While incompatible with some hardware, the magazine noted that the expansion slot and parallel port let the Laser 128 use other products incompatible with the IIc. The magazine also disliked the keyboard's feel and called the computer "homely", but concluded that "The Laser is a remarkably compatible, competent performer. The VTech Laser 128 has 128 KB of RAM. If you see a Laser 128 with either a Sears printer or a Magnavox monitor, that’s an indicator the unit may have come from Sears. Most expansion cards worked properly but the magazine found "mixed results" with software compatibility, stating that "graphics programs I tested revealed flaws in the Laser 128's compatibility with both the Apple IIc and II+". Shop vac blowing dust out back? Chip won't work on your credit card? var title = 'The Most Popular Apple II Clone'; Like the Apple IIc, it is a one-piece semi-portable design with a carrying handle and a single built-in 5¼-inch floppy disk drive, uses the 65C02 microprocessor, and supports Apple II graphics. (A $499 version of the 128EX/2 with a 5.25-inch drive was available.)[9]. The company eventually withdrew from the PC market in the early 1990s as fierce competition eroded their margins. The Laser 128 is an Apple II clone, released by VTech in 1986 and comparable to the Apple IIe and Apple IIc. Vtech licensed the same Basic ROM from Microsoft that Apple did, performed a clean room implementation of the rest of the system ROM, and shipped the computer without an operating system. It appeared quite sleek in comparison to the clunky lines of the original Apple II. Apple took the Laser 128 seriously, responding with the Enhanced IIe and the IIc+. The Commodore 128 on the page before sold for $499. But the expansion chassis was bulky, boxy, and unweildy. inCider magazine wrote that year that "Laser will never sell as many computers or have as big a distribution network as Apple, but there's no doubt that the 128 [has] won a place in the Apple market, and irritated Apple in the process". Try this. [12] Despite its physical resemblance to the IIc, software sees the Laser 128 as an enhanced IIe with 128K RAM and Extended 80-Column Text Card. [6] BYTE's tests were less favorable. This proved to be an awkward mistake, because the vast majority of Apple II software had been released on 5 1/4 inch floppies and required an external add-on drive. LASER 128 / 128EX / 128EX2 The Laser 128 EX is the successor of the Laser 3000. The optional $89 expansion chassis made the expandability more practical, providing two slots and enclosing the cards. Central Point Software sold the Laser 128 direct, priced about $80 below retail. Lenovo Thinkpad won't turn on? The machine even sold at Sears, to the detriment of the Commodore 128. I can’t find mention of it in any magazine prior to early 1986, and Mike Brown, the president of its US distributor, said they chose the name to sound like the Commodore 128. To keep costs down, Vtech had to skimp on the quality of other components. Compatibility ranged from 85 to 95 percent, and some titles would load and run but the graphics were glitchy. The Commodore 128 came out in 1985. Early reviews in 1986 found the Laser 128 ran most of the major Apple II titles. Sears featured it in its 1988 Christmas catalog priced at $399. Unlike the Apple II clones from Franklin, VTech reverse-engineered the Apple Monitor ROM using a clean room design rather than copying it. If you see a Laser 128 with a small thermal transfer printer with a badge on it that says “Big Blue,” that’s almost certainly a Computer Direct bundle. In spite of the name, there wasn’t anything optical about it. Licensing BASIC greatly reduced the amount of code that had to be reimplemented. [4] Apple filed a lawsuit to stop distribution[5][4] but VTech obtained United States Customs approval to export the Laser 128 to the United States in 1986,[6] and the lawsuit reportedly had no effect on demand for the computer. Some computer identification and reference books state the Laser 128 came out in 1984. Still, there was enormous interest in classic 8-bit platforms such as the Commodore 64C and the Apple IIc line because of the huge array of affordable software titles on the market, and the older systems tended attract budget-conscious consumers. Fix it easily. It was just a bit wider and thicker, due to the presence of a numeric keypad and expansion slot. [11] InfoWorld found that the Laser 128 was incompatible with 12% of 129 tested software packages, mostly educational software or games. I think this is incorrect. But the competing Franklin Ace 2000 series, which was also Apple compatible, only worked with about 50% of the titles on the market. [3] Central Point claimed in 1986 that testing had found that only Choplifter, David's Midnight Magic, and Serpentine did not run on the clone, because of Broderbund's copy protection. It cost half as much and worked with all of the major titles people bought Apples to run. There’s no question the Laser 128 was always less common than the Apple IIc, but a larger percentage of Apple IIc computers survived as well. The Laser 128 computer’s appeal was Apple compatibility at a Commodore price. VTech followed up the Laser 128 by releasing an IBM-PC clone in the same form factor, followed by several more traditional IBM-PC 8088 and 80286-based clones. Vtech was buying chips from the same suppliers Apple did, so they didn’t have Commodore’s margins. The compact all-in-one system included a 3.6 MHz 65C02 processor, 128K of RAM, 64K video RAM and a built-in 5.25" disk drive. Fix it in a minute flat. Compatible software included AppleWorks, Quicken, Apple Writer, VisiCalc, Flight Simulator II, The Print Shop, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, sometimes with slightly different colors. The peripherals we find with the Laser 128 can give us more clues than most of our finds do. I seem to recall a list price of $595, but couldn't find anything definitive on the web. Selling price varies depending on condition, whether it works, and what it’s bundled with, but the bare computer in working condition is worth around $100. As collectors, we frequently know little or nothing about the history or provenance of the machines we acquire. The Laser 128 is hardly common today, but it sold well enough that software publishers started testing their software on it to make sure it worked. Franklin had copied the Apple ROMs and operating system, which resulted in a famous lawsuit from Apple, which Franklin lost. Initially the Laser 128 retailed for $479, but it frequently sold for less. It worked, but it left a big rectangular box hanging off the left-hand side of the machine. Where to connect the red wire to a light switch, Fix your dead SSD with the power cycle method, Connect a 2-wire light fixture without ground, Where the red wire goes in a light fixture. The Apple magazines generally criticized its styling, calling its appearance utilitarian and homely. The Laser 128 computer was an Apple II-compatible home computer manufactured by Video Technologies Ltd in Hong Kong and sold in the 1980s. Print Advertising (1980-1989) - … The VTech Laser 128 has 128 KB of RAM. We had a few boxed Apple II mice out in my dad’s storage shed as recently as a few years ago, although rain and mice got to most of what little was left (I got the boxed software years ago).
In spite of the name, there wasn’t anything optical about it. VTech's late success in the 8-bit market is interesting. The Laser 128 wasn’t 100% compatible, but the various Apple models weren’t quite 100% compatible with each other either. [3], Announced in early 1986, VTech sold the Laser 128 in the US at a suggested retail price of $479, while Central Point Software sold it by mail for $395; by comparison, the Apple IIe sold for $945 in April 1986. Microsoft made most of its money by keeping the rights to the software that it sold to others. | Permalink.
There were two additional models released later, 1987’s Laser 128EX and 1988’s Laser 128EX/2. + 7 S 0 P O N S O A R P A 7 E E D-1-1 U J-1 0 F J-1-1. Given the high degree of compatibility and a price less than half that of the IIc, the magazine concluded that the Laser 128 "is a real bargain". This allowed Vtech to beat Franklin compatibility-wise and prevented Apple from keeping the machine from the market. The LASER 128 EX adds higher speed, 3.5" drive support, and a built-in memory board to the standard LASER 128. I was using a fully expanded “Apple II,” but there’s no way I could have afforded an actual Apple at …
By continuing to use this site, you indicate you accept these terms. Most were produced in other countries where Apple had little or no legal recourse to stop them. Not all IIe expansion cards worked in its expansion slot, since the IIe’s slots weren’t completely interchangeable. Vintage Computers & Mainframes - apply Category filter. [1] Writing that "it's cheap and it works", inCider in December 1986 stated that the Laser 128 "[deserved] a look from anyone considering a Commodore. Under the hood, the Laser 128 more closely resembled a IIe than a IIc, but the end result was highly compatible with both machines. The VTech Laser 128 was the most popular of them all. Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Like the Apple IIc, it is a one-piece semi-portable design with a carrying handle and a single built-in 5¼-inch floppy disk drive, uses the 65C02 microprocessor, and supports Apple II graphics. Its form factor resembled the IIc, including the handle and single-piece design with the disk drive on the right side and the drive, keyboard, and CPU all integrated into a single unit. The Laser 128 was one of very few that challenged Apple on its home turf and held up to Apple’s legal challenges. Mechanical keyboard key stopped working? Bundled with the expansion chassis or the matching external disk drive, it can sell for $150. The diagram(s) below can help you find the right part. [13] The Laser 128's popularity ensured that most major software companies tested their software on the Laser as well as on Apple hardware. What to do when your Excel worksheet won't scroll. [1] inCider called the computer "amazingly Apple-compatible", estimating 95% compatibility. Like its name suggests, the Laser 128 shipped with 128 KB of RAM like the Apple IIc. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The Laser 128 generally received good reviews. If you’d like help, we invite you to call our customer service number at the top of the page, or click chat.