Actually, it's not. In the Apple 1, only 7 bits were output. Expanding that circuit to do graphics would take a byte and still output just 7 bits, simple. Pe

Actually, it's not. In the Apple 1, only 7 bits were output. Expanding that circuit to do graphics would take a byte and still output just 7 bits, simple. People are pretty sure the Apple 1 video circuit was just expanded to do graphics, which is why it's 7, and that left the high bit for a color shift.