Apple-1 | 1976

APPLE-1

 The Apple Computer 1 (also known as the Apple-1, using Roman numerals) is an 8-bit motherboard-based personal computer designed by Steve Wozniak. Released in 1976 by Apple Computer Company (now Apple Inc.), the company was originally founded to sell the Apple I, and it later became the world's largest technology company. The idea of founding the company around the Apple I came from Wozniak's friend and Apple's co-founder, Steve Jobs. What set the Apple I apart was its inclusion of a video display terminal circuit that could connect to an inexpensive composite video monitor or television. While other computers used more expensive monitors to display more characters or typed lines, the Apple I was revolutionary in this regard. The Apple I and the Sol-20 were among the first home computers to feature this capability.

To raise funds for the development of the Apple I, Wozniak and Jobs sold some of their personal belongings to gather a few hundred dollars. In July 1976, Wozniak unveiled the first prototype at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, California, where an early computer retailer was impressed. After receiving an order for 50 units, Jobs ordered the parts on credit and delivered the first Apple products within 10 days.

The Apple I was one of the first computers to use the MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor. As an additional feature, it included a BASIC interpreter, allowing users to run BASIC at home instead of using a university’s mainframe, significantly reducing the cost of computing with BASIC.

Production of the Apple I ended on September 30, 1977, and with the introduction of the Apple II, the Apple I was discontinued. Only a few Apple I units were made, and since it was the company's first product, some are now on display in computer museums.

The development of the Apple I was a result of Wozniak's solo design of the circuit and operating system. In 1974, Wozniak was inspired by watching famous phone hacker John Draper play chess using a modem connected to ARPANET (the predecessor to the internet), and he got the idea of making an inexpensive terminal. In mid-1975, Wozniak began attending Homebrew Computer Club meetings, and after being inspired by the new microcomputer, the Altair 8800, he started working on adding a microprocessor to the video terminal circuit to create a complete computer. The available CPUs at the time were the Intel 8080 and the Motorola 6800. Although Wozniak preferred the 6800, he could not afford it. Instead, he began drawing the computer design on paper until he could afford a CPU.

In late 1975, the $25 MOS Technology 6502 was released, and Wozniak wrote a version of BASIC for it and designed a computer to run it. The 6502 was a CPU designed by engineers who had worked on the 6800, and Wozniak’s design for the 6800 was nearly identical to the 6502’s design.

On March 1, 1976, Wozniak completed the basic design of his computer. Wozniak offered the design to HP while working there, but it was rejected five times. After demonstrating the computer at a Homebrew Computer Club meeting, Jobs saw its commercial potential. Originally, Wozniak planned to distribute the design for free, but Jobs persuaded him to start a business to sell it. To raise funds to start the business, Wozniak sold his HP-65 scientific calculator, and Jobs sold his Volkswagen van.

A month later, they founded the company and introduced the finished "Apple Computer A" at the Homebrew Computer Club. At the time, computer retailer Paul Terrell of Byte Shop was impressed and ordered 50 units of the Apple I, with the condition that each computer must be fully assembled. Terrell accepted, and Jobs ordered the parts on credit from the electronic components distributor Cramer Electronics. Jobs was able to place the order with a 30-day credit term because of the "50-unit order" from Byte Shop.

The Apple I was released in July 1976 at a price of $666.66, a number chosen simply because Wozniak liked repeating numbers, and it had no connection to the "devil's number." Jobs supplied the product to the first microcomputer retailers, such as Byte Shop, Itty Bitty Machine Company, Data Domain, and Computer Mart. The first unit of the Apple I was used in a high school math class and donated to Liza Loop's public computer center. Around 200 units were produced, of which only 25 units failed to sell after 9–10 months.

In April 1977, the price of the Apple I was reduced to $475, and in June 1977, the Apple II was launched, leading to the official discontinuation of the Apple I in October 1977. At that time, Apple offered a discount to Apple I users who exchanged their units for an Apple II. Most of the returned Apple I boards were destroyed, which further increased their rarity today.

The Apple I was sold without a case, and users had to make their own custom cases. The Apple I used the MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor, based largely on Wozniak’s earlier Motorola 6800 design. It came with 4KB of memory as standard, expandable to a maximum of 64KB. An optional $75 cassette interface card allowed users to store programs on standard audio cassette tapes. Additionally, the Apple I included a BASIC interpreter, making it easy for users to write programs and enjoy simple games.

The Apple I had an integrated video output circuit, so users did not need a separate video terminal or monitor, unlike most competing devices. This allowed the Apple I to be implemented at a low cost.

Today, the Apple I is on display in computer museums, and in November 2010, an original unit, along with its documentation and packaging, was sold at a Christie's auction for £133,250 (approximately $170,000). In October 2014, the Henry Ford Museum purchased an Apple I for $905,000. In May 2015, a woman discarded an Apple I found among her late husband's belongings at an electronics recycling center, and it was later sold for $200,000. Sales records like these continue to reach high prices, and interest in the Apple I persists into the 2010s and 2020s.

The Apple I is also still used in modern times through replica models and emulators, allowing users to experience the Apple I on contemporary computers.