Apple IIGS – laptop version: I found Benjamin Heckendorn’s site by chance, as I was looking for some Apple IIGS images in Google Images search. When I saw the first picture, thanks to the particular white design and the all too bright and almost hyper-defined image on the LCD display, I thought this was a mockup. It isn’t. Apparently, modifying old computers and consoles is Heckendorn’s speciality (take a look at all his other projects) and I’m really in awe looking at what he did with the Apple IIGS. I love the keyboard and the “][” glowing blue when the computer is on. I love the overall retro look, and that white portable could very well fit in 1970s sci-fi series like Space: 1999. Heckendorn writes:
The basic idea with this unit was to make it look like an laptop that had been designed in the 80’s. The large amount of vertical air holes (basically pointless since this machine gets about as hot as your average pocket calculator) are meant to subconsciously remind the viewer of the fairly compact Apple IIc. You can see the speaker slits from this angle as well.
By the way, I recently acquired the original ADB keyboard that came with the IIGS (for a sample, see this photo — no, it’s not my system, sadly!) and, as I well remembered, it’s a joy to use. Ben Heckendorn agrees:
Upon taking apart the original IIgs keyboard (also used on old Mac Classics) I must say that it is without a doubt the best built keyboard I have every come across in all my days.
That Apple IIGS project was posted in April 2008, and I’m sure it was widely publicised throughout the Internets, but I missed it because I was getting ill at that time. So probably it won’t be new for many of my readers. If you missed it too, though, please enjoy. It’s really a beautiful modification — and I’m usually against hardware hacks.
Happy New Year!
System Folder 
