Ever wonder what it would be like to own a classic Apple IIe but didn’t want to spend a couple hundred bucks on eBay? You can now recreate the iconic Apple machine — and all you need is a $9 chip and a 3-inch display to create a mini Apple IIe.
Look at this tiny thing!
Apple IIe mini: A tiny version of a classic computer
The original Apple IIe arrived in 1983, a year before the Macintosh brought personal computing to the masses. It became a hit, despite its rudimentary (by today’s standards) feature set. It boasted 80-column text-mode support, 64KB of RAM (expandable up to 128KB) and … drumroll, please … lowercase letters!
The mini Apple IIe channels that computing magic into a tiny chassis about the size of an actual apple. It runs on the inexpensive C.H.I.P., a rival to Raspberry Pi and Arduino projects. Instead of plugging it into a wall for electricity, the entire thing runs off a 12-volt drone battery.
It comes with about 10 hours of battery life. The power button on the monitor actually works to turn the computer on and off. Audio works, too, but you’ll need to use a Bluetooth keyboard and joystick to play games or anything else.
Full details on how to recreate the mini Apple IIe haven’t been released. However you can check out the project on htxt.africa and take a shot at making your own.
Photo: Cupcakus
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
12 responses to “The world’s smallest Apple IIe runs on a $9 chip”
How about we stop with the Trump jokes now that he’s president. We didn’t make jokes like this at Obama’s expense.
didn’t you?
I didn’t, and I agree lets cut out the Trump jokes or I am going to stop reading this stupid website.
stop reading then, cause I got a quiver full of Donald Trump jokes coming the next 4 – 8 years.
Then come up with some actual jokes that are, like, “funny”, and not merely gratuitous snarky comments and insults.
More on topic, will it actually read my existing Apple //e games?
and how is that relevant to an article about a $9 ][e?
Wrong boat boatman
I think we all want that Trump-joke to stop.
Agreed. Over the Trump jokes. Thought this was cool and wanted to share it on Facebook, but after seeing the Trump jab I can’t. It’s unprofessional and in poor taste.
But can you add in a CP/M card?
We’re not all liberals. It might be a good idea to keep the political jibes to yourself. I want to read about technology here not politics.