AppleInsider Staff
The non-working motherboard, from the estate of former Apple employee Joe Copson, bears the serial number 22 and is expected to fetch between £50,000 and £80,000 ($79,180 to $126,694 at current rates), notes The Mac Observer.
While in good aesthetic condition, the motherboard represents the first piece of hardware built by Apple in 1976. Conceived by former company cofounder Steve Wozniak with help from the late Steve Jobs, the hand-built Apple I is widely credited as being one of the world's first and most significant personal computers.
It is estimated that 200 copies of the Apple I were produced, though only six of the about 50 left intact are known to be in working condition. At the time it first went on sale, the completed motherboard commanded a price of $666.66 without power supply, display, keyboard or housing.
According to James Hyslop, Christie’s Scientific Specialist, “This is the computer that started Apple, now recognized as the most valuable company in the world; its significance in making computer technology accessible for all cannot be undervalued.â€
Apple I to be sold by Christie's in October. | Source: Christie's
The auction house sold a another Apple I in November 2010, managing to get $174,000 ($213,600 after taxes) for the rare example.
Christie's latest Apple I auction is part of the Travel, science and natural history sale and is scheduled for Oct. 9.
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22 Comments
The Apple I was hardly the first working personal computer. The Altair generally is credited with this honor though other "personal computers" did exist at the time.
If I had the spare coin, I'd buy it, take it to the Apple Store and ask them to fix it under warranty. Made in USA. By hand. In Steve Jobs' garage.
The Apple I was hardly the first working personal computer. The Altair generally is credited with this honor though other "personal computers" did exist at the time.
The apple 1 was the first relevant PC, pretty much as you said, there was the altair (which we all know what a great piece of tech that was) and all the rest are in the "others" category.
The MITS Altair 8800 is widely credited as the first personal computer, though far less capable than the Apple 1.
The apple 1 was the first relevant PC, pretty much as you said, there was the altair (which we all know what a great piece of tech that was) and all the rest are in the "others" category.
Relevant in what way? There were only about 200 of them that were ever sold. There were far more popular computers at the time (and I was there, this is first-hand knowledge).
"The MITS Altair 8800 is widely credited as the first personal computer, though far less capable than the Apple 1."
Uh, the Altair was quite a bit more capable than the Apple I, being expandable (S-100 bus) and having lots of peripheral support.
Granted, the initial kit wasn't too capable, but you could turn the thing into a formidable computer (far more powerful than the Apple I) if you were willing to spend the money.
When the Apple // came along, that was another story.