I wouldn't characterize the Disk II controller as "cutting corners" (a term which connotes shoddy design/construction or reduced quality) but instead as using c

I wouldn't characterize the Disk II controller as "cutting corners" (a term which connotes shoddy design/construction or reduced quality) but instead as using clever tricks to do more with less. By most accounts it did the job at least as well as the contemporary standard. For one thing, Wozniak's design was able to pack the sectors tighter than the standard radial configuration[0], resulting in a slight increase in disk capacity compared to the standard formatting. The lasting legacy of the Apple II has been much more "No-one has colour graphics like this" than "peculiar"... though the machine was designed around multiples of TV signal clocks which made future upgrades challenging. They were able to push the platform surprisingly far with the IIGS. 0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_II#Disk_II https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_II#Disk_II