Despite humble beginnings, today Apple, Inc. enjoys unprecedented popularity and prosperity with its products, routinely selling over a million devices in a single day. It is a major innovator in the computing and consumer landscape, and as shown in this retrospective, the history of the Apple II computer plays a large part in the current successes of the company. The late 1970s saw the dawn of the Apple II, the company's first hit product. It provided the breathing room for Apple to become self-sustaining and ultimately blossom into one of the greatest business and technology successes in history. This account provides a unique view of early personal computing and Apple as a company, focusing almost exclusively on the role of the Apple II within that story. It extends outward to the products, publications, and early online services that made up the ecosystem for the platform during its active years, and follows the story to present-day enthusiasts who still find new things to do with a computer that got its start more than 35 years ago.

For intermediate to advanced programmers, this complete guide details all thefeatures of the Applesoft language. It offers clear explanations and examplesof the advanced concepts in program planning, design and development.

Provides a Complete Guide to Using the Apple II Computer

"Around the world, millions of people hijack cars in Grand Theft Auto, role play fantastical heroes in World of WarCraft, and crush candy on phones as small as wallets yet nearly as powerful as desktop computers. Long before video games became a multi-billion-dollar industry, a small group of hackers created the Apple II, a PC that contained less memory than the average size of a Microsoft Word document and turned heads by outputting graphics in color. Some users tapped its resources to design productivity software. Others devised some of the most influential games of all time. From the perils along the Oregon Trail and the exploits of Carmen Sandiego to the shadowy dungeons of Wizardry and Prince of Persia s trap-filled labyrinth, Break Out recounts the making of some of the Apple II s most iconic games, illustrates how they informed the games we play today, and tells the stories of the pioneers who made them."--Page 4 of cover.