The Mirror Finish Interioe Mac SE HDFD

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gsmcten's picture
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The Mirror Finish Interioe Mac SE HDFD

They are looking for info on why this SE is Mirror finished and has an interior Serial number of C-2.
The price is huge though.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-C-2-Apple-Macintosh-SE-FDHD-Engraved-Steve-Jobs-Signature-and-Mac-Team-/150946589041?pt=US_Vintage_Computers_Mainframes&hash=item23251e2971

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Re: The Mirror Finish Interioe Mac SE HDFD

Hello Steven,
i´m no expert on history of the mac.... but i have some expertise on graphics and hardware..... taking a closer view to that mac wakens up severe doubt on authenticity.....
here just some points that i am on doubt:
the C-2 marking is not same wideness like the other engravings in width of the engraving tool and its far deeper...
looks to me like it has been added later manualy with other engraving tool....
then probably later that part has been covered with a silverspray that was not availiable in those years....
this looks like modern spray used for making mirror-coatings for shielding with silverspray.... but this was first done in the later 80´s and beginning 90´s so the engraving of C-2 and the spraycovering must be far beyond the date of sale and production....
in the mid of the 90´s also laserprinter had been availiable for making a copy of the serial-label and changing the number....
i would not buy such a item without the sales-reciept-slip that confirms the serial no.....

Up to my knowldedge Apple Computer always used for experimental computers or internal developmentmodels with special colored seriallabels ( for example at the Apple II series the famous common known "green labels" )....
someone with more expertise than me to the mac-history should answer that part of the question....
speedyG

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Re: The Mirror Finish Interioe Mac SE HDFD

this looks like modern spray used for making mirror-coatings for shielding with silverspray.... but this was first done in the later 80´s and beginning 90´s

You can find the "mirrored" finish inside examples of the Macintosh Plus, which pre-dates the SE FDHD.

I don't know the significance of the "C-2" engraving or whether it even matters as a point of value or rarity to the SE FDHD.

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Re: The Mirror Finish Interioe Mac SE HDFD

Up to my knowldedge Apple Computer always used for experimental computers or internal developmentmodels with special colored seriallabels ( for example at the Apple II series the famous common known "green labels" )....
speedyG

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but can you tell me more about these "green label" Apple II units?
I've never heard of this before...?

Thanks,
Howie

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Re: The Mirror Finish Interioe Mac SE HDFD

Very simple... in eadlier years Apple Computer prototype models tested by the development-guys didn´t have the normal black/white serial labels on the bottom - but instead green/white labels displaying the model to be a prototype and serials on that labels where often written by hand.... - but recognize : there are also a lot of Apple II ( not + ) out there with a green label that have not been prototype models... on prototype models there is a marking that it really is a "prototype".... within the last year some one or two such labels have been refered to, with links given here ..... that green prototypelabels have been used up till early mac-models.
speedyG

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Re: The Mirror Finish Interioe Mac SE HDFD

Very simple... in eadlier years Apple Computer prototype models tested by the development-guys didn´t have the normal black/white serial labels on the bottom - but instead green/white labels displaying the model to be a prototype and serials on that labels where often written by hand.... - but recognize : there are also a lot of Apple II ( not + ) out there with a green label that have not been prototype models... on prototype models there is a marking that it really is a "prototype".... within the last year some one or two such labels have been refered to, with links given here ..... that green prototypelabels have been used up till early mac-models.
speedyG

Hi speedyG, am I correct that you are NOT referring to prototype/development units leading up to the June 1977 release of the original Apple II? But you are talking about units later in the Apple II product lifetime? I ask because although there were certainly prototype units of the original Apple II dating back to late 1976-early 1977, I never have seen one and would be curious whether the company was sophisticated enough to even bother having a formal serial number labeling system for those. I imagine it was much more of an informal "homebrew" environment of Woz tweaking boards and Jobs inspecting prototype molds of the case, and a few units thrown together to see how the whole system looked/worked...all in a mad rush to have something to show by April 1977 at the West Coast Computer Faire.

With that in mind, does anyone have quality photos of these earliest "proto" Apple II units?

Howie

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Re: The Mirror Finish Interioe Mac SE HDFD

Hello Howie,
in fact the entire labeling of prototype models had nothing to do with "showcase" or similar reasons....
it was rather more needed for avoiding stress with tax-authorities..... there are mounting units that tell
a run of xxx boards have been made....( and that amount-number is also issued in the invoice ! ) but not xxx computers have been sold ... taxauthority would suspect some kind of betrayal.... but if you come along and say this run of xxx boards resulted to yyy models sold and zzz models kept in house for development purposes the taxauthority says : OK we only want tax for the sold ones

but you must keep track on those models not sold too to keep them traceable.... so you can for example count on the fact that in a modell given to development it might happen more often than normal that the entire mainboard must be changed after damage without charge ( causing another mainboard less to be sold..... )so finally
that labeling system had clear financial and fiscial causes...

and it was kept throughout the entire lifetime of Apple up till today.... in fact such systems just became recognized at collectors because of the labeling system itself - because a collector of course assumes that such kind of models are extreme rare and extreme early ahead of manufacturing..... for example each revision of the II mainboard had a preleading prototype series of some 5 to 20 models for use and examination in house... so most of them never left the property of Apple Computers..... only very few guys had even a permission to take such a model to his homesite...

i´ve uploaded such a label for your information... to my site...:
http://www.harrowalsh.de/Elektronik/APPLEBOX/appleboxPrototype.htm
sincerly speedyG

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