Apple-1 Computer Fetches $400,000 At US Auction (cnn.com) 20
The Apple-1, one of Apple's first computers, fetched $400,000 at auction in the U.S. earlier this week. Slashdot reader schwit1 first shared the news with us. The BBC reports: The rare Hawaiian koa wood-cased Apple-1 -- still functioning -- is one of only 200 made and sold in kit form. The computer has only had two owners, a college professor and his student to whom he sold the machine for $650, said John Moran Auctioneers in California. The sale included user manuals and Apple software on two cassette tapes.
The koa wood case of the auctioned model was added by a pioneering early computer retailer, ByteShop, in California, which took delivery of around 50 of the Apple-1 machines. In 1976, the machines were sold for $666.66, reportedly because Wozniak liked repeating numbers. It is believed there are around 20 such computers in the world still capable of functioning. The auctioned machine is not the highest-grossing Apple-1 computer -- that distinction belongs to a working version that sold for $905,000 at a Bonhams auction in New York in 2014.
The koa wood case of the auctioned model was added by a pioneering early computer retailer, ByteShop, in California, which took delivery of around 50 of the Apple-1 machines. In 1976, the machines were sold for $666.66, reportedly because Wozniak liked repeating numbers. It is believed there are around 20 such computers in the world still capable of functioning. The auctioned machine is not the highest-grossing Apple-1 computer -- that distinction belongs to a working version that sold for $905,000 at a Bonhams auction in New York in 2014.
I found two of these (Score:2)
Amiga (Score:2)
I wonder if anyone has ever paid $400K for an Amiga, if any variety.
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I was also an Amiga fan, had a 3000 with BridgeBoard, the works. But I kind of lost interest decades ago and no longer find it all that interesting. Probably because my limited space is used up with C= 8 bit stuff like a Plus/4 and a 128D.
I wonder where this thing is these days
https://bigbookofamigahardware... [bigbookofa...rdware.com]
AFAIK there's only one.
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Probably still wouldn't be worth so much simply because it came later, but yeah that's a humdinger too.
I had a 500, 2000, 2500, 3000, and 1200
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The rarity of machines depends both on how many were made and how durable they are. The Apple 1 is simple enough to have lasted all this time, at worst only needing some basic repairs like fixing bad solder joints or replacing dried out capacitors.
As for Amigas, it depends on the model. The A500+, my first machine, had an internal battery for the real-time clock, and at this stage most of those that have not been replaced have already leaked and destroyed enough of the motherboard to put it beyond repair.
Ac
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C65 (Score:2)
Commodore built a handful of C65 prototypes that fetch a good amount of money when they turn up on eBay. Not six figures, but usually several thousand dollars.
$400,000? Pfff... (Score:4, Funny)
They should take a low-res photo of it and auction off an NFT of the file for $400 thousand kajillion dollars - and keep the Apple 1 as a bonus.
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Put the Apple-1 on a digitally controlled turntable, take 360 photos and sell each of them as NFT.
My phone costs less and is way faster (Score:1)
These peopel are idiots.
Originally sold for $666.66 ?! (Score:2, Insightful)
This finally proves my hypothesis about (Apple / Woz / fill in the blank) being satanic. Suck it, fanbois, you have been worshipping the devil!11one!
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So is Microsoft, they just don't flaunt it.
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Update on $200k recycling woman? (Score:1)