Disk II floppy drive

The Apple Disk II floppy drive was a revolutionary 5.25-inch external floppy disk drive and controller designed by Steve Wozniak for the Apple II personal computer. Introduced in 1978, it provided the first affordable, reliable, and practical mass storage solution for microcomputers, effectively…

Key facts

First appeared: 1978
Category: technology
Problem solved: The Disk II solved the critical problem of unreliable, slow, and inconvenient data storage for personal computers. Before its advent, the Apple II relied primarily on cassette tapes, which offered sequential access, lengthy load times (often minutes per program), and frequent read/write errors, severely limiting the complexity and usability of software.
Platforms: Apple II series

Related technologies

Apple Pascal
Apple IIGS (as an external drive)
Apple II
Apple IIe
Apple CP/M
Apple II Plus
Apple IIc (as an external drive, though IIc had an internal 5.25")
Apple DOS (Disk Operating System)

Notable users

Apple II owners (home users)
Small businesses
Educational institutions