A very rare edition of Apple’s first ever computer, Apple 1 is to be auctioned off to the highest bidder very soon. And bids have already reached over $500,000.
That’s right. The computer that started it all – the Apple 1, which was known for its pioneering edge in technology, made the personal computer as popular as it is today. Only 200 of these machines have ever been made. Only 175 of them had been sold and today, roughly 70 of those are currently accounted for.
Only 200 of these machines have ever been made (photo: Wikipedia)
Infamously known for being an IT guy’s worst nightmare, the Apple 1’s hardware was so complex that Steve Wozniak was the only eligible person to handle support issues. Even more infamous than its service was its price – demonic, even; at $666.66, you could own your very own personal computer in 1976.
But this current Apple 1 is a little more special than the rest out there. That’s because it’s one of the few that have been hand-built – by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. But that’s not all there is to it. The circuit boards inside are completely different than the other Apple 1s, since they were not printed for the rest of the public. This makes this particular model a sort of prototype of sorts.
Having been termed as the ‘Celebration’ Apple 1, bids are expected to break the $1 million mark any time soon. The last Apple 1 computer was auctioned off for $900,000.
The winning bid gets the cutting edge of 1970’s technology at their disposal – A cassette interface board for running applications (Whatever can run on 4K to 65K RAM at least), a BASIC program cassette tape, Games – Star Trek and Black Jack on cassette tape. Apart from that, the winner will also get the appropriate documents – the manuals, schematics, a sales receipt from the previous owner, as well as a report by official Apple historian – Corey Cohen to state the authenticity of the product.
This could well be the most expensive Apple computer ever.