Company Profile: BMC Systems Inc. (Century City, Calif.)

There’s no mistaking the if800 for anything else. Its unique all-in-one design places the CRT and drives above the main unit on two columns, with a built-in printer in the middle. Oki Electric built the if800 and sold it in Japan, although with a different configuration. The Sumicom 830 appears to be the same system as well.

BMC if800 (1983, desktop)
Original Retail Price: $4,995 Base Configuration: 4MHz Z80A CPU; CP/M; ROM cartridge slot; four expansion slots; 128K RAM (256K max); two 8-inch floppy disk drives; integral 12-inch color CRT; integral keyboard/keypad; RS-232C, IEEE-488, parallel, and light-pen ports; Oki BASIC; integral printer
Video: 25-line x 80-column text, 640 x 200 graphics
Important Options: 16-bit coprocessor; 16MB hard disk drive; parallel, IEEE-488, and ADC/DAC interfaces; light pen

Company Profile: Bell & Howell Audio-Visual Products Division (Chicago, Ill.)

The Bell & Howell Microcomputer wasn’t an Apple II clone; it was a relabeled Apple II made by Apple in a redesigned black or gray case. Bell & Howell had a long-established sales channel into the education market, and Apple was savvy enough to take advantage of it. Several modifications were made for use in schools. The back panel had an array of headphone and speaker jacks, as well as several volume controls. Three AC power outlets allowed you to plug in accessories to the computer, and a cover lock prevented tampering. Since Bell & Howell systems were sold exclusively to schools, surviving units have usually taken a beating. A pristine system would command a higher-than-average premium.

Bell & Howell Microcomputer System

Bell & Howell Microcomputer (1980, Apple II-class desktop)
Base Configuration: 6502 CPU; eight expansion slots; 16K RAM (48K max); 12K ROM; TV video port; integral keyboard; RS-232C, parallel, and cassette ports; BASIC; two game paddles; reference and BASIC manuals
Video: 24-line x 40-column text, 280 x 160 graphics, 15 colors
Important Options: external 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, graphics tablet, modem, printer

Company Profile: Basis Microcomputer GmbH (Muenster, Germany)

Basis was a European distributor for Apple until the company decided to set up its own sales operation on the continent. Basis’s response was to build and sell what it believed to be a better Apple II. The company set up a U.S. subsidiary in California in1982. The company headquarters appear to have moved to Hong Kong by the time it produced the oddly named Medfly system. Basis also made the Basis 203 CP/M systems and the Xenix-based Basis 216. The Basis 216 was unusual in that one of its processors was the seldom-used Zilog Z8001.

The dual-processor Basis 108 was hardware and software compatible with the Apple II and could also run CP/M applications. The 108 looked more like a typical CP/M machine than the Apple II, with a separate keyboard and an optional monitor in a retro-looking swivel frame. At least 25,000 Basis 108s were produced.

At the system level, the Medfly seems identical to the 108. A redesigned keyboard and ivory-color enclosure replaced the 108’s beige components.

Basis 108

Basis 108 (Jan. 1982, Apple II-class desktop)
Original Retail Price: $2,150 to $4,245
Base Configuration: 1MHz 6502 and 2MHz Z80 CPUs; CP/M Plus; six Apple-compatible slots; 64K RAM (128K max), 2K ROM (12K max); keyboard/keypad; RS-232C and parallel ports; NTSC, RGB, and composite video ports; Perfect Software application suite; owner’s manual
Video: 24-line x 80-column text, 280 x 192 graphics, 6 colors
Important Options: 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, 256K RAM disk board, 12-inch monochrome monitor, game paddles

Basis Medfly

Basis Medfly (Apple II-class desktop)
Base Configuration: 6502 and Z80 CPUs; CP/M 3.0; six Apple-compatible slots; 64K RAM (128K max); 2K ROM (12K max); RGB, composite, and NTSC video ports; keyboard/keypad; RS-232C and parallel ports
Video: 280 x 192 graphics
Important Options: external dual 5.25-inch floppy disk drives, 12-inch monochrome monitor, game paddles

Basis 208 (1982, desktop)
Base Configuration: Z80B CPU, CP/M, 10 proprietary slots

Basis 216 (1982, desktop)
Base Configuration: Z8001 and 68000 CPUs, Xenix, 10 proprietary slots