	B-Device
,	O
including	O
an	O
enlarged	O
"	O
Return	O
"	O
key	O
and	O
updated	O
modifier	O
keys	O
(	O
Open	O
and	O
Solid	O
Apple	O
being	O
replaced	O
by	O
"	O
Command	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Option	O
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whereas	O
the	O
previous	O
IIc	O
could	O
only	O
support	O
one	O
external	O
5.25-inch	O
floppy	O
drive	O
and	O
(	O
in	O
later	O
models	O
)	O
"	O
intelligent	O
"	O
storage	O
devices	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
UniDisk	O
3.5	O
,	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
offered	O
backwards	O
port	O
compatibility	O
and	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
the	O
external	O
Apple	O
3.5	O
Drive	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIGS	I-Device
and	O
Macintosh	B-Device
was	O
now	O
present	O
,	O
and	O
up	O
to	O
two	O
external	O
5.25-inch	O
floppy	O
drives	O
could	O
be	O
added	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ROM	O
firmware	B-Application
(	O
now	O
labeled	O
revision	O
"	O
5	O
"	O
,	O
following	O
in	O
the	O
sequence	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
IIc	O
)	O
remained	O
the	O
same	O
size	O
,	O
as	O
did	O
RAM	O
,	O
meaning	O
the	O
machine	O
continued	O
to	O
ship	O
with	O
only	O
128KB	O
of	O
memory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
criticized	O
aspect	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
,	O
even	O
among	O
collectors	O
today	O
,	O
is	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
an	O
internal	O
5.25-inch	O
drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reason	O
for	O
this	O
is	O
the	O
vast	O
majority	O
of	O
software	O
for	O
the	O
8-bit	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
series	I-Device
shipped	O
on	O
5.25-inch	O
disks	O
(	O
often	O
hardcoded	O
for	O
the	O
medium	O
)	O
making	O
the	O
machine	O
of	O
limited	O
use	O
unless	O
an	O
external	O
5.25-inch	O
drive	O
is	O
added	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
a	O
physical	O
turbo	B-Device
button	I-Device
or	O
software-based	O
Control	O
Panel	O
)	O
,	O
meaning	O
it	O
would	O
always	O
default	O
back	O
to	O
'	O
fast	O
 '	O
4	O
MHz	O
operation	O
if	O
power	O
cycled	O
,	O
reset	O
or	O
simply	O
warm-booted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
inCider	O
in	O
November	O
1988	O
found	O
that	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
was	O
faster	O
than	O
a	O
IIGS	B-Device
,	O
Laser	B-Device
128EX/2	I-Device
,	O
or	O
Apple	B-Device
IIe	I-Device
with	O
a	O
Zip	O
Chip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
favorably	O
cited	O
the	O
improved	O
keyboard	O
,	O
internal	O
power	O
supply	O
,	O
and	O
Macintosh/IIGS	O
-compatible	O
serial	O
port	O
,	O
but	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
computer	O
"	O
is	O
n't	O
everything	O
it	O
could	O
be	O
"	O
,	O
criticizing	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
change	O
from	O
the	O
IIc	O
's	O
memory	O
capacity	O
(	O
"	O
128K	O
does	O
n't	O
quite	O
cut	O
it	O
"	O
)	O
and	O
difficulty	O
in	O
adding	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
with	O
an	O
accompanying	O
price	O
increase	O
for	O
the	O
IIGS	B-Device
,	O
the	O
magazine	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
unless	O
you	O
really	O
want	O
a	O
small	O
,	O
easily	O
transportable	O
computer	O
,	O
there	O
's	O
little	O
reason	O
to	O
buy	O
the	O
IIc	O
Plus	O
over	O
the	O
IIGS	B-Device
...	O
the	O
improvements	O
over	O
the	O
IIc	O
simply	O
are	O
n't	O
that	O
significant	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
praising	O
Apple	O
for	O
continuing	O
to	O
support	O
Apple	O
II	O
owners	O
the	O
editorial	O
criticized	O
the	O
company	O
for	O
announcing	O
"	O
a	O
new	O
product	O
that	O
uses	O
old	O
technology	O
"	O
at	O
a	O
price	O
higher	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
EX/2	O
or	O
an	O
inexpensive	O
PC	O
clone	O
,	O
comparing	O
the	O
IIc	O
Plus	O
to	O
the	O
unsuccessful	O
IBM	B-Device
PCjr	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
had	O
a	O
relatively	O
short	O
product	O
lifespan	O
,	O
produced	O
for	O
only	O
two	O
years	O
(	O
it	O
was	O
officially	O
discontinued	O
in	O
November	O
1990	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
revised	O
board	O
contained	O
several	O
minor	O
differences	O
(	O
mainly	O
different	O
ASIC	O
manufacturers	O
and	O
markings	O
)	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
no	O
updates	O
or	O
bug	O
fixes	O
seen	O
in	O
the	O
firmware	B-Application
(	O
which	O
was	O
still	O
identified	O
as	O
ROM	O
version	O
'	O
5	O
 '	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
also	O
no	O
international	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
produced	O
,	O
so	O
the	O
keyboard	O
,	O
unlike	O
the	O
original	O
IIc	O
,	O
was	O
only	O
manufactured	O
with	O
American	O
English	O
printed	O
keycaps	O
and	O
the	O
'	O
Keyboard	O
 '	O
switch	O
was	O
utilized	O
solely	O
for	O
changing	O
between	O
QWERTY	O
and	O
DVORAK	O
layout	O
(	O
rather	O
than	O
localized	O
keyboard	O
layouts	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Consequently	O
,	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
was	O
only	O
sold	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
—	O
not	O
even	O
Canadian	O
Apple	O
dealers	O
were	O
authorized	O
to	O
distribute	O
or	O
sell	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
was	O
n't	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
,	O
fate	O
would	O
have	O
it	O
that	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
would	O
be	O
the	O
last	O
new	O
Apple	O
II	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
even	O
back	O
in	O
1988	O
,	O
before	O
this	O
was	O
known	O
,	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
could	O
be	O
seen	O
as	O
signaling	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
the	O
end	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
series	I-Device
,	O
or	O
at	O
the	O
very	O
least	O
,	O
a	O
hint	O
at	O
the	O
direction	O
Apple	O
Computer	O
was	O
taking	O
with	O
the	O
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
releasing	O
the	O
IIc	O
Plus	O
,	O
Apple	O
management	O
essentially	O
made	O
a	O
statement	O
that	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIGS	I-Device
was	O
no	O
longer	O
considered	O
a	O
top	O
priority	O
,	O
and	O
if	O
anything	O
,	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
back	O
seat	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
only	O
possible	O
future	O
for	O
the	O
evolution	O
and	O
continued	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	O
II	O
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Consequently	O
,	O
from	O
this	O
point	O
forward	O
,	O
the	O
Apple	O
II	O
was	O
milked	O
for	O
financial	O
gain	O
as	O
much	O
as	O
possible	O
,	O
while	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
a	O
cap	O
was	O
placed	O
on	O
its	O
evolution	O
and	O
advancement	O
so	O
it	O
would	O
n't	O
overshadow	O
and	O
compete	O
with	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
,	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
then-new	O
focus	O
and	O
chosen	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
proof	O
of	O
this	O
was	O
that	O
,	O
a	O
year	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
oddly	O
out-of-place	O
and	O
retro-designed	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
,	O
only	O
a	O
minor	O
maintenance	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIGS	I-Device
was	O
introduced	O
(	O
mainly	O
boasting	O
more	O
RAM	O
and	O
improved	O
firmware	B-Application
)	O
rather	O
than	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
desperately	O
needed	O
hardware	O
changes	O
required	O
to	O
keep	O
the	O
machine	O
viable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prototypes	O
of	O
more	O
advanced	O
Apple	O
IIs	O
(	O
namely	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
IIGS	B-Device
)	O
were	O
delayed	O
and	O
eventually	O
cancelled	O
as	O
the	O
company	O
decided	O
what	O
to	O
do	O
with	O
its	O
Apple	O
II	O
product	O
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Apple	O
II	O
line	O
carried	O
on	O
until	O
October	O
1993	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
IIe	B-Device
was	O
discontinued	O
.	O
</s>
