Is an apple 3 worth buying

[Travis the micro nerd]

I am 15 and starting my collection I am currently into retro pcs but I was wondering is the apple 3 worth buying I don't know much about it would this be something to buy for historical reasons or for the software like the apple 2

 

[cjs]

Welcome to the forum! It's nice to see some younger folks here!

Wikipedia is generally a reasonable place to start when researching old computers; the Apple III is notable enough that it has a page, and of course there's lots of other information out there on the Internet about it that's easily found through a web search.

As for whether it's worth buying, that's a question like, "Does liquorice taste good?" It's entirely a matter of taste and preference, so we can't answer that for you, especially not knowing anything about why you collect, what your collecting interests are, what your skill level is with the various aspects of restoring and using these machines, and so on.

 

[MicroCoreLabs]

They are fun and beautiful machines so if you can get one at a good price then go for it!

 

[Travis the micro nerd]

I mainly collect for software but I do want computers like the indigo apple 1 ( replica ) or the Altair 8800 for historical value

 

[HoJoPo]

There is a nice emulator for the Apple 3 here if you want to see what the software is like before buying it: https://github.com/datajerk/apple3rtr

The Apple /// can emulate a 48k Apple ][ plus, so you would also be able to use a lot of Apple ][ software / games on it.

 

[Travis the micro nerd]

I think I will try it out but I will only buy it if I see one in good shape and for a good price thanks for the help

 

[usotsuki]

Good luck with that. The original /// had a nearly 100% failure rate due to design flaws.

 

[krebizfan]

Is there a reason you plan on skipping an Apple II? Very little software existed that was specific to the Apple III. A lot of the more advanced Apple II software won't run on the Apple III, part of the reason the Apple III didn't succeed even after fixes. Unless you are very lucky, the Apple III will also be a lot more expensive.

 

[cjs]

Generally, if you don't already have an Apple II+ (or the rather rarer Apple II), an Apple III might be a bit of a crazy thing to go for.

 

[vwestlife]

Aside from the reliability problems, the Apple III was a pretty good machine in its own right. But the problem is, the Apple IIe took most of its good ideas and incorporated them into the Apple II line: more RAM, 80-column text, a better keyboard, SOS-based ProDOS, optional RGB video, etc...

 

[ECNeilson]

An Apple //e Enhanced (128k RAM) will open up a world of software and hardware options for you to explore. You will have great games, the ability to trick out the hardware with sound, clock, speed upgrades, etc, and you can very easily dive into software programming with high-level languages like Pascal and Basic - or even drop right into low-level Assembly language programming. Here are some good Apple II emulators out there to experiment with: Virtual ][ for the Mac or AppleWin for the PC.

 

[Makefile]

It was apparently common to use a Monitor III with an Apple II machine; my grandfather had such a setup.

 

[Plasma]

I am 15 and starting my collection I am currently into retro pcs but I was wondering is the apple 3 worth buying I don't know much about it would this be something to buy for historical reasons or for the software like the apple 2

At 15, my recommendation would be to not waste your time and money collecting crap. I say this as someone who has collected way too much crap over the years. There's always "one more thing" to get.

Focus on what you really want and will use on a regular basis.

 

[vwestlife]

It was apparently common to use a Monitor III with an Apple II machine; my grandfather had such a setup.

Not just common, it was the only Apple-branded monochrome monitor until the Monitor II was introduced in late 1983.