Only 34 years ago, Steve Jobs sold the first Apple computer from a basement with his partner, Steve Wozniak. The 8 kilobyte computer was sold for $666.66 and it will soon be put up for auction. Experts are saying that computer could fetch over $200,000. The computer is being auctioned with all the original packaging, booklets, price info and a letter signed “Respectfully yours, Steve Jobs.”
Frank Anderson is the original owner and back in the day, in order to use the computer he would have to hook up a TV monitor and keyboard to use the motherboard. The specs would make even the geekiest-geek cringe, even for a computer from 34 years ago. The unit had 8 kilobytes of RAM, 8 kilobytes of RAM, a cassette board connector (these were pre-floppy days after all), a 6508 microprocessor, firmware in PROMS and a cassette tape labeled ‘BASIC.’
Going with, what is now a traditional Apple plan, the Apple-1 was actually replaced with the Apple-2, which was a slight upgrade to the Apple-1. The Apple-2 included the keyboard, case and space for expansion slots. A vintage computer company estimates that there could be as many as 50 Apple-1 computers still around.
Back then, the Apple-1 was a huge upgrade to other computer “kits” that needed to be assembled by the buyer. The Apple-1 was pre-assembled and that made it much more appealing to buyers in the market.
