Rare fully-functional Apple-1 Computer is expected to fetch over $300,000 when it goes up for auction in Boston next week alongside a Macintosh PowerBook signed by Steve Jobs and a ‘Think different’ watch
- The Apple-1 machine was the first product sold by the Apple Computer company
- Once a museum piece, the unit being sold has been restored to full function
- It is being sold with an original Apple-1 Cassette Interface, also from 1979
- Also being sold is the lifetime collection of Apple product designer Jerry Manock
A rare fully-functional Apple-1 Computer is expected to fetch over $300,000 when it goes under the hammer at an auction in Boston next week.
The Apple-1 was the first product to be developed under the Apple name by company co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and launched in 1976.
Alongside the pioneering product, the auction will also see the sale of the lifetime collection of Apple product design engineer Jerry Manock.
The collection features a Macintosh PowerBook signed by Steve Jobs, a neon Apple logo and a ‘think different’ watch from the brand’s famous ad campaign.
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A rare fully-functional Apple-1 Computer, pictured, is expected to fetch over $300,000 when it goes under the hammer at an auction in Boston next week.
The Apple-1 was the first product to be developed under the Apple name by company co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and launched in 1976
‘The Apple-1 is not only a marvel of early computing ingenuity, but the product that launched what is today one of the most valuable and successful companies in the world,’ said RR Auction Executive VP Bobby Livingston.
A far cry from Apple’s modern out-of the box offerings, the Apple-1 was originally conceived as a kit to be sold to electronics hobbyists and the members of the so-called Palo Alto Homebrew Computer Club.
However, the machine became one of the first computers not to need soldering by the end user when Paul Terrell — owner of early personal computer store ‘The Byte Shop’ in Mountain View, California — agreed to buy 50 fully assembled units for sale.
In total, around 200 Apple-1 machines were produced, of which Messrs Jobs and Wozniak sold a total of 175.
This particular machine was acquired by western Michigan computer store SoftWarehouse in the 1980s, as part of trade for a newer IBM machine, and later displayed in store in a custom display case before eventually ending up in storage.
The unit was restored last year by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen and exhibited at the 2019 Vintage Computer Festival West in California.
The machine is fully functional and can be operated for eight hours without fault.
The lot is being sold along with an original 1976 Apple-1 Cassette Interface, which allowed the computer to save data onto a standard audio tape and load such back into memory at a later point.
The interface was revolutionary in its time, relying on only six integrated circuits rather than the customary 50–100 and yet running around four times faster.
A far cry from Apple’s modern out-of the box offerings, the Apple-1 was originally conceived as a kit to be sold to electronics hobbyists and the members of the so-called Palo Alto Homebrew Computer Club. However, the machine became one of the first computers not to need soldering by the end user when Paul Terrell — owner of early personal computer store ‘The Byte Shop’ in Mountain View, California — agreed to buy 50 fully assembled units for sale
This particular machine was acquired by western Michigan computer store SoftWarehouse in the 1980s, as part of trade for a newer IBM machine, and later displayed in store in a custom display case before eventually ending up in storage. The unit was restored last year by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen and exhibited at the 2019 Vintage Computer Festival West in California. The machine is fully functional and can be operated for eight hours without fault
The Apple-1 would pave the way for the development of the more advanced Apple II in early 1977, which came in a plastic housing with an integrated keyboard.
Sale of the Apple II and its accessories and software saw Apple Computer’s annual revenue rise from $774,000 to $118 million within just three years.
The so-called ‘Steve Job’s auction will take place from March 5–12.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AUCTION OF THE LIFETIME COLLECTION OF JERRY MANOCK
Pictured, Jerry Manock (left)
Alongside the pioneering product, the auction will also see the sale of the lifetime collection of Apple product design engineer Jerry Manock.
Mr Manock was responsible for the product designs of the Apple II, Apple III, Apple Lisa and the first Macintosh computers — along with the Disk II and Disk III floppy disk subsystems.
Lot 6006: Macintosh PowerBook signed by Steve Jobs
Lot 6005: Apple logo neon sign, from 1989
Lot 6009: Apple bonus memo, signed by Steve Jobs
Lot 6007: Apple ‘Think different’ watch
Lot 6013: Apple Macintosh 128K computer with an ‘In Appreciation: Jerry Manock’ plaque on the rear
Lot 6008: Original bondi blue iMac vinyl banner
