Skip to main content

Apple’s original computer expected to fetch more than $300K at auction

If buying a modern Mac doesn’t quite appeal to you, you could also try bidding on a piece of Apple history with the Apple-1. A fully functional Apple-1 will be up for auction in September by Boston-based RR Auction.

Expected to fetch more than $300,000, the RR Auction Apple-1 is described to be a later production model in 8.5/10 condition, and the PC will be sold as a set that includes the original Apple-1 board, the original Apple Cassette Interface (ACI), the original operational manual, two original Apple Cassette Interface manuals, a period surplus ASCII keyboard, a period “open frame” Sanyo 4205 video monitor, a new period-style power supply with original Apple-1 power cable connector, and period cassette interface cables. RR Auction’s model was expertly restored by Corey Cohen and the system was comprehensively tested for eight hours without any issues.

Recommended Videos

Also known as the Apple Computer 1, the Apple-1 is a desktop that was designed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. It was originally launched in 1976 as a bare-board designed for users to build their own PCs. To finance the production of the Apple-1, late Apple CEO Steve Jobs sold his VW Microbus and Wozniak sold his HP-65 calculator. The very first Apple-1 unit sold for $666.66, and Apple sold just 175 units.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Today, Apple has a market cap of more than $1 trillion, showing how far the company has grown. In addition to computers, Apple counts the iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and the now-retired iPod, among its successes in the hardware space.

As a collector’s piece for PC enthusiasts, pricing varied widely for the Apple-1 at auction. At the low end, in 1999, the PC fetched just $50,000 at auction, according to Wikipedia, while a rare prototype sold for $815,0000 in a 2016 auction at the high end. Apple stopped production of the Apple-1 in 1977 when it launched the Apple II. To convince early adopters to upgrade, Apple offered trade-in discounts. When customers brought their Apple-1 units to trade in, Apple destroyed the boards, making the existence of functioning Apple-1 units very rare today, which explains why the expected auction price is so high. It’s estimated that only 60 units are left today.

Because the Apple-1 was created for enthusiasts, the RR Auction unit is notable in that it was not altered or modified in any way.

If the Apple-1’s price is too rich for your blood, you can also check out our Mac guide for a more modern PC experience.

Chuong Nguyen
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
M4 Ultra: Everything we know about Apple’s mysterious Hidra chip
An official rendering of the Apple M4 chip.

Apple’s Mac engineers have been on a tear in recent years, with high-performance chips appearing at every turn. That’s led to a lot of fevered speculation about what Apple is planning next, with rumors running wild about a secretive chip codenamed “Hidra” that’s reportedly in the works.

If you’ve been wondering what to expect from the Hidra chip and want to make sense of all the rumors, you’re in the right place. We’ve combed the internet for all the latest ideas and collated them here, so you can find out everything you need to know about Apple’s upcoming superpowered chip. Read on to get in the know.
Which Macs will get the Hidra chip?

Read more
Sony’s flip-up XR headset costs even more than an Apple Vision Pro
Sony's SRH-S1 held in a hand at CES 2025.

Sony is one of the biggest names in VR gaming with the popular PlayStation VR2. Now it’s launching a high-end XR headset with specifications that rival the Apple Vision Pro. To be clear, this isn’t the Sony XYN headset powered by Google's new Android XR, and it won’t connect to a PlayStation 5. It’s aimed at enterprise customers that design products, and it costs even more than the ultra-premium Vision Pro.

Priced at $4,750, the Sony SRH-S1 is a powerful system with integrated hardware and software, a flip-up visor, and unique controllers optimized for manipulating virtual 3D objects. Being able to lift the visor for face-to-face conversations is convenient. The halo strap design also removes all facial pressure. A ring on one finger lets you grasp items, and a 3D stylus that looks like something from a sci-fi movie allows precise adjustments.

Read more
Apple’s plans for a Siri evolution keep getting pushed into the future
Summoning Siri on an iPhone.

The biggest takeaway from Apple’s splashy WWDC event earlier this year was the next evolution of Siri in the age of AI. Unfortunately, many of those promising upgrades are yet to arrive for the masses, and whatever’s already available isn’t really groundbreaking.

The road ahead doesn’t look too gloomy, even though salvation still seems far away.

Read more