In context: In 1976, Steve Jobs used this prototype to exhibit the Apple-1 laptop to Paul Terrell, proprietor of one of many first laptop shops on the earth. Terrell later positioned a purchase order order for 50 Apple-1s. If the prototype was in higher situation, it might have set a brand new document quantity paid for an Apple-1 laptop, which at the moment sits at $905,000.
An nameless collector within the San Francisco Bay Space simply purchased the one identified Apple-1 prototype in existence for $677,196 at an public sale. Whereas we have seen Apple-1 computer systems promote for related quantities at auctions earlier than, this one is especially distinctive as it is the prototype Apple co-founder Steve Jobs used as a demo.
The Apple-1 launched in 1976 and was Apple’s first-ever product. It got here with a MOS 6502 CPU working at 1 MHz, a whopping 4KB of RAM, and an non-compulsory cassette interface card that allowed customers to retailer packages on audio cassette tapes. It initially was priced at $666.66 (equal to about $3,460 as we speak) as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak reportedly appreciated repeating digits. Solely about 200 items of the Apple-1 have been ever produced, out of which 62 are nonetheless confirmed to exist.
The prototype has an ‘Apple Laptop A’ engraving rather than the standard “Apple Laptop 1” label and is claimed to have been hand-soldered by Wozniak. RR Public sale mentioned the Woz’s “uncommon ‘three handed’ approach—wire in a single hand, soldering iron within the different, and solder held in his mouth—is obvious within the tight ‘bubbles’ fashioned on the soldered connections.”
In response to RR Public sale, the prototype sat within the storage of Job’s childhood house (the place he and Wozniak based Apple) for a number of years earlier than he gave it to an unknown individual roughly 30 years in the past. Sadly, the appropriate facet containing the Sprague Atom capacitors broke off in some unspecified time in the future and was misplaced.
On the identical public sale, a first-generation iPhone sealed within the authentic field bought for $35,414, whereas a 1971 highschool yearbook signed by Jobs went for $28,410.
Again in June, an authentic Apple-1 that had been refurbished to full working order bought for $340,100. The merchandise is claimed to be distinctive because it’s believed to be the one mannequin in existence with Wozniak’s signature on the Motorola 6502 processor.