Would You Pay $500,000 for This Computer?

This computer might not look like anything special. It has an old-fashioned keyboard inside a wooden case and a small black-and-white monitor. But last November, someone paid $500,000 for it! That’s because this simple device is a piece of history. It’s an Apple I, the first computer made by the founders of Apple, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. They made about 200 of that model in 1976 and 1977. 

At the time, most computers were about the size of refrigerators and mainly used by businesses and government agencies. Wozniak and Jobs wanted to make a smaller unit that people could use at home.

Wozniak came up with the design, and Jobs had the idea to sell the computer as a kit that users could put together themselves. The Apple I went on sale in July 1976 for $666. It didn’t include a keyboard, a screen, or even a case. (The wooden case was added to the computer that sold last year by the store that bought it in 1976.)

Wozniak and Jobs improved their design and released the Apple II the following year. It would become one of the first popular home computers. Today, Apple is among the world’s biggest companies, famous for its laptops and iPhones.

Why would someone spend so much to own an Apple I now? The unit that sold in November is one of the few that still works. And many people consider the Apple I to be a groundbreaking machine that represents the beginning of the home computer craze. A spokesperson for John Moran Auctioneers, the company that sold the computer, called it a “fascinating piece of technological history.”