Functioning Apple 1 Sells for $375,000 at Sotheby's Auction

[danahn17]

It's sort of like the Ark of the Covenant. Which also provided an amazing Unboxing experience.

Like the Ark of the Covenant, the Apple 1 will also melt your face off with its blazing CPU speed of 1MHz

 

[Schmitty11]

What's with the original price of $666.66 ?

Apple may in fact be Lucifer himself

 

[Bahamut Eos]

Will it run Lion?

 

[brdeveloper]

A high-end Retina MBP autographed by its current designer and also Tim Cook would propably cost a lot less. Perhaps would be a good long term investment.

 

[splashnader]

The fact that the machine is still functional is amazing.

 

[iReality85]

Take a look at those capacitors, baby!

Love it.

 

[G5isAlive]

Some people like to collect things. The first product hand-built by one of the founders of one of the most storied corporations in world history might be an interesting thing to collect.

I think its a conspiracy of a biotechnology company to accumulate samples of Steve Jobs DNA and clone him. You did say hand-built

 

[paul4339]

What's with the original price of $666.66 ?

With tax in CA it was $700.00?

The original batch was sold for $500 + 1/3 markup by Byte Shop (computer store), bringing it to $666.66.

.

 

[RalfTheDog]

Hey, more power to the buyer. But from my perspective, I ask why? Why pay that much for it and what could I do with it, aside from looking at it, pointing and saying "well, there it is."

You could play text pong.

Note: That is not why I purchased it. I am putting it in the library, next to my collection of pictures of dogs playing poker.

Will it run Lion?

The answer to that is yes, very slowly and assuming it had a great deal of external storage. Any computer that runs Turring code can simulate any other computer that runs Turring code. Output will be limited.

 

[superman23]

The fact that the machine is still functional is amazing.

not really. if stored in a cool, dry place you'd only need to replace the electrolytic capacitors due to age. maybe check over the solder joints.

now if it were made in 2012, forget it. lead free standards = guaranteed disposable electronics

 

[Glideslope]

Why?

Because they can.

 

[CrazyRussian540]

Anyone know the serial number of this one?

 

[ModerateFKR]

Hey, moron who bought this:

You can buy a top of the line retina display macbook pro instead. Much better value, cheaper and more functional!

Really? People take this comment seriously? Oh right, I made fun of insane fan boys with too much money while promoting fanboyism. My bad.

And if you go to a landfill site somewhere in the western world and dig for long enough, you might find literally tens of the first Windows PCs... yet they will all be utterly worthless!

 

[Joe-Diver]

I have a customer, who worked with Woz, during his time at HP. On my second visit to him we talked about older Macs. I waxed lyrical about my original Macintosh and he listened intently. He then told me that he had a collection of old Macs out in the garage that he would show me sometime. On my third visit, he duly obliged.

Neatly laid out on three shelves were 6 Apple II computers, 4 of which worked fine. He then pulled a fabric cover off the stuff on the bottom shelf to reveal three Apple I computers. I was assured that two of them were fully functional and that he also had complete paperwork and packaging for them. Was he not a very ill, wheelchair-bound man, i would have asked to see them running.

I was then shown an email conversation between him and Mr Wozniak. They had remained in touch with each other and Woz had promised that he would fix up his broken II's and I, if possible and would be sure to pack his soldering iron if he was ever visiting the country.

So, what you're saying...is you know where there are 3 Apple I's, covered by a sheet and protected by an old man in a wheelchair?

 

[SteveG4Cube]

What a sucker, they could've gotten a replica for a fraction of what they spent.

http://www.brielcomputers.com/wordpress/?cat=17

 

[brdeveloper]

What a sucker, they could've gotten a replica for a fraction of what they spent.

http://www.brielcomputers.com/wordpress/?cat=17

He could finance a startup business for creating a concept for a new computer. Not enough money to develop the final hardware, but a prototype and some 3d renderings would be feasible.

 

[THX1139]

How many artifacts can you point to that represent the starting point of a total revolution in how humans communicate and process information?

Rosetta Stone
Guttenberg printing press
Invention of the alphabet
Telephone
Radio
Television
Etc.
Etc.


Computers

 

[powers74]

What's with the original price of $666.66 ?

Haha! That's Steve for ya!

 

[kdarling]

How many artifacts can you point to that represent the starting point of a total revolution in how humans communicate and process information?

While an overstatement, it did start the personal PC revolution witch with time will be recognized and placed in history.

Neither the Apple I nor the Apple II started any revolution.

They were just a couple of choices in a whole slew of boards and personal computers that came out at almost the same time. Because of their high price, they weren't the most popular choice, not by a long shot. I don't think the II ever got higher than about 16% of the market.

Other, far more affordable computers, such as the Commodores, Ataris and TRS-80s, are the ones that first brought computers into the homes of millions of ordinary people. Shortly after, the PC clones appeared and dominated for decades.



What they did do, was enable Apple Computer to work on other, more popular devices later on.

 

[pookynubber]

Really...?

Hey, more power to the buyer. But from my perspective, I ask why? Why pay that much for it and what could I do with it, aside from looking at it, pointing and saying "well, there it is."

You're asking a question - but it's really a statement in the form of a question. You don't see the value in it, and you really don't plan to (as you also stated with art and collectables) are you really trying to be persuaded? How about just say "It doesn't make sense to me." Because by saying "Why" you really mean the former. Sorry for the rant, I just have a bug about people saying what they mean or meaning what they say. It's just more efficient.

 

[IJ Reilly]

The BBC notes that only about 50 Apple 1's still exist and only a handful actually work.

This means either that something is possessive of "Apple 1," or "Apple 1 is still exist."

I've been working on my super powers to allow me to remotely assassinate superfluous apostrophes, but no dice so far.

 

[justperry]

Apple I = $375,000

Raspberry Pi = $25

100.000 times faster yet 10.000 times less expensive.Amazing

But I do see the value here, especially if He/She is a billionaire with money to spend.

 

[Konrad]

LOL. Well, this takes an ultimate rich geek. With nothing interesting to do. What a bore.

 

[chatin]

Apple 1's are around

The Apple 1 is technically the plan Woz gave away at the West Coast Computer Fair for free. A few years back kits were sold on eBay along with the plans making the Apple 1 less rare than these two dueling bidders think.

 

[SpyderBite]

Never underestimate the amount of money a collector will pay for something rare. The sale of a single comic book paid for my first 4 years of college and a second sale allowed me to buy my first car in cash.

Haters who don't understand the price tag on an Apple l computer should take a look at more frivolous sales like a piece of toast with the similarity of a popular deity burned in to it.