Apple I (Apple-1)
A fully assembled Apple I computer, with a homemade wooden computer case. |
| Developer |
Steve Wozniak |
| Type |
Personal computer |
| Release date |
April 11, 1976 |
| Introductory price |
US$666.66 |
| Discontinued |
September 30, 1977 |
| CPU |
MOS 6502 @ 1 MHz |
| Memory |
4 KB standard
expandable to 8 KB or 48 KB using expansion cards |
| Graphics |
40×24 characters, hardware-implemented scrolling |
| Successor |
Apple II |
The original Apple Computer, also known retroactively as the Apple I, or Apple-1, is a personal computer released by the Apple Computer Company (now Apple Inc.) in 1976. They were designed and hand-built by Steve Wozniak.[1][2] Wozniak's friend Steve Jobs had the idea of selling the computer. The Apple I was Apple's first product, and to finance its creation, Jobs sold his only means of transportation, a VW Microbus [3] and Wozniak sold his HP-65 calculator for $500.[4] It was demonstrated in July 1976 at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, California.[5]
History [edit]
On March 5, 1975 Steve Wozniak attended the first meeting of the Homebrew Computer Club in Gordon French's garage. He was so inspired by that meeting that he immediately set to work on what would become the Apple I computer.[6]
The Apple I went on sale in July 1976 at a price of US$666.66,[7] because Wozniak "liked repeating digits" and because they originally sold it to a local shop for $500 plus a one-third markup.[8] About 200 units were produced. Unlike other hobbyist computers of its day, which were sold as kits, the Apple I was a fully assembled circuit board containing about 60+ chips. However, to make a working computer, users still had to add a case, power supply transformers, power switch, ASCII keyboard, and composite video display. An optional board providing a cassette interface for storage was later released at the cost of $72.
Introductory advertisement for the Apple I Computer
The Apple I's built-in computer terminal circuitry was distinctive. All one needed was a keyboard and an inexpensive television set. Competing machines such as the Altair 8800 generally were programmed with front-mounted toggle switches and used indicator lights (red LEDs, most commonly) for output, and had to be extended with separate hardware to allow connection to a computer terminal or a teletypewriter machine. This made the Apple I an innovative machine for its day. In April 1977 the price was dropped to $475.[9] It continued to be sold through August 1977, despite the introduction of the Apple II in April 1977, which began shipping in June of that year.[10] Apple dropped the Apple I from its price list by October 1977, officially discontinuing it.[11] As Wozniak was the only person who could answer most customer support questions about the computer, the company offered Apple I owners discounts and trade-ins for Apple IIs to persuade them to return their computers, contributing to their scarcity.[12] In 1976, Concord High School Junior Wai Lee assembled one of the first 12 Apple Is (no serial number), the first Apple Computer in an aluminum housing.
Collector's item [edit]
The circuit board of a fully assembled Apple I
As of 2012, apx. 40-50 Apple I computers are documented to exist (plus an indefinite number of possible unreported cases), making it a very rare collector's item.
- An Apple I reportedly sold for $50,000 USD at auction in 1999.[13]
- A unit was sold in September 2009 for $17,480 on eBay.[14]
- A unit was sold on March 23, 2010 for $42,766 on eBay.[15]
- In November 2010, an Apple I with serial number 82 sold for £133,250 ($210,000) at Christie's auction house in London. The high price was likely due to the rare documents and packaging offered in the sale in addition to the computer, including the original packaging (with the return label showing Steve Jobs' parents' address, the original Apple Computer Inc 'headquarters' being their garage), a personally typed and signed letter from Jobs (answering technical questions about the computer), and the original invoice showing 'Steven' as the salesman. The computer was brought to Polytechnic University of Turin where it was fixed and used to run the BASIC programming language.[16][17][18]
- On June 15, 2012, a working Apple I was sold at auction by Sotheby's for a record $374,500, more than double the expected price.[19]
- In October 2012, another (very early - Serial number 22) Apple I in a Christie's auction found no bidder who was willing to pay the starting price of US$80,000 (£50,000).[20]
- On November 24, 2012, a working Apple I was sold at auction by Auction Team Breker for €400,000[21]
- This sale on November 24, 2012 at Auction Team Breker in Cologne, Germany, set a new world record price for a fully–working ′Apple 1 unit′ of US$640,000.- or €491,868.-[22]
Emulators, clones, and replicas [edit]
A software-compatible clone of the Apple I (Replica 1), produced using modern components, was released in 2003 at a price of around $200.[23][24][25] Other replicas and do-it-yourself kits and instructions are available.[26]
See also [edit]
- MESS, an emulator of old Apple-1 systems
- OpenEmulator, an accurate emulator of the Apple-1, the ACI (Apple Cassette Interface) and CFFA1 expansion card
References [edit]
- ^ "Co-founder tells his side of Apple story". Reuters. September 27, 2006.
- ^ NPR : A Chat with Computing Pioneer Steve Wozniak
- ^ Kelley: Jobs' vision changed the way we work, play
- ^ Steve Jobs: Steve Wozniak Remembers
- ^ Freiberger, Paul; Michael Swaine (2000). Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. pp. 265–267. ISBN 0-07-135892-7. "At a Homebrew meeting in July 1976, Woz gave a demonstration of the Apple 1. Paul Terrell, one of the industries earliest retailers, was in attendance."
- ^ Wozniak, Steve (2006). iWoz. W.W. Norton & Company. p. 150. ISBN 978-0-393-33043-4. "After my first meeting, I started designing the computer that would later be known as the Apple I. It was that inspiring."
- ^ "Video: Wozniak: $666.66 seemed like a good idea". CNET News. November 7, 2005. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
- ^ Wozniak, Steven: "iWoz", page 180. W. W. Norton, 2006. ISBN 978-0-393-06143-7
- ^ April 1977 Price List | Applefritter
- ^ Bill of Sale | Applefritter
- ^ October 1977 Price List | Applefritter
- ^ "The Apple II, cont.". Apple II History. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
- ^ Ong, Josh (11 November 2010). "Auction of Apple's first computer expected to top $160k". Apple Insider. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ^ "The Apple 1 Registry". Apple I Mimeo Project. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ^ Calande, John (24 March 2010). "Another very nice Apple-1 sold on ebay yesterday". Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ^ BBC News (23 November 2010). "First Apple computer fetches £130,000 at auction". BBC News. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ^ "Christie's Sale 7882 / Lot 65". Christie's. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ^ Heater, Brian. "$211,000 Apple-1 up and running, wants to know what this 'cloud' thing is all about". engadget. engadget.com. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ^ Austin, Scott (15 June 2012). "Original Apple 1 Computer Sells for $374,500 in Auction". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ^ "Rare apple 1 computer no sale at christies auction". ABC News. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ "the-saleroom.com". ATG Media. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
- ^ "www.Breker.com". AUCTION TEAM BREKER, Cologne, Germany.
- ^ replica I – the apple I(c) clone, retrieved August 15, 2009
- ^ replica I at official Briel computers web site, retrieved August 15, 2008
- ^ Gagne, Ken Image gallery: Building an Apple-1 replica from scratch, Computerworld, 2009-08-14, story with pictures for assembling a Briel replica I from a kit, retrieved August 15, 2009
- ^ Owad, Tom Apple I Replica Creation, retrieved August 15, 2009
External links [edit]
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