First Apple Computer, Apple-1, Could Nab $240,000

First Apple Computer: The motherboard of an Apple-1 is up for bid at Christie´s.
First Apple Computer, Apple-1, Could Nab $240,000
11/15/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/mac_98403737.jpg" alt="An illuminated Apple logo. The motherboard of a first generation Apple personal computer, named the Apple-1, is up for bid, along with some additions at Christie´s, the famous auction house.(Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images)" title="An illuminated Apple logo. The motherboard of a first generation Apple personal computer, named the Apple-1, is up for bid, along with some additions at Christie´s, the famous auction house.(Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1803132"/></a>
An illuminated Apple logo. The motherboard of a first generation Apple personal computer, named the Apple-1, is up for bid, along with some additions at Christie´s, the famous auction house.(Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images)
The first Apple computer was a breakthrough. Previous personal computers were do-it-yourself kits. The motherboard of a first generation Apple personal computer, named the Apple-1, is up for bid, along with some additions at Christie´s, the famous auction house.

Along with the board, the auction includes the original manual and invoice, dated July 26, 1976. It was signed by a salesman called Steven, the co-founder of Apple, Steven Jobs. The return address on the invoice was Job´s parents´ house.

Apple-1 was an innovative model for computers. Back in the 1970s, Steven Wozniak, another co-founder of the company, was an enthusiastic member of The Homebrew Computer Club. Despite being shy, Wozniak could communicate sometimes “by doing good designs,” he said in a 2006 interview with National Public Radio.

He invented the Apple-1, the first fully assembled personal computer with a keyboard, which later brought a revolution of personal computers.

“Every computer before the Apple-1 had that faceplate panel that looks like a piece of switching equipment that scares you out of the network rooms these days. Every computer since the Apple-1 has had a keyboard as its, you know, its look,” said Wozniak to NPR.

Later he met Jobs, who thought the model could potentially hit the commercial market.

“He had more of the future vision: We can bring this to everyone; we can start a company; we can sell it,” NPR reported Wozniak said about Jobs.

Christie’s predicted the highest bid for the historic item would be between $160,300 - $240,450. The auction will take place on Nov. 23. The catalog description stated the computer is “A SUPERB EXAMPLE with the original packaging, manuals, cassette interface and basic tape, early documentation and provenance, and a COMMERCIALLY RARE LETTER FROM STEVE JOBS.”

The asking price for the 1976 Apple-1 was $666.66, according to the catalog.