Think your new iPhone is expensive? Fully functioning Apple-1 computer built in 1970s by Apple’s co-founders sells for $375,000 at auction
- Winning bid for the Apple-1 came from an anonymous U.S.-based businessman
- It is one of 60 remaining of original 200 sold for $700, one of 16 that still work
- The Apple-1 was and built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976 and 1977
A computer built in the 1970s that helped launch the personal computer age as well as a trillion-dollar company has sold for $375,000.
The fully functioning Apple-1 auctioned by Boston-based RR Auction was sold at a live sale Tuesday.
RR says the winning bid came from a U.S.-based businessman who wishes to remain anonymous.
The computer is one of 60 or so remaining of the original 200 designed and built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976 and 1977, and one of 16 that still works.
A computer built in the 1970s that helped launch the personal computer age as well as a trillion-dollar company has sold for $375,000. The fully functioning Apple-1 auctioned by Boston-based RR Auction was sold at a live sale Tuesday
It sold back then for less than $700. The original owner offered to sell it to Wozniak in 1982 for $10,000, an offer that went unanswered.
According to Wozniak, the Apple-1 was nothing compared to its successor in terms of power – but, it set the stage for everything to come.
‘The Apple-I was ghastly underpowered compared to the Apple-II,’ said Mr Wozniak in an email to the BBC on Tuesday.
‘But this Apple-I computer showed the world the formula for an affordable USEFUL computer.’
Cupertino, California-based Apple recently became the world’s first publicly traded company to be valued at $1 trillion.
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RR says the winning bid came from a U.S.-based businessman who wishes to remain anonymous. The computer is one of 60 or so remaining of the original 200 designed and built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976 and 1977, and one of 16 that still works
The Apple-1 sold back then for less than $700. The original owner offered to sell it to Wozniak in 1982 for $10,000, an offer that went unanswered
The Apple-1 was restored to its original, operational state by expert Corey Cohen.
The system operated without fault for approximately eight hours in a recent test and will even ship with its original keyboard designed and built during the 1970s.
The original Apple-1 operation manual, one of the items included with the fully functioning original computer
Apple co-founder Wozniak and Jobs only produced 150 models of the Apple-1 to sell to their friends and family.
The par started marketed the computer system to the electronics chain Byte Shop in 1976, after the retailer bought the first 50 units.
They originally went on sale for $666.66 as Wozniak liked repeating numbers.
Despite the Apple-1 being famed for being the first consumer PC to ship ready to use with monitor and keyboard, it was delivered as just the motherboard.
This meant users had to get hold of a power pack, keyboard, monitor, and cassette recorder of their own before they could use the device.
Most early computers used different motherboards for each component within the computer, however, Wozniak decided to put them onto a single board.
Wozniak chose to use a keyboard instead of the front panel switches featured on other early computers to make it easier to use. A cassette recorder was used to store and load software onto the machine.
The Apple-1 was restored to its original, operational state by expert Corey Cohen. The system operated without fault for approximately eight hours in a recent test and will even ship with its original keyboard designed and built during the 1970s
THE ICONIC APPLE 1
Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created the personal computer in 1976 and presented it at a Palo Alto computer club, but there were few takers at the time.
Paul Terrell, owner of a retail chain called Byte Shop, placed an order for 50 of the machines and sold them for $666.66 (£420) retail – once Mr Wozniak and Mr Jobs agreed to assemble the circuit boards rather than offer them as kits.
The pair then produced 150 more and sold them to friends and other vendors.
Fewer than 50 original Apple 1s are believed to have survived, with only eight known to be in working condition.
The Apple 1 did not have a keyboard or monitor, meaning users had to supply their own.
It also had a tiny 8K memory – minuscule by today’s standards.
Launched in July 1976, it was priced at $666.66 (£420) – reportedly because Mr Wozniak liked repeating digits.
Jobs sent them direct to buyers from the garage of his parents’ house.
It is not known how many were sold but by April 1977 the price had dropped to $475 (£300).
The computer helped kick-start a technological revolution that brought affordable computers out of science labs and into people’s homes.
The Apple II was introduced in April 1977 with an integrated keyboard, sound, a plastic case, and eight internal expansion slots.
By the time it was discontinued in October 1977, around 200 Apple 1s had been produced.
It is thought that only 30 to 50 of the computers still exist today and there is rarely an opportunity to buy one.
Wozniak chose to use a keyboard instead of the front panel switches featured on other early computers to make it easier to use.
A cassette recorder was used to store and load software onto the machine.
The screen was slow by today’s standards – displaying some 60 individual characters per second.
Despite the Apple-1 being famed for being the first consumer PC to ship ready to use with monitor and keyboard, it was delivered as just the motherboard. This meant users had to get hold of a power pack, keyboard, monitor, and cassette recorder of their own
Most early computers used different motherboards for each component within the computer, however, Wozniak decided to put them onto a single board
It only shipped with around 8K of in-built memory. For reference 8K, is just enough to save a 1,000 word document.
It shows the humble beginnings of Cupertino, California-based Apple, which recently became the world’s first publicly traded company to be valued at $1 trillion (£0.8 trillion).
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