The Macintosh 512k was the second Mac to be released following the release of the original Macintosh. It was released in September 1984, 8 months after the original.
With the release of the Macintosh 512k, the original Macintosh was then known as the Macintosh 128k.
The 512k reference in the name refers to the increased amount of memory for this Macintosh revision – four times that of the original Macintosh which greatly improved its usability, as the original Macintosh was often criticised for lacking enough memory to make is usable in an efficient manner.
This exhibit displays the following items:
- Macintosh 512k computer
- An all-in-one “classic” Macintosh design which is nearly identical to the original Macintosh.
- Macintosh Keyboard
- This is an example of the keyboard that was packaged with the original Macintosh.
- Macintosh Mouse
- This is an example of the mouse that was packaged with the original Macintosh.
- Macintosh 400k External Drive
- A floppy disk drive capable of reading 3.5″ 400k floppy disks.
- In the current setup, this drive is daisy-chained to the Hard Disk 20 – this drive is connected to the Hard Disk 20, which is then connected to the Macintosh.
- Macintosh Hard Disk 20
- An external hard disk drive with 20MB storage. Designed to match the footprint of the Macintosh, it sat neatly underneath the Macintosh.
- The drive connects to the Macintosh using the floppy disk drive port and is compatible only with the Macintosh 512k.
Noteworthy remarks:
- The Macintosh 512k features a badge on the rear which will distinguish it from the original Macintosh.
- The beige colour of the plastics is referred to as “Putty” and can be compared with later Macs which used a grey called “Platinum” eg. the Macintosh SE/30.
Working status:
Unfortunately this Mac is currently non-functioning. It requires repairs to the power supply board.