> So I wonder why it wasn't added. It wouldn't have been hard, exactly
The answer to the question "Why didn't Apple add X/Y/Z to the Apple II?" is that they did add those features, starting with the Apple III in 1980, and continuing with the IIc and IIgs.
The problem is that there was a 2-year window between the release of the III and the explosion of the home/education market that Apple ignored the II and assumed sales of that quirky, obsolete system would dry up.
The IIe was designed within that window, and the skeleton crew of engineers who worked on the IIe did not have the green light to add significant new features. The only goal was to reduce manufacturing costs and maintain compatibility.
It wasn't until after the IIe was locked in that the Apple leadership began to realize the importance of the II within the suddenly booming home/education market, and only then did they put any significant resources back into the platform.
The IIc (1984) and IIgs (1986) were the result of those renewed efforts, but by that time the cat was already out of the bag. The IIe remained the most popular machine of the platform, and the "modern" features added to the IIc and IIgs were left unused by most developers and users.
The answer to the question "Why didn't Apple add X/Y/Z to the Apple II?" is that they did add those features, starting with the Apple III in 1980, and continuing with the IIc and IIgs.
The problem is that there was a 2-year window between the release of the III and the explosion of the home/education market that Apple ignored the II and assumed sales of that quirky, obsolete system would dry up.
The IIe was designed within that window, and the skeleton crew of engineers who worked on the IIe did not have the green light to add significant new features. The only goal was to reduce manufacturing costs and maintain compatibility.
It wasn't until after the IIe was locked in that the Apple leadership began to realize the importance of the II within the suddenly booming home/education market, and only then did they put any significant resources back into the platform.
The IIc (1984) and IIgs (1986) were the result of those renewed efforts, but by that time the cat was already out of the bag. The IIe remained the most popular machine of the platform, and the "modern" features added to the IIc and IIgs were left unused by most developers and users.