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Platinum 512ke?

Crutch

Well-known member
Wikipedia claims that Apple made a platinum 512ke for a while, which looked exactly like a Platinum Plus but without the “Macintosh Plus” (i.e., it had a non-inset Apple logo level with the floppy slot, and in a platinum case):

  • “But like the Macintosh Plus, in 1987 the 512Ke adopted the standard Apple "Platinum" color, as well as the same case-front design as the Plus (without the name), though keeping its original rear bucket.”  - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_512Ke



I have no memory of such a thing existing ... but there is also reference to this from highly respected 68kMLA colleagues on this thread, so I’m sure it’s true:  https://68kmla.org/forums/index.php?/topic/43917-512ke-rare/&

So, my question:  has anyone actually got one of these chimerical beasts?  I think I found a picture of one on the Google machine, though it looks quite beige rather than platinum (could just need retrobrighting):  https://www.ithistory.org/db/hardware/apple-computer-inc/macintosh-512ke.  I couldn’t find a clear photo anywhere, though.

I would love to see a detailed photo of an Platinum 512ke if anyone has one to share.

 

Dog Cow

Well-known member
Wikipedia claims that Apple made a platinum 512ke for a while, which looked exactly like a Platinum Plus but without the “Macintosh Plus” (i.e., it had a non-inset Apple logo level with the floppy slot, and in a platinum case):

  • “But like the Macintosh Plus, in 1987 the 512Ke adopted the standard Apple "Platinum" color, as well as the same case-front design as the Plus (without the name), though keeping its original rear bucket.”  - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_512Ke
Citation needed. This smells like someone typing something because it sounds good and sounds like it could be true. It's possible that it's true with a caveat, such as in a foreign market, branded as the Macintosh ED or somesuch.

Some investigation could determine whether there were ever platinum Mac 512Ke cases branded as Mac 512Ke M0001E on the back. I've never heard of such a thing, but I've never taken time to investigate it either.

 
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BadGoldEagle

Well-known member
1987/88 EDs (ie 512Kes for Education) sold in Germany and the Netherlands were indeed platinum with "Macintosh ED" branding on the front.

There is evidence online of a 220V platinum 512Ke with no label on the front. But it could have very well started out in life as a normal "Macintosh ED" and someone could have wiped the label off with alcohol or something...

 

Crutch

Well-known member
Yes indeed @BadGoldEagle and if you zoom into the photo of the rear of that unit, the model number is M0001ED. 
 

Here’s another source citing platinum 512ke’s being sold in 1987:  http://www.earlymacintosh.org/

“There were two generations of Macintosh 512Ke [M0001E] machines:

  1. Beige machines produced in 1986 have a label on the back with no copyright date. They came with the M0110 standard keyboard and contained first-revision Macintosh Plus ROMs. The location and design of the Apple logo on the front was the same as the original Macintosh and the 512K.
  2. Platinum machines have a 1987 copyright date on the label. They came with the M0110A extended keyboard and contained second-revision Macintosh Plus ROMs. The location and design of the Apple logo on the front was the same as the Plus.

Note: I have never seen a M0001E with a 220-240V power supply.”

 

Scott Baret

Well-known member
Most sources I have read have pinned the discontinuation date of the 512Ke as September 3, 1987. It could be possible it was pulled from production in the United States at an earlier time (summer 1987) but never officially discontinued. 

The platinum 512Ke is for real. It looks like the Plus, with the Apple logo mounted inside the case itself next to the floppy drive and not on the little square in the lower corner. There is no name next to the Apple. They are also very rare, having been made for a few months in 1987 and selling mostly to educational institutions. The Plus had taken over as the low-end Mac and most people who wanted a step-up machine were buying the SE, not a decked-out Plus.

I once owned a 512Ke with the ED badging produced in 1988, which I purchased from a Dutch seller. It was platinum (albeit yellowed enough to look beige).

Apple's discontinuation dates should always be taken with a grain of salt for these early products. They only cover North American models, and even then, they aren't particularly accurate. Here are some additional examples:

--The SE was made into early 1991 despite having been "discontinued" in October 1990

--The LC II was made well into 1993 despite having been "discontinued" in March 1993 (and even got the LC 475-style case in some markets)

--The Plus was "discontinued" in October 1990, yet production ended long before that (even the third edition of the Mac Bible indicates this)

--There are Classics out there with 1993 dates (original, not II) which seem to have reached non-North American markets. I know I saw one from a South American nation, not sure which one offhand.

--The Apple Keyboard II is sometimes listed as being discontinued in 1993 or 1994, yet I've seen press photos from far later with it (even as late as 1996). It did lose its colored Apple logo along the way.

--Nobody seems to know for sure when the final ImageWriter II was made, but it appears to be at some point in late 1996; I have personally seen dates as late as 1995

 

Crutch

Well-known member
Thanks @Scott Baret for providing the history here! I hope to see one of these elusive Platinum 512ke’s in person one day. 

 
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Dog Cow

Well-known member
The platinum 512Ke is for real. It looks like the Plus, with the Apple logo mounted inside the case itself next to the floppy drive and not on the little square in the lower corner.
I went looking on Google image search on Monday and found one picture of the front of a platinum 512Ke, but not the back. Would like to see photos of the front and back of a platinum 512Ke.

 

Scott Baret

Well-known member
Here's a video of an ED with the platinum case. It's not quite the 512Ke you're looking for, but it's the right color and has the 512Ke badge (though this one is sort of yellowed).



 

DeChief

Active member
Wikipedia claims that Apple made a platinum 512ke for a while, which looked exactly like a Platinum Plus but without the “Macintosh Plus” (i.e., it had a non-inset Apple logo level with the floppy slot, and in a platinum case):

  • “But like the Macintosh Plus, in 1987 the 512Ke adopted the standard Apple "Platinum" color, as well as the same case-front design as the Plus (without the name), though keeping its original rear bucket.”  - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_512Ke



I have no memory of such a thing existing ... but there is also reference to this from highly respected 68kMLA colleagues on this thread, so I’m sure it’s true:  https://68kmla.org/forums/index.php?/topic/43917-512ke-rare/&

So, my question:  has anyone actually got one of these chimerical beasts?  I think I found a picture of one on the Google machine, though it looks quite beige rather than platinum (could just need retrobrighting):  https://www.ithistory.org/db/hardware/apple-computer-inc/macintosh-512ke.  I couldn’t find a clear photo anywhere, though.

I would love to see a detailed photo of an Platinum 512ke if anyone has one to share.


It did indeed exist, I had one for a while (unless it was faked somehow). At first I thought it was just a Plus with the lettering removed, but there was zero evidence of any chemicals being used where the letters used to be and the surface finish was identical to everything surrounding it.

image.png

image.png

And here's a video of it on my instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BmzbQTJFigA/

Unfortunately these photos are pretty low res, I probably have some better ones sitting on a hard drive somewhere if you'd like me to look.

 

Crutch

Well-known member
Thanks for sharing.  You don’t by chance have a photo of the back?  I’d love to know if the model number ends in “ED” (suggesting this is a Macintosh ED that maybe had its label cleaned off, or perhaps never had one) or just “E”.

 

DeChief

Active member
Thanks for sharing.  You don’t by chance have a photo of the back?  I’d love to know if the model number ends in “ED” (suggesting this is a Macintosh ED that maybe had its label cleaned off, or perhaps never had one) or just “E”.


I should have a photo somewhere. I'm planning on sorting through the myriad of HDDs sitting in my top drawer at some point this week, so I'll post it if I find it - from memory it's just E but I'm not certain!

 
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DeChief

Active member
Speak of the devil, this just popped up on eBay AU.

s-l1600.jpg


s-l1600.jpg


M0001ED, interesting.

 
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