Re: II+ shipped with a II lid?

[Michael J. Mahon <mjmahon@aol.com>]

"Bill W." <billspamcan@gmail.com> wrote:
> I recently had a chance to pick up what initially appeared to be a
> nice original II, at least based on the lid.  Flipping it over
> revealed a green sticker with an A2S2 serial number.  It has a rev 7
> board and Applesoft ROMs.  MB date 8044.  So, it is a II+ with a II
> lid.  The owner claimed to have had it since purchase in the early 80s
> and had the original boxes and materials.  He says he bought it in
> early 1981 as an Apple II, which is also what the shipping box says.
> He said he never replaced the cover or any other major components.
> The lid is cosmetically a perfect match, so if it did get swapped at
> some point, it was probably a long time ago.
> 
> So, possibly a factory or store mistake?  Did Apple perhaps have a few
> extra II lids that went on II+ guts as they were finishing off the
> Apple II line?  I suppose it is unlikely that anyone knows, but it is
> interesting to speculate.
> 
> The original II that I grew up with is close in age, with a date of
> 8024, but shipped with a rev 4 board and integer ROMs.
> 
> Historically it is kind of interesting, as this might help to pin down
> when the last IIs went out the door.  I've always wondered how close
> the machine I grew up with was to the end of production.

During late 1980 and at least the first several months of 1981, Apple
shipped Apple II and Apple II+ systems that were identical except for ROMs
and labels.  

You have a "real" Apple II whose ROMs were upgraded. 

-michael - NadaNet 3.1: http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon