PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Working Apple-1 Sells for $375,000 at Auction

Offered up by Boston-based auction firm RR Auction, the working Apple-1 sold on Tuesday for $375,000. The winning bidder will receive an original, unmodified Apple-1 board marked 'Apple Computer 1, Palo Alto, Ca. Copyright 1976' plus other goodies.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

One lucky bidder with deep pockets has scored a rare piece of tech history: one of the first computers Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak ever made and sold.

Offered up by Boston-based auction firm RR Auction, the working Apple-1 sold on Tuesday for $375,000. The winning bidder will receive an original, unmodified Apple-1 board marked "Apple Computer 1, Palo Alto, Ca. Copyright 1976." The set also includes a "pristine" Wozniak-deigned Apple Cassette Interface (used to store and retrieve information) as well as an original Apple-1 operation manual and two original Cassette Interface manuals plus a period surplus ASCII keyboard and Sanyo 4205 video monitor.

According to RR Auction, the consignor purchased the Apple-1 secondhand from a co-worker for $300 and used it to learn BASIC programming. He held on to the computer for all these years, realizing it might one day be worth something.

This past June, Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen restored the unit to its original, working state. He evaluated its current condition as 8.5 out of 10.

Jobs and Wozniak only ever produced about 200 Apple-1 computers. They were sold at The Byte Shop in Mountain View, Calif., one of the world's first PC retailers, for $666.66. As the story goes, in 1976, Jobs and Wozniak convinced The Byte Shop owner Paul Terrell to carry the home computer. Terrell ordered 50 Apple-1 motherboards at $500 each, provided Jobs and Wozniak delivered them fully assembled rather than as DIY kits, a huge departure from other hobbyist computers of the time.

Jobs and Wozniak famously invested all their money in the Apple-1. Jobs sold his VW Westphalia campervan, while Wozniak sold his HP-65 calculator to finance the project. The duo soon moved on to designing and selling other models, but the Apple-1 represents the original seed of the Macs we all know today.

These days, $375,000 is somewhat of a bargain for a working Apple-1. In 2014, a working Apple-1 sold for a record $905,000 at auction in New York.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

Read full bio