Apricot F10

The Apricot F10 was the hard-disk version of the F-series design. A 10MB Rodime drive and one 3.5-inch floppy gave the compact 8086 system the storage expected of a serious office computer, while a more conventional infrared keyboard improved everyday use.

With 512KB of RAM and Digital Research GEM, the F10 represented the most complete version of the original F architecture. It provided a bridge between the low-cost F1 concept and Apricot’s more powerful XEN workstations.

Notable Features

• Internal 10MB Rodime hard disk paired with a 3.5-inch floppy drive.
• Supplied with a more conventional full-travel infrared keyboard.
• GEM graphical software replaced the earlier Activity environment.

Historical Significance

• The flagship storage configuration of Apricot’s compact F range.
• Brought hard-disk convenience to a system designed around unusually cable-free desktop peripherals.

Collector’s Notes

• Rodime hard disks and their controllers may require careful restoration.
• A matching infrared keyboard, trackball and original GEM disks make a notably complete example.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Apricot F10
Manufacturer	Apricot Computers
Launched	Tuesday, January 1, 1985
Country	United Kingdom
CPU	Intel 8086 at 4.77 MHz
Units Sold
Operating System	MS-DOS and Digital Research GEM
I/O	RS-232, Centronics parallel, RGB, composite and expansion connector
Keyboard	Full-travel infrared keyboard; infrared trackball supported
Storage	One 720KB 3.5-inch floppy and 10MB Rodime hard disk
Sound	Internal speaker
Graphics	Colour graphics up to 640 x 256 depending on mode
Display	External RGB or composite monitor
ROM	F-series firmware
RAM	512KB
CPU Speed	4.77 MHz