First Apple Computer (1976)
The Apple I, also known as the Apple-1, was an early personal computer. They were configured, and hand-built by Steve Wozniak. Wozniak's friend Steve Jobs came up with the idea of selling the computers. The Apple I was Apple's first product, presented in April 1976 at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, California. It was released for sale in July 1976 at a price of $666.66, because Wozniak liked recurring digits and because they originally sold it to a local store for $500 and added a one-third markup. Roughly 200 units were produced. Contrary to other hobbyist computers of its day, which were distributed as kits, the Apple I was a fully built circuit board incorporating about 30 chips. Even so, to make a functioning computer, users still had to add a case, power supply, keyboard, and display. An optional board providing a cassette interface for storage was later available at a cost of $75.
The Apple I is sometimes given credit as being the first personal computer to be sold in fully assembled form; yet, some contend that the honor truly belongs to different machines, such as the MOS Technology KIM-1, Datapoint 2200, or more typically the Altair 8800 (which could be purchased in kit or assembled form at additional cost). One leading difference sets the Apple I apart — it was the first personal computer to utilize a keyboard.
The Apple 1 was an clever intention that was very unequalled for the day. Supported by the MOS Technology 6502, it was likely the first hobby computer to ever be designed by a real electronics engineer. The Apple 1 used dynamic RAM, a much more efficient memory than static RAM, but very difficult to use. Dynamic RAM demanded "refreshing" every 2 ms. This was a weighty burden for an early microprocessor, calling for specific timing and controllers to stop or pause the processor long enough to accomplished a refresh cycle 500 times a second.
The Apple I's built-in computer terminal circuitry was distinctive. All one required was a keyboard and an affordable video monitor. Competing machines like the Altair 8800 typically were programmed with front-mounted toggle switches and employed indicator lights for output, and had to be expanded with separate hardware to permit connection to a computer terminal or a teletype machine. This made the Apple I an innovative machine for its day. In April 1977 the price was lowered to $475. It continued to be distributed through August 1977, despite the entry of the Apple II in April 1977, which began shipping in June of that year. Apple officially discontinued the Apple I by October 1977.
As of 2008, an estimated 30 to 50 Apple I's are still known to exist, making them very rare collector's items. An Apple I reportedly sold for $50,000 at auction in 1999; A software-compatible clone of the Apple I (Replica 1) created using modern components, was released in 2003 at a price of around $200.
Our site specializes in comparing broadband Internet Providers, but we also have a detailed history of both computers and the Internet.