Apple II/III · The Garage Era · 1979
Apple II Plus
A refinement of the II that baked Microsoft’s floating-point Applesoft BASIC into ROM, making the machine far friendlier for real programs.
Shipped Applesoft (floating-point) BASIC built into ROM.
Apple III (1980)
Apple II Plus: key facts
When was the Apple II Plus released?
The Apple II Plus arrived in June 1979. Apple discontinued it in December 1982.
How much did the Apple II Plus cost?
The Apple II Plus launched at $1,195 in 1979, about $5,210 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What specs stand out?
Key specs: MOS 6502 at 1.023 MHz, 16 KB RAM, NTSC colour, 280×192 display, Cassette, 8 slots.
Why does the Apple II Plus matter?
Shipped Applesoft (floating-point) BASIC built into ROM.
Full specifications
| CPU | MOS 6502 · 1.023 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 16 KB (up to 64 KB) |
| Storage | — |
| Display | NTSC colour, 280×192 |
| GPU | Integrated |
| Ports | Cassette, 8 slots |
| Weight | 5.4 kg |
| Dimensions | All-in-one + keyboard |
| Operating system | Applesoft BASIC in ROM |
| Released | June 1979 |
| Discontinued | December 1982 |
| Launch price | $1,195 |
How the Apple II Plus compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 1,050,000× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 1.023 MHz, the clock is roughly 3,130× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro, and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
Launched at $1,195 in 1979, about $5,210 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Method note: clock comparisons use frequency only; price conversions use US CPI.
Sources
Specs checked against Apple technical specifications archive, EveryMac, Mactracker, Wikimedia Commons image credits.
Did you know?
Applesoft BASIC was actually licensed from a young Microsoft.
Related Apple II/III models
Open the Apple II Plus in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-08-11