Apricot F2

The Apricot F2 expanded the F1 design with two 3.5-inch floppy drives, making disk-based business work more convenient without requiring a hard disk. It retained the compact system unit, colour display support and infrared keyboard and pointing device.

As the middle member of the mature F range, the F2 offered a practical balance between the single-drive F1 and hard-disk F10. Standardised 512KB memory and GEM software in later sales packages strengthened its office credentials.

Notable Features

• Two 3.5-inch floppy drives supported separate program and data disks.
• Infrared keyboard and trackball reduced desktop cabling.
• Shared software and expansion compatibility with the wider F range.

Historical Significance

• A practical dual-drive development of Apricot’s distinctive compact F-series architecture.
• Helped consolidate the F range into three principal business configurations.

Collector’s Notes

• The two floppy mechanisms and infrared receiver should both be tested.
• F2-specific badging distinguishes it from otherwise similar F-series cases.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Apricot F2
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	Infrared keyboard and optional infrared trackball
Storage	Two 720KB 3.5-inch floppy drives
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 in mature configurations
CPU Speed	4.77 MHz