A fully functional Apple-1 computer—just one of 60 believed to still exist—is going up for auction next month, and you can buy it for $300,000. Only 200 Apple computers were originally produced by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs in 1976 and 1977. The paid sold about 175 of them total, and it is thought that 60 of them are still in circulation. The one going up for auction next month has been restored to working order, which is even rarer.
“This Apple-1 computer was restored to its original, operational state in June 2018 by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen, and a video of it running and functioning is available upon request,” the auction website, RR Auction, claims, according to Gizmodo. “A comprehensive, technical condition report prepared by Cohen is available to qualified bidders; he evaluates the current condition of the unit as 8.5/10. The most remarkable aspect of this Apple-1 computer is that it is documented to be fully operational: the system was operated without fault for approximately eight hours in a comprehensive test.”
No modifications have been made to the keyboard on this Apple-1 computer. The fact that it is untouched means it might have been acquired by someone who wanted a fully functional computer without having to modify it. This was pretty unheard of in the 1970s, but it is the very thing Apple became associated with in the 1980s. According to The Associated Press, the first Apple computer was sold for $666, or about $2,950 adjusted for inflation.
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