In 1984, Apple Computer hosted the Apple II Forever event at the Moscone Center. During the event, Apple announced the Apple IIc, designed by Rob Gemmell and featuring the Snow White design language of Hartmut Esslinger in a portable and elegant reimagining of the Apple IIe.
Now, in 2024, KansasFest invites you to join us in Springfield, Illinois, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apple IIc. The event will feature five days and nights of camaraderie, discussions, a vendor fair, soldering and repair workshops, and, of course, the Garage Giveaway.
We are honored this year to have two featured speakers from the heyday of Apple Computer. Rob Gemmell will be joining us virtually during the event to describe his vision for the Apple IIc. As the initial designer, Rob created the look and feel for the computer, including the integrated disk drive, a carrying handle, and the overall design aesthetic. Rob saved everything from his time at Apple, and during his talk he will share his never-before-seen prototype drawings and photographs.
Joining us in-person is Rich Williams, Apple employee from 1979-2009. Rich was an early member of the IIc design team and was responsible for the mouse and serial port firmware. Rich was also the project lead for the DOS Toolkit and is the author of the FID and MUFFIN utilities. Rich ported the IIc firmware to the enhanced IIe ROM, wrote the IIGS memory manager, and also wrote drivers for the Apple III Twiggy, among many other projects. At KansasFest 2024, you’ll hear Rich speak about the revolutionary changes at Apple during four decades, and you’ll have a chance for one-on-one time with Rich to ask him about the intricacies of the IIGS memory manager, or the true meaning of the “FID” acronym.
In addition to these speakers, we have other exciting sessions on Print Shop’s 40th anniversary, Apple Preserves FDC for software preservation, Apple II clones behind the Iron Curtain, the Apple Color Plotter, Nox Archaist II and the Nox WorldBuilder, and many more.
Everyone has a story, and we would love to hear yours!
This is an event you won’t want to miss! But don’t worry, there’s still time to act.