Macintosh 512Ke
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| Macintosh 512Ke | |
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| Manufacturer | Apple Computer |
| Introduced | April 14, 1986 |
| Discontinued | September 1, 1987 |
| Price | US$2000 |
| CPU | Motorola 68000, 8 MHz |
| RAM | 512 KB, built-in |
| OS | 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 2.1, 3.0, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 4.0, 4.1[1], 4.2, 4.3, 6.0–6.0.8 |
| Model number | M0001E |
The Macintosh 512K enhanced (512Ke) was introduced as a cheaper alternative to the top-of-the-line Macintosh Plus.[2] It was the same as the Macintosh 512K but with the 800K disk drive and 128K of ROM like the Plus. Like its predecessors, there was little room for expansion. Some companies did create memory upgrades that would bring the machine up to 2 MB or more.
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[edit] Model Differences
Originally, the case was identical to its predecessor, except for the model number listed on the rear bucket's agency approval label. It used the same beige-like color as well. But like the Macintosh Plus, at some point in 1987 the 512Ke adopted the standard Apple "Platinum" color, as well as the exact same case-front design as the Plus (without the name), though keeping its original rear bucket. Additionally, during it's life-span, it was heavily discounted and offered to the educational market badged as the Macintosh ED (M0001D & later M0001ED).[3] The 512Ke shipped with the original short Macintosh Keyboard, but the extended Macintosh Plus Keyboard with built-in numeric keypad could be purchased optionally.[4] A version of the 512Ke sold outside of North America only included the full keyboard and marketed as the Macintosh 512K/800 Model No. M0001D.[5] Later it would be included standard in North America as well.
Despite the fact the 512Ke included the same new 128K ROMs and 800K disk drive as the Mac Plus, it retained the same port configuration as the original Mac. Therefore, even though its ROM allowed it to make use of the new SCSI standard, unlike the Plus, it did not include a built-in SCSI port. Thus the 512Ke was forced to use the slower Hard Disk 20 or similar products as its only options for using a hard drive. However, Apple endorsed certain third-party products which could be added to the 512K to provide a SCSI port.[6]
[edit] Official Upgrades
A Macintosh 512K could be upgraded to a 512Ke by purchasing and installing Apple's $299 Macintosh Plus Disk Drive Kit. This included the following:
- 800 KB double-sided floppy disk drive to replace the original 400 kB single-sided drive
- 128 KB ROM chips to replace original 64 KB ROM
- Macintosh Plus System Tools disk with updated system software
- Installation guide
One further OEM upgrade replaced the logicboard and the rear case (to accommodate the different port configuration) with that of the Macintosh Plus which essentially added built-in SCSI functionality and up to 4MB RAM. As Apple's official upgrades tended to command a premium, many third party manufactures offered add-on SCSI cards as well as RAM upgrades to achieve the same functionality. The new ROM allowed the computer to run much newer system and application software and though it loaded more data into RAM it only slightly decreased the amount of available memory by 1.5K, leaving well over 370K available for applications.[7]
[edit] System Software
After June 1986, the 512Ke shipped with System 3.2. After it was discontinued, Apple changed the recommended OS for the 512Ke to System 4.1. System 6.0.8 is the maximum OS for the 512Ke.[citation needed]
Timeline of compact Macintosh models
- See also: Timeline of Apple Macintosh models
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Macintosh 512Ke technical specifications at apple.com
- The M0001 Registry Owners of Vintage Macintosh
- Apple Macintosh Before System 7 Original 512Ke Hardware & Packaging Details
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