Functioning Apple-1 computer sells for $375,000 at auction
Only 15 examples of the 60 remaining original devices are in working order

One of the first Apple computers ever made has fetched $375,000 (£285,000) at auction.
The device was snapped up by an anonymous online buyer during a sale at Boston-based RR Auctions yesterday - significantly beating the estimated target price of $300,000 (£230,000).
The Apple-1 was originally conceived by company co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976 as a bare circuit board for programming enthusiasts.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But under the advice of Paul Terrell, owner of one of the world’s first computer shops, the pair decided to sell the device as a fully assembled kit in a bid to reach a wider audience.
Speaking to the BBC, Wozniak says that he and Jobs “might have made 150 Apple-1 boards”, each priced at $666.66 (£506.88).
“It’s fair to say that the Apple-I was the first personal computer, depending on how you define personal. The Apple-1 and Apple-2 took steps that had never been taken before,” Wozniak added.
Only around 60 examples of the Apple-1 are believed to be in existence today, says CNet. The company offered a discount to customers if they traded in their Apple-1 computer for a second-generation model, and many of the old devices were then destroyed.
The newly sold model is especially rare, as one of just 15 remaining Apple-1 computers that are in working order, according to RR Auction’s Bobby Livingston.
The device was restored by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohn in June, MacRumors reports.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 hilariously sparse cartoons about further DOGE cuts
Cartoons Artists take on free audits, report cards, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in China
The Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: March 30, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Space-age living: The race for robot servants
Feature Meta and Apple compete to bring humanoid robots to market
By The Week US Published
-
Apple pledges $500B in US spending over 4 years
Speed Read This is a win for Trump, who has pushed to move manufacturing back to the US
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
DOJ seeks breakup of Google, Chrome
Speed Read The Justice Department aims to force Google to sell off Chrome and make other changes to rectify its illegal search monopoly
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Google Maps gets an AI upgrade to compete with Apple
Under the Radar The Google-owned Waze, a navigation app, will be getting similar upgrades
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How will the introduction of AI change Apple's iPhone?
Today's Big Question 'Apple Intelligence' is set to be introduced on the iPhone 16 as part of iOS 18
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
FDA OKs Apple AirPods as OTC hearing aids
Speed read The approved software will turn Apple's AirPods Pro 2 headphones into over-the-counter hearing aids
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Will the Google antitrust ruling shake up the internet?
Today's Big Question And what does that mean for users?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Last updated
-
Apple unveils AI integration, ChatGPT partnership
Speed Read AI capabilities will be added to a bulked-up Siri and other apps, in partnership with OpenAI's ChatGPT
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published