It has a new operating system, a built-in disk controller and four peripheral slots priced at $3,495, the Apple III is the most advanced system in the company's history. Product .
In 1981 Accessory Products Division formed to handle production of printers, modems and other peripherals. The Apple Language Card is introduced. It allows Apple II users to run programs in either Pascal, FORTRAN or Pilot. The IEEE-488 interface card is announced and allows Apple II computers to be linked to over 1,400 scientific and technical instruments. .
International Business Machines came on the PC scene in August of 1981 with the IBM Personal Computer. Apple greets its new competitor with a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal with a headline that reads, "Welcome IBM. Seriously." Apple's first mass storage system was also introduced this year, the 5MB ProFile hard disk, priced at $3,499. .
In November of 1983 AppleWorks, an integrated package containing word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications all in one, is introduced and will soon become the world's best selling software. .
In February of 1985 Jobs and Wozniak receive National Technology Medal from President Reagan at the White House. The ImageWriter II, HD-20 hard disk and Apple Personal Modem were also introduced this year.
In January of 1987 Apple introduced a new desktop communications products including the AppleShare file server software and AppleTalk PC Card. They are priced at $799 and $399. Also introduced in 1987 is the AppleFax Modem, priced at $699. Now you get a fax modem with the purchase of an Apple computer.
In February of 1988 Apple introduces AppleCD SC, an optical storage device that gives access to huge amounts of information. Priced at $1,199, a single CD-ROM disc can store up to 270,000 pages of typewritten information. Also in 1988 Apple files suit against Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard to protect its Macintosh audio visual display.