 Collectors of vintage tech products will soon have another chance to get their hands on an original Apple 1 from 1976. One of the first Apple computers ever created is up for auction next week at Christie's in New York, according to a report from the Associated Press. But if you're in the market for an Apple 1, you better have some deep pockets; bidding starts at $300,000 and Christie's estimates it could go for $500,000. The model includes an original, working Apple motherboard (like the one pictured at left), as well as a keyboard, monitor, and storage device that were added later. It will be part of Christie's "First Bytes: Iconic Technology from the Twentieth Century," auction, which will be conducted online only from June 24 to July 9. The Apple 1 will be displayed starting this Monday at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. "This is a piece of history that made a difference in the world, it's where the computer revolution started," current owner, Ted Perry, told the Associated Press. Perry, a retired school psychologist, acquired the Apple 1 in either 1979 or 1980 and kept the 11-by-14 green piece of plastic stashed away in a cardboard box at his home outside Sacramento, Calif. all these years. He was perhaps motivated to sell it after seeing the huge windfall others have brought in. Just last month, another working Apple 1 sold for a record $671,000 at an auction in Germany, surpassing the previous record of $640,000 set by the same auction hose in November. Before that, Sotheby's in New York sold one for $374,500. There were only 200 Apple 1 computers ever made and today there are only around 46 known units in existence, with just a half-dozen in working condition. As the story goes, Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak back in 1976 convinced Paul Terrell, the owner of electronics retail chain Byte Shop, to sell the home computer in his stores. Terrell ordered 50 Apple 1 motherboards at $500 each, provided Jobs and Wozniak delivered them fully assembled rather than as DIY kits, a huge departure from other hobbyist computers of the time. Jobs and Wozniak famously invested all their money in the Apple 1. Jobs sold his VW Westphalia campervan, while Wozniak sold his HP-65 calculator to finance the project. The duo soon moved on to designing and selling other models, but the Apple 1 represents the original seed of the Macs we all know today. Most vintage Apple products and memorabilia do not come cheap. Last year, a hand-written note from Jobs's days at Atari was sold for $27,500.  via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEn4INMWWQcz4DSbWxcNeb3W5cKZA&url=http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420809,00.asp | |||
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