Rare Apple-1 computer up for auction

A fully functioning Apple-1 computer, personally sold by Steve Jobs for $600 from his parents’ garage in 1976, is expected to earn at least $600,000 when it goes under the hammer in New York on December 11
--------------------------------------
RICKETTS APPLE-1 PERSONAL COMPUTER (named after original owner, Charles Ricketts)

What you get: One of only 200 Apple-1s hand - built by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Supplied as single motherboard – owner had to add power supply transformer, keyboard, monitor, tape deck and case

Keyboard: One of first computers to have keyboard interface

Auction estimate: $400,000-$600,000

Tape deck: Stores software

Monitor: Regular TV

Manual
---------------------------
APPLE-1 MOTHERBOARD

Original payment cheques: Marked as “Purchased July 1976 from Steve Jobs in his parents’ garage in Los Altos”

6502 microprocessor: Pronounced “sixty-five-oh-two”. 85% cheaper than rival chips, it led to home computer revolution of 1980s

Memory: 8K RAM, unheard of in 1976. Expandable to 65K

Rarity: Only 175 units sold. Owners are later offered trade-ins for Apple IIs and returned Apple-1s are destroyed. Only 61 still exist, just six in working condition
----------------------------
THEN

Apple-1 (Apr 11, 1976)

Memory: 8K-65K RAM

Price: $666.66 ($2,800, adjusted to 2014)

NOW

Latest iMac (Oct 16, 2014)

Memory: 8GB-32GB RAM (1,000,000 times bigger)

Price: $1,099-$4,399
-------------------------------
Source: Wire agencies

Pictures: Christie’s, Associated Press, Apple

words 238