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London: Its processor runs 1,000 times slower than Apple’s iPad, but Apple’s very first computer sold for 425 times more.
The Apple I, one of 200 such models ever made, was sold Tuesday afternoon at Christie’s auction house in central London for £ 133,250 (around $ 210,000).
It came with its original packaging and a signed sales letter from Steve Jobs, one of the co-founders of Apple Computer and the current CEO of Apple Inc.
When the Apple I was introduced in 1976, it was the only personal computer to come with a fully assembled motherboard, making it ready to use right out of the box – provided the user provide a keyboard, power and display, Christie’s said.
It sold for $ 666.66 and was available until its discontinuation in 1977.
Bidding on Apple I came quickly, the computer eventually having gone to Italian businessman and private collector Marco Boglione, who made his bid over the phone.
Marco’s brother, Francesco Boglione, who attended the auction in person, told The Associated Press that Marco’s purchase is a testament to his love of computers.
“The first time I heard of the idea for a personal computer was from Marco,” Boglione said. He bought it “because he loves computers”.
Apple Computer co-founder Steve Wozniak was in attendance at the tech auction, which also featured science-themed manuscripts, prints and texts, which agreed to add a dedicated letter to the lot.
He said the auction was a historic moment for his work, especially when it was sold alongside other tech greats like Enigma, the German code-making machine, and the writings of British mathematician Alan Turing, considered one of the founders of modern computing.
“Today my heart was exhausted when I got to see things auctioned off like the Turing documents and the Enigma machine – and the Apple I,” Wozniak told reporters after the auction. “It was really a milestone, (although) I didn’t feel like that when I designed it.”
“I am very happy for the gentleman who bought it,” he added.
Boglione said the Apple I recently bought by his brother will likely be given a working order – and eventually join a collection of Apple computers.
Inside the auction house on Tuesday afternoon, many customers studied the auction catalog using Apple’s iPads and iPhones – a sign of the times, said Julian Wilson of Christie’s.
“It’s a fitting illustration of how computers have revolutionized the world,” he said.
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