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On April 14th, 1986, Apple introduced the Macintosh 512Ke, a personal computer that would become a part of the Macintosh series. At a starting price of $1,999, the Macintosh 512Ke promised to deliver powerful performance and a sleek design.
The Macintosh 512Ke featured an 8 MHz Motorola 68000 processor, a 9-inch monochrome display, 512 KB of RAM, and an 800 KB floppy disk drive. It also came with a dedicated operating system, Macintosh System Software, which was designed to make the computer easy to use.
However, despite its impressive specs and user-friendly design, the Macintosh 512Ke was only manufactured and sold by Apple for a year, from 1986 to 1987. On September 1st, 1987, the computer was discontinued, making it 37 years old today.
While the Macintosh 512Ke may be a piece of tech history, it was a significant step forward for Apple and played a major role in the company’s journey to becoming the technology giant it is today.
Macintosh 512Ke Details
| Introduced | April 14, 1986 |
| Discontinued | September 1, 1987 |
| Model Identifier | 3 |
| Order Number | M0001E (512Ke) M0001D (512K/800) M0001ED (EDU 512Ke) |
| Original Price | $1,999 |
| Colors | Beige |
| Weight | 16.5 Ibs. 7.484 KG |
| Dimensions | 13.6” H x 9.6” W x 10.9” D 34.54 cm H x 24.38 cm W x 27.68 cm D |
Mac 512Ke Tech Specs
| Processor | Motorola 68000 |
| Processor Speed | 8 MHz |
| Number of Cores | 1 |
| System Bus | 8 MHz |
| Cache | None |
| Coprocessor | None |
Memory
| Storage | None |
| Built-in Memory | 512 KB |
| Maximum Memory | 512 KB |
| Memory Slots | None |
| Interleaving Support | No |
Graphics
| Graphics Card | None |
| Graphics Connection | None |
| Graphics Memory | None |
Display
| Built-in Display | 9” monochrome display |
| Resolution | 512 x 342 |
| Pixel Density | 72 ppi |
Connections
| Ethernet | None |
| Modem | None |
| ADB | None |
| Serial | 2 – RS-422 1 – DE-9 |
| SCSI | None |
| Audio Out | 1 – Built-in speaker 8-bit 22-kHz |
| Display | None |
Expansion
| Slots | None |
| Hard Drive Interface | None |
| Media | 800 KB floppy disk drive |
| Floppy Port | 1 – DB-19 |
Accessories
Software
| Original OS | System Software 0.7 |
| Maximum OS | System Software 6.0.8 |
| Firmware | Macintosh ROM |
Power
| Backup Battery | 4.5 V Alkaline |
| Maximum Continuous Power | 60 W |
| Line Voltage | 110-120V AC (M0001E, M0001D, M0001ED) |
Further Reading and References
- Macintosh 512Ke: Technical Specifications – Apple Support
- Macintosh 512Ke – Wikipedia
- Mac 512Ke – Low End Mac
- Macintosh 512Ke – Remi’s Classic Computers
- Today in Apple history: Macintosh 512Ke further enhances the Mac – Cult of Mac
- How to Tell a Mac 512K and Mac 512Ke Apart – Mac GUI
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Disclaimer: The data presented in this article is under continuous development and has been manually collected from a variety of sources based on their availability. The author of this article may revise this dataset as additional research is conducted and reviewed. Please note that the information is provided “as is” and “as available” without any express or implied warranties. The author cannot be held responsible for any omissions, inaccuracies, or errors in the published information. Any warranties relating to this information are hereby disclaimed.
Last updated: April 8, 2023