Steve Jobs’ personal Apple-1 computer goes up for auction
Only an estimated 200 Apple-1 computers were ever made, including this one owned by Steve Jobs. (photo: Christie’s)
A piece of tech history is hitting the auction block. Designed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976, the Apple-1 is a rare and valuable artifact. Only 200 were ever produced, and the locations of only fewer than half are known.
One of these coveted Apple-1 computers, complete with its original motherboard, is set to be auctioned off in New York City on September 10th. This particular device has a unique significance: it sat on Steve Jobs’ desk during the early days of Apple.
If you’re a collector with deep pockets, this could be your chance to own a piece of computing history. The auction is expected to start at $500,000, but the final price could be significantly higher given the rarity and historical importance of the Apple-1.
Andrew Paul for Popular Science:
While generating $385.6 billion in annual revenue today, Apple’s initial success was far from certain. As New Atlas explains, the Apple-1 project even required Jobs to sell his Volkswagen Kombi and Wozniak to part ways with his HP calculator. The gamble paid off, however, after the duo’s first order for 50 Apple-1 computers handbuilt in their garage sold at $666.66 apiece. Even then, however, buyers weren’t getting a fully assembled device. Christie’s auction listing explains that although the Apple-1 was sold “without casing, power supply, keyboard or monitor… the pre-assembled motherboard put Apple far ahead of its competitors.”
Despite its groundbreaking aspects, Jobs and Wozniak only built around 200 Apple-1 models before soon moving on to design the Apple-II. Nevertheless, Jobs kept one in his office for years as a keepsake that eventually found its way into the Paul G. Allen Collection at the Living Computer Museum + Labs.
While most museums managed to reopen after the end of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, the Living Computer Museum + Labs wasn’t so lucky. Shuttered in 2020 due to quarantine restrictions, the Seattle institution couldn’t weather the financial burden, leaving hundreds of pieces of tech history archived away from public eyes. Since then, many items are either reshuffling to other museums or going up for auction, including Jobs’ Apple-1.
MacDailyNews Note: Those interested in bidding can do so via Christie’s here.
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