The Laser 128 was one of very few that challenged Apple on its home turf and held up to Apple’s legal challenges. By continuing to use this site, you indicate you accept these terms. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! It appeared quite sleek in comparison to the clunky lines of the original Apple II. If you’d like help, we invite you to call our customer service number at the top of the page, or click chat. The diagram(s) below can help you find the right part. Under the hood, the Laser 128 more closely resembled a IIe than a IIc, but the end result was highly compatible with both machines. var url = 'https://www.retrothing.com/2007/12/vtech-laser-128.html'; 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. The Apple II was one of the most frequently cloned personal computer platforms of the 1980s, boasting over two dozen imitators. 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. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The magazine also disliked the keyboard's feel and called the computer "homely", but concluded that "The Laser is a remarkably compatible, competent performer. These days, VTech remains a well known manufacturer of telephones and electronic learning toys such as the V.Smile system. 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. Print Advertising (1980-1989) - … VTech's late success in the 8-bit market is interesting. Bundled with the expansion chassis or the matching external disk drive, it can sell for $150. Here are the repair parts and diagrams for your Laser 128 computer. [7][2] By late 1986 other mail-order firms also sold the Laser 128, and at least one peripheral maker advertised its product's compatibility with the clone. [13], inCider in November 1988 stated that the Laser 128EX/2 "has everything you can possibly put into an 8-bit Apple II ... in terms of standard equipment, it's more than a match for the IIc Plus". 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. I was using a fully expanded “Apple II,” but there’s no way I could have afforded an actual Apple at … [11] InfoWorld found that the Laser 128 was incompatible with 12% of 129 tested software packages, mostly educational software or games. HP Elitebook won't turn on? It worked, but it left a big rectangular box hanging off the left-hand side of the machine. The Apple II was one of the most frequently cloned personal computer platforms of the 1980s, boasting over two dozen imitators. Sears sold the Laser 128 in its catalogs alongside its own dot matrix printer and a couple of different models of Magnavox monitors. Critics didn’t like the external expansion slot, since it left the circuit board exposed and invited accidents. Apple countered the Laser 128 with the Apple IIc Plus. Fix it in a minute flat. What to do when your Excel worksheet won't scroll. The Commodore 128 came out in 1985. Applesoft BASIC constitutes the largest and most complex part of an Apple II's ROM contents. The Laser 128 also has a single Apple IIe-compatible expansion slot, which gives it better expansion capabilities than a IIc, but cards remain exposed; the slot is intended for an $80 expansion chassis with two slots compatible with the Apple's Slot 5 and Slot 7. My parents owned a computer software store from the fall of ’85 through the summer of ’86. The magazine concluded that while the "128EX/2 is a slick machine, the most fully loaded II compatible you can buy", the 5 1/4-inch version of the EX/2—or the older EX for those who did not need a 3 1/2-inch drive—"may be bargain hunters' best bet". 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. The Apple magazines generally criticized its styling, calling its appearance utilitarian and homely. Computer Direct sold the Laser 128 in various bundles over the years, sometimes with a 9-inch or 12-inch monochrome monitor, and with a printer. It ended Central Point's mail order sales of the 128, only selling through dealers such as Sears.

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