ROM 04, “MARK TWAIN”
And yet, there were still efforts within Apple to bring about a final revision to the Apple IIGS, one that would make it better and more capable. The IIGS still had people within the company who poured out their hearts in making changes to improve the computer, both in software and hardware. Some of these same people had created the advances in the GS/OS system software that made the computer faster without requiring any changes in hardware, and also made it possible to take advantage of new peripherals as they became available. With this same fervor, they had indeed been creating the rumored next generation Apple IIGS.

The IIGS they were creating was a logical extension of the capabilities of the current models of the computer, combined with the features that were most needed to provide usability with the new IIGS software that was appearing. The newest versions of GS/OS continued to require more memory to properly run, so this computer was built with 2 Meg of RAM on the motherboard. For RAM upgrades beyond this minimum, the older memory expansion slot was eliminated, and replacing it was two slots for SIMM (single inline memory modules) RAM cards. These compact packages were becoming the industry standard, and were being included in all newer Macintosh models.

The firmware code in the ROM 04 IIGS was to include the new tools that later appeared in GS/OS System 6 (tools that would be loaded into RAM at boot time with older IIGS models, just as the ROM 03 tools were loaded from disk in ROM 01 computers). With the increased size and complexity of System and application software, a hard drive was changing from a luxury to a necessity, and so a 40 Meg SCSI hard drive was included. And to make the SCSI experience complete, a DMA SCSI port was to be included on the rear panel for attachment of additional SCSI devices. The SuperDrive (mentioned above) was also to be included as a built-in device, making it possible to have a very complete IIGS system without the need to have additional hardware attached. As a finale to the new system, HyperCard IIGS would be bundled with this computer when it was released. The one predicted enhancement that did not make the final cut was a speed increase beyond the original 2.8 MHz.

The code name assigned to this new Apple IIGS was “Mark Twain”, likely because of the writer’s oft-repeated quote, “The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” It was to be a triumph over the writers in the media who continued to insist that the end of the Apple II line of computers was just around the corner.

This wonderful new Apple IIGS had many things going for it, but the one thing that it did not have was someone in a position of power at the company who would champion the machine, and push for its full support and promotion. This had been the biggest problem with the IIGS beginning with its original release in 1986. After its product introduction, which involved a couple of television and magazine ads, Apple turned its attention to other concerns and left the Apple IIGS to sell itself. What promotion was done for the IIGS or products associated with it was done with all the fervor Apple had applied to the Apple II line since the Apple III had been designed (in other words, very little).

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