---
title: APPLE III
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1980'
cpus:
- MOS 6502A
params:
  name: APPLE III
  image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_system_s3.jpg
  company: /companies/apple
  company_name: Apple
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: APPLE III
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Apple
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: May 1980
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Business BASIC
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full stroke 74-key with numeric keypad
  - label: CPU
    value: MOS 6502A
  - label: SPEED
    value: 2 MHz
  - label: RAM
    value: 128 KB (up to 512 KB)
  - label: ROM
    value: 16 KB
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 40 or 80 chars x 24 lines
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 40 x 40-48 (16 col), 280 x 160-192 (6 col), 560 x 160-192 (2 col)
  - label: COLORS
    value: 16 maximum
  - label: SOUND
    value: one channel 7 octaves
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 44.4 (W) x 46.2 (D) x 12.2 (H) cm
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Monitor, Internal Slots (4), RS-232, Floppy disk port
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: One built in 140 KB 5.25'' disk-drive
  - label: OS
    value: SOS
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in power supply unit
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: 4 expansion slots,5 MB Profile hard disk unit, dual floppy disc unit, coulour video card, provision for extra memory
  - label: PRICE
    value: £1995 (U.K., 1983)
  tabs:
  - photos
  - adverts
  - hardware
  - links
  photos:
  - title: LARGER VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_system_s2.jpg
  - title: RUNNING SYSTEM
    subtitle: ''
    text: Loading the Apple Business Basic.
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_running_s1.jpg
  - title: MAIN UNIT
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_mainunit_s1.jpg
  - title: KEYBOARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: Each country had a specific version of the keyboard including the local characters.
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_keyboard_s2.jpg
  - title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_keyboard_s1.jpg
  - title: 'COMPLETE SYSTEM #1'
    subtitle: ''
    text: Apple /// with Apple Profile 10 MB hard disk unit and external floppy disk unit.
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_withprofile_s1.jpg
  - title: 'COMPLETE SYSTEM #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: Imposing!
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_withprofile_s2.jpg
  - title: METAL FRAME
    subtitle: ''
    text: The heavy metal frame wasn't really practical. Moreover, it was responsible for the Apple III’s reliability problems. It was more of a marketing idea than a real need. The professional Apple III had to appear heavier and more robust than the standard Apple II.
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_metalframe_s1.jpg
  - title: OPENED
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      The motherboard and Power supply unit are located beneath the metal frame.\
      The Universal Parallel I/O card is inserted in a slot.
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_opened_s1.jpg
  - title: REAR SIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      From left to right:\
      • External floppy disk(s) connector\
      • 2 joystick ports\
      • Color RGB video output\
      • Monochrome composite video output\
      • Sound output\
      • Serial RS232 port\
      • Mains supply socket and switch
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_rearside_s1.jpg
  - title: MAINBOARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      The mainboard is a simple evolution of the Apple II's with a daughter RAM card.\
      **(1)** 6502B microprocessor\
      **(2)** 2 6522 VIA (Versatile Interface Adapter)\
      **(3)** 128 KB RAM card\
      **(4)** System ROM chips\
      **(5)** Keyboard interface by General Instrument\
      **(6)** Four expansion slots compatible with Apple II cards\
      **(7)** Keyboard connector\
      **(8)** Internal floppy disk connector, connected in parallel with the external connector. Up to 4 FDDs could be connected.
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_mainboard_s1.jpg
  - title: RAM CHIPS
    subtitle: ''
    text: Notice the strange Mostek 4332 RAM chips; The 'D' package consisted of two MK4116s mounted onto the same chip. The RAM capacity was thus of 32K x 1 bit.
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_ramchips_s1.jpg
  - title: THE BOX
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_box.jpg
  - title: THE BAG
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_bag.jpg
  - title: APPLE III IN TRON FILM
    subtitle: ''
    text: Screenshot from the film TRON (1982, by Steven Lisberger), where one finds an Apple ///, a modem/acoustic coupler, a Silentype printer and a 5.25 (Apple II) floppy drive unit.
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_iii_tronfilm.jpg
  - title: PAINTED VERSION!
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_appleiii_custom.jpg
  - title: PROMOTIONAL PICTURE
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/apple_apple3_prm-pic.jpg
  adverts:
  - title: ADVERT
    subtitle: ''
    text: Picture courtesy of [Steve Browning, www.sbrowning.com/vintage](http://www.sbrowning.com/vintage).
    image: /media/museum/pubs/apple_pub_1.jpg
  - title: APPLE II & III
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      From 'Personal Computing', May 1981.

      Courtesy of '[Attached](http://www.aci.com.pl/mwichary/)'
    image: /media/museum/pubs/apple_iii_pub_s3.jpg
  - title: U.S. ADVERT (1982)
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Bottoms-up tour:

      \- Apple III\
      \- Daisy-chain of three F.D. units\
      \- 5 MB Profile hard-disc unit\
      \- Apple III monochrome monitor\
      \- Apple Silentype Personal Printer\
      \- 132 columns Apple Writer III\
      \- Apple Color Plotter\
      \- 9600 bauds Apple Phone Modem
    image: /media/museum/pubs/apple_iii_pub_2.jpg
  - title: US ADVERT MARCH 1982
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      From Personal Computing, March 1982 issue.

      Courtesy of **[Attached](http://www.aci.com.pl/mwichary/)**
    image: /media/museum/pubs/apple_iii_pubus0382_s1.jpg
  - title: US ADVERT, AUGUST 1983
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      From Personal Computing, August 1983 issue.

      Courtesy of **[Attached](http://www.aci.com.pl/mwichary/)**
    image: /media/museum/pubs/apple_iii_pubus0883_s1.jpg
  - title: APPLE BUSINESS GRAPHICS
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      The Apple graphics package was launched in September 1982. It was available for both the Apple II and Apple III.

      Advert said:

      As you know, one picture is worth a few thousand numbers.\
      As you may not know, Apple Business Graphics software can generate more types of pictures, in more colours, using more data than any other graphics package... On the monitor of your choice. And on virtually any printer or plotter on the market...
    image: /media/museum/pubs/apple_ii_businessgraph_1.jpg
  - title: FRENCH ADVERT (FEBRUARY 1982)
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/pubs/apple_pub-graphie_1.jpg
  - title: FRENCH ADVERT (FEBRUARY 1982)
    subtitle: ''
    text: '"the power of words depends on the way you use them"'
    image: /media/museum/pubs/apple_iii_pub_puissance-des-mots.jpg
  hardware:
  - title: DISK 2
    subtitle: External FD unit
    text: Up to three Disk 2 units can be connected in chain.
    image: /media/museum/hardware/apple_iii_fdunit_s1.jpg
  - title: PROFILE
    subtitle: Hard disk unit
    text: This version contains a 10 MB Seagate hard drive but first versions only offered 5 MB of capacity.
    image: /media/museum/hardware/apple_iii_profilehd_s1.jpg
  - title: INSIDE THE PROFILE UNIT
    subtitle: ''
    text: A Zilog Z8 microcontroller (nothing to do with the Z80 CPU) topped by its ROM chip manages the controller card.
    image: /media/museum/hardware/apple_iii_insideprofile_s1.jpg
  links:
  - title: Applefritter
    url: http://www.applefritter.com
    text: Excellent site about all Apple models,clones,prototypes,etc... A must see !
  - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
    url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
    text: All about Apple II user groups
  comments:
  - author: David Lowry
    date: Monday 22nd August 2016
    text: Steve Wozniak said that the reason the apple /// was so utterly horrible was because it was designed by the marketing people rather than the engineers. He said that the engineers were forced to put in EXTRA chips in the computer to DISABLE the extra memory! It crashed, and was just junk. I am amazed at how expensive these crap-balls are on Ebay.
  - author: Doctor Jest (USA)
    date: Saturday 3rd August 2013
    text: Steve Jobs was the one that insisted the Apple III had no fan and was completely quiet.
  - author: Allison Divette
    date: Sunday 18th November 2012
    text: The Apple /// was a failure because it was badly engineered and designed.
  - author: yaglourt
    date: Thursday 13rd January 2011
    text: |-
      Jobs leave apple in 1985, 2 years after the apple III\
      it''s true that Jobs wanted a silent computer (15 years in advance), whence the overheating\
      but it''s not the only cause of the failure
  - author: wally
    date: Monday 13rd September 2010
    text: Steve jobs had nothing to do wit the Apple 3. He was ousted and creating the NeXt computers. He didn''t return to Apple until 1997 where he bought out PowerComputing PowerMac Clone Company.
  - author: Peter F. (Suffolk, UK)
    date: Wednesday 23rd January 2008
    text: One of the great touches this computer had was its 2 speed cursor control, press the arrow keys just a little harder and it would click down to cause the cursor to wizz along.
  - author: Link (Hyrule)
    date: Friday 8th April 2005
    text: I've read that the case design and consequent overheating problems was at the direct insistence of Steve Jobs, who didn't like the noise of a cooling fan, and didn't want to sully the clean aesthetics of the case by adding ventilation slots.
  - author: Malc (UK)
    date: Tuesday 22nd April 2003
    text: I had an Apple III at work in 1984. I wrote some programs in Basic to automate some office processes. Ours had a 5MB Profile hard drive that sat between the base unit and the monitor. It also had a CPM card (Presumably with a Z80 processor) but we had no disks for it. Unfortunately I left the job before it was disposed of. We had a Superbrain before it and I wish I had gotten hold of that!
  oc_id: 72
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230426111455/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=72
    date: '2023-04-26'
---

The Apple /// was designed to be a business machine. It was partly compatible with the [Apple II](/museum/apple-ii/) (thanks to a few options in the operating system). It used a powerful memory management system and worked under **SOS** (Sophisticated Operating System) which was a great, device -independent, operating system. This OS was the "ancestor" of **ProDOS** (the "professional" Apple operating system) and some parts of this system were used later in the [Lisa](/museum/apple-lisa-lisa-2-mac-xl/) and [Macintosh](/museum/apple-macintosh/) OSs.

Despite its unique features, the Apple /// had a lot of technical problems, namely, the horrible case design. It caused the internal temperature to get so hot that the motherboard would warp and some of the socketed chips would become unseated. To remedy this, Apple told people to literally pick up the computer several centimeters off the desk and drop it! It was a miserable flop in the marketplace.

The Apple /// was followed in december 1983 by the Apple /// plus which had an [Apple IIe](/museum/apple-iie/) style keyboard and a new video interface. Four months later, it was discontinued.