Editing Apple II (section)

===Apple II<small>GS</small>===
{{Main|Apple IIGS}}
[[File:Apple IIGS with peripherals.jpg|thumb|Apple IIGS with monitor, keyboard, mouse, joystick, 3.5" floppy disk drive and 5.25" floppy disk drive]]

The Apple II<small>GS</small>, released on September 15, 1986, is the penultimate and most advanced model in the Apple II series, and a radical departure from prior models. It uses a [[16-bit computing|16-bit]] microprocessor, the [[WDC 65816/65802|65C816]] operating at 2.8&nbsp;MHz with 24-bit addressing, allowing expansion up to 8&nbsp;MB of RAM. The graphics are significantly improved, with 4096 colors and new modes with resolutions of 320×200 and 640×400.<ref name="making">Duprau, Jeanne, and Tyson, Molly. "The Making of the Apple IIGS", ''A+ Magazine'', November 1986: 57–74.</ref> The audio capabilities are vastly improved, with a built-in music synthesizer that far exceeded any other home computer.

The Apple II<small>GS</small> evolved the platform while still maintaining near-complete backward compatibility. Its [[Mega II]] chip contains the functional equivalent of an entire Apple IIe computer (sans processor). This, combined with the 65816's ability to execute 65C02 code directly, provides full support for legacy software, while also supporting 16-bit software running under a new OS.

The OS eventually included a Macintosh-like graphical [[Finder (software)|Finder]] for managing disks and files and opening documents and applications, along with [[Desk accessory|desk accessories]]. Later, the II<small>GS</small> gained the ability to read and write Macintosh disks and, through third-party software, a multitasking [[Unix shell|Unix-like shell]] and [[TrueType]] font support.

The GS includes a 32-voice Ensoniq 5503 DOC [[sample-based synthesis|sample-based sound synthesizer]] chip with 64&nbsp;KB dedicated RAM,<ref>{{cite web|title=Apple IIGS|url=http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=71|author=Old-Computers.com Museum|access-date=November 16, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108095625/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=71|archive-date=November 8, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> 256&nbsp;KB (or later 1.125&nbsp;MB) of standard RAM, built-in peripheral ports (switchable between IIe-style card slots and IIc-style onboard controllers for disk drives, mouse, RGB video, and serial devices), and built-in [[AppleTalk]] networking.