It might be a little less high-spec'd than an iPad or iPhone but that did not stop Apple's first computer selling for £133,250 at auction in London today.
The sale price of the Apple I, with a processor thousands of times slower than an iPad, proved the power of the company's brand even in relation to products more than 30 years old.
The computer, one of only 200 such models ever made, was sold at Christie's together with its original packaging and a signed letter from Steve Jobs, current CEO of Apple Inc and one of Apple Computer's co-founders.
When the Apple I was launched in 1976, it was the only personal computer to come with a fully assembled motherboard, making it ready to use straight from the box provided the user supplied a case, keyboard, power supply and display. The computer, which was discontinued the following year, sold for $666.66 at the time ($2594 at today's price), allegedly because co-founder Steve Wozniak liked repeating digits.
The auctioned Apple I eventually went to Italian businessman and private collector Marco Boglione, who made his offer over the phone. His brother Francesco Boglione, who attended the auction in person, told Associated Press that Marco's purchase was a testament to his love of computers.
Steve Wozniak, who agreed to add an autographed letter to the lot, was present at the auction. He described the event as a historic moment for his work, given that it was up for sale alongside technological greats such as an Enigma, the German code-making machine, and also writings of British mathematician Alan Turing, considered one of the founders of modern computing. However, the Turing papers failed to find a buyer.
Boglione said his brother's newly purchased Apple I would likely be returned to working condition and eventually join a collection of Apple computers. Many of the patrons had studied the sale catalogue using mobile technology such as Apple's iPads and iPhones. "It is a fitting illustration of how computers have revolutionised the world," said Christie's Julian Wilson.
