<s>
The	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
is	O
an	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
clone	I-Device
,	O
released	O
by	O
VTech	O
in	O
1986	O
and	O
comparable	O
to	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIe	I-Device
and	O
Apple	O
IIc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VTech	B-Device
Laser	I-Device
128	I-Device
has	O
128	O
kB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
Apple	O
IIc	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
one-piece	O
semi-portable	O
design	O
with	O
a	O
carrying	O
handle	O
and	O
built-in	O
5¼-inch	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
,	O
that	O
uses	O
the	O
65C02	B-General_Concept
microprocessor	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
supports	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
graphics	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
Apple	O
IIc	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
a	O
numeric	B-Device
keypad	I-Device
,	O
Centronics	B-Device
printer	I-Device
port	I-Device
,	O
and	O
128	O
kB	O
of	O
dedicated	O
video	O
RAM	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
15-pin	O
D-sub	O
digital	O
video	O
port	O
is	O
compatible	O
with	O
Apple	O
's	O
IIc	O
flat	O
panel	O
display	O
,	O
but	O
unlike	O
the	O
IIc	O
,	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
's	O
port	O
is	O
also	O
RGBI	O
interface	O
compatible	O
with	O
an	O
adapter	O
cable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
has	O
a	O
single	O
expansion	B-Device
slot	I-Device
for	O
Apple	O
II	O
peripheral	O
cards	O
,	O
which	O
gives	O
it	O
better	O
expansion	O
capabilities	O
than	O
a	O
IIc	O
,	O
but	O
cards	O
remain	O
exposed	O
;	O
the	O
slot	O
is	O
intended	O
for	O
an	O
$80	O
expansion	O
chassis	O
with	O
two	O
slots	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIe	I-Device
's	O
Slot	O
5	O
and	O
Slot	O
7	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
computer	O
also	O
has	O
an	O
internal	O
memory-expansion	O
slot	O
,	O
requiring	O
a	O
card	O
that	O
allows	O
up	O
to	O
1	O
MB	O
of	O
additional	O
RAM	B-Architecture
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
RAM	B-Application
disk	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Laser	B-Device
128EX	I-Device
and	O
128EX/2	O
,	O
also	O
expandable	O
by	O
1	O
MB	O
,	O
come	O
with	O
the	O
memory	O
expansion	B-Device
card	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Announced	O
in	O
early	O
1986	O
,	O
VTech	O
sold	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
in	O
the	O
US	O
at	O
a	O
suggested	O
retail	O
price	O
of	O
$479	O
,	O
while	O
Central	O
Point	O
Software	O
sold	O
it	O
by	O
mail	O
for	O
$395	O
;	O
by	O
comparison	O
,	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIe	I-Device
sold	O
for	O
$945	O
in	O
April	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
filed	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
to	O
stop	O
distribution	O
but	O
VTech	O
obtained	O
United	O
States	O
Customs	O
approval	O
to	O
export	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
to	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
in	O
1986	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
lawsuit	O
reportedly	O
had	O
no	O
effect	O
on	O
demand	O
for	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Central	O
Point	O
—	O
the	O
most	O
prominent	O
dealer	O
—	O
sold	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
and	O
accessories	O
with	O
full-page	O
magazine	O
advertisements	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
a	O
computer	O
without	O
expansion	B-Device
slots	I-Device
is	O
a	O
dead-end	O
that	O
stays	O
behind	O
as	O
technology	O
advances	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
advertised	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
in	O
Commodore	O
computer	O
magazines	O
;	O
the	O
name	O
was	O
,	O
Central	O
Point	O
president	O
Mike	O
Brown	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
chosen	O
to	O
sound	O
like	O
the	O
Commodore	B-Device
128	I-Device
"	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
company	O
intended	O
to	O
appeal	O
to	O
those	O
who	O
wanted	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
large	O
Apple	O
software	O
library	O
with	O
a	O
computer	O
that	O
cost	O
the	O
same	O
as	O
the	O
comparable	O
Commodore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
late	O
1986	O
,	O
other	O
mail-order	O
firms	O
also	O
sold	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
,	O
and	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
peripheral	O
maker	O
advertised	O
its	O
product	O
's	O
compatibility	O
with	O
the	O
clone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VTech	O
subsequently	O
released	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128EX	I-Device
(	O
1987	O
)	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
3.6MHz	O
CPU	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
$549	O
Laser	B-Device
128EX/2	I-Device
(	O
mid-1988	O
)	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
3.5-inch	O
disk	O
drive	O
and	O
MIDI	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
soon	O
released	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
IIc	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
clones	I-Device
from	O
Franklin	O
were	O
discontinued	O
after	O
the	O
company	O
lost	O
Apple	B-Device
Computer	I-Device
,	I-Device
Inc	I-Device
.	I-Device
v	I-Device
.	I-Device
Franklin	I-Device
Computer	I-Device
Corp	I-Device
.	I-Device
(	O
1983	O
)	O
,	O
VTech	O
reverse-engineered	O
the	O
Apple	O
Monitor	O
ROM	B-Device
using	O
a	O
clean	O
room	O
design	O
rather	O
than	O
copying	O
it	O
,	O
and	O
licensed	O
an	O
Applesoft	O
BASIC-compatible	O
version	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
carefully	O
studied	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
but	O
was	O
unable	O
to	O
force	O
the	O
clone	O
off	O
the	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
its	O
physical	O
resemblance	O
to	O
the	O
IIc	O
,	O
software	O
sees	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
as	O
an	O
enhanced	O
IIe	B-Device
with	O
128	O
kB	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
Extended	B-Device
80-Column	I-Device
Text	I-Device
Card	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Central	O
Point	O
said	O
in	O
1986	O
that	O
testing	O
had	O
found	O
that	O
only	O
Choplifter	B-Application
,	O
David	B-Application
's	I-Application
Midnight	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Serpentine	B-Application
did	O
not	O
run	O
on	O
the	O
clone	O
,	O
because	O
of	O
Broderbund	O
's	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
We	O
think	O
it	O
safe	O
to	O
surmise	O
that	O
the	O
latest	O
and	O
best	O
software	O
is	O
90	O
percent	O
likely	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
"	O
,	O
InfoWorld	O
wrote	O
in	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compatible	O
software	O
included	O
AppleWorks	B-Device
,	O
Quicken	B-Application
,	O
Apple	B-Device
Writer	I-Device
,	O
VisiCalc	B-Application
,	O
Flight	O
Simulator	O
II	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Print	I-Application
Shop	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Where	O
in	O
the	O
World	O
is	O
Carmen	O
Sandiego	O
?,	O
sometimes	O
with	O
slightly	O
different	O
colors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
incompatible	O
with	O
some	O
hardware	O
,	O
the	O
magazine	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
expansion	B-Device
slot	I-Device
and	O
parallel	O
port	O
let	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
use	O
other	O
products	O
which	O
were	O
incompatible	O
with	O
the	O
IIc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Programs	O
that	O
successfully	O
ran	O
on	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
included	O
F-15	B-Application
Strike	I-Application
Eagle	I-Application
,	O
Fantavision	B-Application
,	O
WordPerfect	B-Application
,	O
and	O
The	B-Application
Hitchhiker	I-Application
's	I-Application
Guide	I-Application
to	I-Application
the	I-Application
Galaxy	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
magazine	O
wrote	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
easy	O
to	O
install	O
$25	O
upgraded	O
ROM	B-Device
chips	I-Device
if	O
necessary	O
to	O
improve	O
compatibility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BYTE	B-Application
wrote	O
that	O
expansion	B-Device
cards	I-Device
worked	O
properly	O
but	O
the	O
magazine	O
found	O
"	O
mixed	O
results	O
"	O
with	O
software	O
compatibility	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
graphics	O
programs	O
I	O
tested	O
revealed	O
flaws	O
in	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
's	O
compatibility	O
with	O
both	O
the	O
Apple	O
IIc	O
and	O
II+	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
's	O
popularity	O
ensured	O
that	O
most	O
major	O
software	O
companies	O
tested	O
their	O
software	O
on	O
the	O
Laser	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
on	O
Apple	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Applesoft	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
constitutes	O
the	O
largest	O
and	O
most	O
complex	O
part	O
of	O
an	O
Apple	O
II	O
's	O
ROM	B-Device
contents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
IBM	O
with	O
PC	B-Operating_System
DOS	I-Operating_System
,	O
Apple	O
did	O
not	O
have	O
an	O
exclusive	O
license	O
for	O
the	O
Applesoft	O
dialect	O
of	O
BASIC	O
,	O
and	O
VTech	O
was	O
free	O
to	O
license	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
Apple	O
software	O
depends	O
on	O
various	O
machine	O
code	O
routines	O
that	O
are	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
BASIC	O
in	O
ROM	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
InfoWorld	O
in	O
May	O
1986	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
we	O
can	O
see	O
why	O
"	O
Apple	O
opposed	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
's	O
importation	O
to	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
stated	O
that	O
other	O
than	O
the	O
keyboard	O
feel	O
,	O
the	O
computer	O
's	O
external	O
features	O
(	O
the	O
expansion	B-Device
slot	I-Device
,	O
numeric	B-Device
keypad	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Centronics	B-Device
port	I-Device
)	O
improved	O
on	O
the	O
IIc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Given	O
the	O
high	O
degree	O
of	O
compatibility	O
and	O
a	O
price	O
less	O
than	O
half	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
IIc	O
,	O
the	O
magazine	O
concluded	O
that	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
"	O
is	O
a	O
real	O
bargain	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
's	O
cheap	O
and	O
it	O
works	O
"	O
,	O
inCider	O
in	O
December	O
1986	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
"[deserved]	O
a	O
look	O
from	O
anyone	O
considering	O
a	O
Commodore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BYTE	B-Application
in	O
January	O
1987	O
preferred	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
's	O
keyboard	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
keypad	O
and	O
cursor	O
keys	O
 '	O
locations	O
,	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	O
IIc	O
and	O
approved	O
of	O
the	O
documentation	O
's	O
quality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
inCider	O
in	O
November	O
1988	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128EX/2	I-Device
"	O
has	O
everything	O
you	O
can	O
possibly	O
put	O
into	O
an	O
8-bit	O
Apple	O
II	O
...	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
standard	O
equipment	O
,	O
it	O
's	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
match	O
for	O
the	O
IIc	O
Plus	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Apple	O
product	O
was	O
faster	O
(	O
vs	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
difference	O
in	O
price	O
between	O
the	O
two	O
computers	O
was	O
much	O
smaller	O
than	O
the	O
IIc	O
's	O
more	O
than	O
premium	O
over	O
the	O
Laser	B-Device
128	I-Device
,	O
but	O
the	O
128EX/2	O
'	O
s	O
memory	O
was	O
more	O
easily	O
expandable	O
,	O
important	O
to	O
AppleWorks	B-Device
users	O
.	O
</s>
