website/content/museum/act-apricot-f2-f10.md

---
title: ACT Apricot F2 / F10
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- United Kingdom
years:
- '1985'
cpus:
- Intel 8086
params:
  name: Apricot F2 / F10
  image: /media/museum/photos/act_apricot-f2_1.jpg
  company: /companies/act
  company_name: ACT
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Apricot F2 / F10
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: ACT
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: United Kingdom
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1985'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: '''''Activity'''' graphical interface (Desktop, wordprocessor, drawing, communication and Basic)'
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: infrared full-stroke keyboard with editing and numeric keypads, 92 keys, 8 function keys
  - label: CPU
    value: Intel 8086
  - label: SPEED
    value: 4,77 Mhz
  - label: RAM
    value: 512k, up to 768k
  - label: ROM
    value: 32k, up to 64k
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 80 x 25
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 320 x 256 (16 colors), 640 x 200 (4 colors), 640 x 256 (4 colors)
  - label: COLORS
    value: '16'
  - label: SOUND
    value: Beeper
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Serial port, parallel port, RGB video out, Composite video out, 2 x expansion slot (Apricot F series)
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: |-
      F2 : 2 x 3.5'' disk-drives, double-sided, 720k each\
      F10 : 1 x disk-drive (720k) and a 10Mb hard-disk
  - label: OS
    value: MS-DOS (Apricot customized) + Activity (graphical interface)
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Internal PSU
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: 10Mb hard-disk dir the F2, RF modulator
  tabs:
  - photos
  - adverts
  - emulators
  - links
  - docs
  forum_thread: 487
  photos:
  - title: APRICOT F2
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/act_apricotf2_system_1.jpg
  - title: THE F2 AND THE F10
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      The F10 is at the back and the F2 at the front. The front panels are slightly different.

      The famous infrared trackball is also pictured here.
    image: /media/museum/photos/act_apricot-f2-f10_1.jpg
  adverts:
  - title: FRENCH ADVERT
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      "Thank you boss !"

      The ad incite employees to ask their boss to buy these Apricot systems...clever.
    image: /media/museum/pubs/act_apricot-f2_pub_1.jpg
  emulators:
  - title: 'APE Plus : Apricot Emulator'
    url: http://www.ansible.demon.co.uk/ai/ape.html
    platform: MS DOS
    text: Commercial emulator that emulates PC/Xi/Xen, the \`F' Series, and the Apricot FP Portable
  - title: QDAE
    url: http://www.seasip.info/Unix/QDAE/
    platform: Multiplatform
    text: QDAE is a Quick and Dirty Apricot Emulator for Linux, Windows and MacOS X. This version emulates the Apricot F1; it may support other F-series Apricots as well.
  links:
  - title: ACT Apricot computers support page
    url: http://www.actapricot.org/home/
    text: Useful infos. Some links might be outdated
  - title: ACT Apricot Computers Yahoo Group
    url: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/actapricot/
    text: Discussion list for the ACT Apricot computers.
  docs:
  - title: USER PROMPT APRICOT GUIDE ISSUE 1
    url: http://www.actapricot.org/support/
    cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/act_apricot-user-prompt_1.jpg
    text: |-
      [**USER PROMPT APRICOT GUIDE ISSUE 1**](http://www.actapricot.org/support/)written by UserPrompt Guides

       compiled/archived by Jonathan Marsters\
       type of document : PDF\
       source : [www.actapricot.org](http://www.actapricot.org)
  - title: USER PROMPT APRICOT GUIDE ISSUE 2
    url: http://www.actapricot.org/support/
    cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/act_apricot-user-prompt_2.jpg
    text: |-
      [**USER PROMPT APRICOT GUIDE ISSUE 2**](http://www.actapricot.org/support/)written by UserPrompt Guides

       compiled/archived by Jonathan Marsters\
       type of document : PDF\
       source : [www.actapricot.org](http://www.actapricot.org)
  related:
  - /museum/act-apricot-f1
  - /museum/act-apricot-pc
  - /museum/act-apricot-portable
  - /museum/act-apricot-xen
  - /museum/act-apricot-xi
  oc_id: 493
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230127144325/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=493
    date: '2023-01-27'
---

Unlike the [Apricot F1](/museum/act-apricot-f1/) which was a kind of bridge between the home-computing and the professional markets, the F2 and the F10 were clearly marketed as business machines.

They were quite similar to the F1, but included an extra expansion slot, more memory and larger storage capacity : two disk-drives for the F2 and one disk-drive and a 10MB hard-disk for the F10.

Like the F1, the F2 and F10 had an infra-red interface for the keyboard and the mouse/trackball (the same infra-red mouseball pointing device used with the Apricot Portable). This interesting feature was not very convenient because you had to ensure that there was no object blocking the signals between the keyboard/mouse and the computer, and you also had to power the keyboard with batteries! However, the systems originally shipped with a plastic light-pipe that could be connected between the keyboard and CPU so that obstacles would not block the signal.

The F2/F10 were quite similar in shape to the F1. The same narrow, very deep and stylish case. The F10 had the same disk front-panel as the F1 but a different arrangement of the LED indicators (power, caps, disk, stop), infra-red sensors and logo. The F2 had different shaped disk-drives but identical LEDs, logo and infra-red sensors as the F1.

The F2 and the F10 use an Apricot-modified version of MS-DOS, so they were not really IBM compatible.

They were provided with a nice graphical and iconized interface called **Activity**. Integrated were a desktop, and software including a wordprocessor, communication, painting and Basic. They were also sold with GEM Write, GEM Paint and the GEM desktop.

These systems were quite expensive and not really IBM PC compatible, so they were not a great success, even in the UK, their native country. Initially, there were not even compatible with the F1. A new ROM had to be developed for the F1 !