Rare original 'Apple-1' computer sold by Steve Jobs from his parents' garage sells at auction for £133,000
A Christie's employee holds the Apple 1 at the auction. The computer was simply a motherboard that did not come with a monitor or a keyboard
They came with a tiny 8K memory - 524,000 times less than is standard with today's Apple computers. It would not have the capacity to store one song.
Bidding on the Apple-1 at Christie's in London came quickly, with the computer eventually going to Italian businessman and private collector Marco Boglione, who made his offer over the phone.
Marco's brother Francesco Boglione, who attended the auction in person, said that Marco's purchase was a testament to his love of computers.
Piece of history: The lot, which reached £130,000 ($210,000) at Christie's, comprises components from the Apple-1 machine, original manual and a letter from Steve Jobs. They were the first fully pre-assembled computer to be produced, but did not come with a monitor or keyboard
Where it all began: The Apple-1 went on sale in July 1976 at a price of $666.66. About 200 units were produced in total. The one above has been customised with an after-market wooden enclosure with carved name, and keyboard
Boglione said his brother's newly purchased Apple-1 would likely be returned to working condition - and eventually join a collection of Apple computers.
Inside the auction house on Tuesday afternoon, many patrons studied the sale catalogue using Apple's iPads and iPhones - a sign of the times, said Christie's Julian Wilson.
'It is a fitting illustration of how computers have revolutionised the world,' he said.
The sale of the original Apple proves the growing interest in early computer technology and highlights how quickly home computing has advanced in the last 30 years.
Incredibly it comes with the original packaging, instruction manuals and a signed letter by billionaire Jobs, who is still head of the company.
The Apple-1s were the first fully pre-assembled computer to be produced, but even so did not come with a monitor or keyboard.
Museums and a new breed of collector are desperate to get their hands on these early examples.
Early geeks would have had to part with $666.66 (£410) to buy one of the first Apples.
Wozniak liked repeating digits - and it was sold to a local shop for $500 plus a one-third mark-up.
Co-founders: Steve Jobs, left, and Steve Wozniak, right, with the Apple-1 computer in 1976
CRUNCH TIME: APPLE-1
Released: July 1976 (discontinued September 1977).
Price: $666.66
Memory: 4K RAM (expandable to 8KB or 48KB using expansion cards).
How many? About 200 total.
CPU: MOS 6502, 1.0 MHz.
Display: Monochrome 280 X 192, 40 X 24 text.
Keyboard: Not included.
Ports: Composite video output keyboard interface, one vertical expansion slot.
Storage: Cassette interface available.
Song storage capacity: Zero
But few realised what a good investment it would be.
Julian Wilson, from Christie's, said: 'Before the Apple-1 you would have to put together your own motherboard and would need soldering skills.
'This is the forerunner of the iPod, iPad and iPhone. It worked straight out of the box, which was the original concept.
'Apple's lineage can be traced back to this model and as far as we know there were about 200 made and perhaps a quarter survive.
'Not only does this come with the packaging and manuals but also a letter from Steve Jobs.
'He appears to be answering questions from the customer about what monitors and keyboards are best to use.
'The computer technically allowed you to programme and it was like a high-performance calculator.
'This one comes with an extra cassette interface, which meant you had a read-write capability.
'At the time it famously cost $666.66, and the cassette interface was an extra $75.
'Steve Jobs sold these from his parents' garage and there is a growing appreciation of the history of computing - and this is where home computers started.
'And finding one in this condition is unheard of.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1332554/Rare-original-Apple-1-sold-Steve-Jobs-sells-auction-210k.html#ixzz1aq6V4UDm
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