An Apple-1 Auctioned for $375,000 Just Revealed New Facts About the Origins of the Company

On Tuesday, Apple celebrated its 49th birthday. Looking back, the company’s first computer was quite unconventional. It was a wooden device without a case, which prompted many customers to create their own by carving them out. Despite this, Apple managed to close a few deals quickly and sold 50 prototypes.

Fancy owning one of those early models? In 2010, one sold in London for about $210,000, while co-founder Steve Jobs’ original unit almost reached $1 million. More recently, an Apple-1 was auctioned for $375,000. However, the most fascinating part of it all is a handwritten note from Apple employee Daniel Kottke included in the lot. Kottke was also Jobs’ childhood friend.

Restored in 2019 by expert Corey Cohen, this particular unit was rated 8 out of 10 for its condition and originality. The labeling on the integrated circuits surely stands out, but the inclusion of vintage materials, such as the power supply and a vintage Sanyo monitor, is especially remarkable. The original manual is hand-scrawled with numerous notes, including Jobs’ phone extension. Among them is also Kottke’s handwritten note, which significantly increased the lot’s value.

An Apple-1 With a Hidden History

The original included in the auctioned lot.

The note, dating back to 1978, says: “Mike, it just occurred to me that you can’t possibly run Applesoft until you put more RAM on your board. You only have 8K, and Applesoft only is 10K, so it looks like you still have to wait for me to get that that schematic together for the 16K RAM modification (for Apple-I). I’ll try to get to it in the next week or two.” These modifications were never implemented, and the system is designed to run Apple BASIC on an 8K memory system.

The note raises two important questions. First, who is “Mike”? There was no Mike on the core team. Even Wendell Sander, one engineer instrumental in refining Apple’s early products, doesn’t recognize anyone by that name. A prime candidate is Mike Markkula. Markkula, a retired Intel salesman, helped boost Apple in its early days with a $250,000 investment. His background in electrical engineering might suggest he was experimenting with an Apple-1.

This implies that even Apple’s top executives were involved in the technical aspects of its products, adding a new layer to the story of those early days. However, none of this holds significance if you overlook a crucial detail: the missing RAM. Why is it absent? It’s not due to space constraints but rather a consideration of energy efficiency.

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The Battle Against Steve Jobs

Jobs appreciated aesthetics, which often led his team to make sacrifices in pursuit of beauty. In the early days, every prototype was unique, and they all shared a common goal: being visually appealing. The second iteration of Apple computers included the Apple II Plus, the more affordable Apple IIe, and the Apple IIc, the company’s first notebook. Other models were the Enhanced Apple IIe and the Apple IIGS, which featured an advanced graphical interface. The Apple IIc Plus was one of the last in the series.

Markkula considers the Apple II his masterpiece, describing it as a “brilliant piece of engineering.” His personal investment made the first Apple Computer possible. He also played a key role in convincing Michael Scott, Apple’s second CEO, to invest in the Macintosh project.

For the Macintosh project, Apple used a complete case. However, Jobs insisted on ensuring that the interior was just as attractive as the exterior. He said, “Look at the memory chips. That’s ugly. The lines are too close together.” Engineer George Crow responded, “Who cares what the PC board looks like? The only thing that’s important is how well that it works. Nobody is going to see the PC board.” Then, Jobs replied, “I’m gonna see it! I want it to be as beautiful as possible, even if it’s inside the box.”

Engineer Burrell Smith, who had been working on Apple II prototypes for a couple of years, pointed out, “Well, that was a difficult part to layout because of the memory bus. If we change it, it might not work as well electrically.” Jobs remained unsatisfied and insisted, “Let’s do another layout to make the board prettier, but if it doesn’t work as well, we’ll change it back.”

After spending $5,000 on redesigning the boards, it became clear that the new design didn’t function properly, prompting a return to the original layout. This is why the auctioned Apple-1 is so special. It includes a series of Jobs’ previously undocumented handwritten notes that reveal how Apple’s approach to design developed over the past 49 years. The company has almost always prioritized simplicity and aesthetics. While some may label this as obsessive, it stands out as one of the defining characteristics of Apple’s history.

Images | RR Auction

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