Any idea on why they would just rebadge a machine? Were they sold at a discount, and Apple wanted to discourage non-educational institutions from buying them? Were they bought by institutions that wanted to discourage people from stealing them?
As was also remarked in the prior thread, many, if not most of the 'declared' (on the front) ED machines seem to have had an association with the Apple & Other consortiums. My 512Ke (an undeclared ED in beige) had two extra labels on the bucket. An extra hand-lettered serial number and purchase date, with the same conditions of purchase listed on both labels (no resale for 12mo.; first refusal at resale to the Consortium; no support from Apple Dealers; only one Mac to each buyer; obligatory 3-mo. warranty service) suggest that there may have been a considerable price markdown to those able to avail themselves of ED Macs.
None of this runs against the additional possibility that this was also a way for Apple to run down surplus beige Mac inventory. With the platinum Macs about to be released, it probably made sense to cultivate a niche market with real potential for exploitation (in its neutral sense of taking advantage of opportunity by both parties to the sales). The subsequent badging of platinum Mac ED and Mac Plus ED may have been a response to a pleasing increase in sales generated by the ED models.
ED was not necessarily an abbreviation of 'education'. E was for 'extended', and only the D signified 'educational', according to one previously quoted source.
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