I’m writing this post on a MacBook Pro, a late 2013 model with a 13-inch retina screen, 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and a 500 GB flash hard drive, among other specs. The laptop I do my work on every day wouldn’t be possible with the Apple 1, the first computer from AppleOpens in a new tab.
By today’s standards, it’s significantly less impressive, and incapable of performing even the most mundane of tasks that we do daily. An Apple 1 ad from 1976Opens in a new tab, for example, boasts a powerful machine that has a whopping 4 KB of RAM. While it may not be a viable everyday machine anymore, it’s an important piece of history, and now you can own one of your very own, as a working Apple 1 is going up for auction (via MashableOpens in a new tab).
This is a rare opportunity for a couple reasons: There are supposedly only about 60-70 Apple 1 units left out in the world, and this one is in great shape, having been fully restored by Apple 1 expert Corey Cohen to a condition that he describes as “8.5/10.” Included in the auction is the original Apple 1 board, manuals, a keyboard, a monitor, and moreOpens in a new tab.
Unless you’re sitting on a pretty penny, though, you probably won’t be able to win this auction. It’s expected to sell for somewhere between $300,000 and $400,000, and two years ago, one sold for $815,000Opens in a new tab. If you still want to see what it was like during the dawn of personal computers, though, this Apple 1 emulatorOpens in a new tab is a much less expensive way to do that.
What’s the oldest computer you’ve ever used? Let us know down in the comments below!
