The Apple Computer 1 was the first computer produced by Apple in 1976. Next month, we will find out how much it is worth.
This computer is the reason the Apple company exists at all - and if this was the only factor in play, the Apple 1 going to auction would already be a legendary item with a guaranteed place in history.
It was famously hand-built in a garage, in small numbers - only 200 were made, of which only 70 original motherboards can now be accounted for, before it was quickly superseded by the Apple II. And, from there the company marched forward on its path to massive global success.
No doubt there were many people who were motivated to excavate their storerooms, attics and basements when Christie’s sold an Apple-1 for $190,867 in 2010. Since then, a few more have come on the market, with the current record being set in October 2014 when Bonhams sold an Apple-1 for $905,000.
Steve Jobs' vision turned devices into experiences, and computers into desirable luxury lifestyle items, and it set Apple on course to become the world's most valuable company. It holds that title today, some 13 years after Jobs' death, despite the company having seemingly shifted from a state of constant revolution to measured evolution in his absence.
If you spend any time around startup founders, entrepreneurs and innovation fiends, you'll know Jobs is held in almost mythical regard. It's his 'magic dust' that is expected to propel this latest Apple-1, being sold at Christie's New York on 12 September 2024, past the one million dollar mark when the gavel comes down.