Steve Wozniak: How I Invented the Personal Computer

Christoph Dernbach — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:15:29 +0000

Steve Wozniak remembers building the first Apple Computer at Authors Business Series Luncheon talking about his book “iWoz: How I Invented the Personal Computer and Had Fun Along the Way”:

Apple I

Christoph Dernbach — Sun, 25 May 2008 17:19:56 +0000

Apple I at the Smithsonian Museum

Apple I

CPU

CPU: MOS Technology 6502

CPU Speed: 1 MHz

FPU: none

Bus Speed: 1 MHz

Data Path: 8 bit

Onboard RAM: 8 kB

Maximum RAM: 32 kB

Video

VRAM: 1 kB

Max Resolution: 60.05 Hz, 40×24 char

Miscellaneous

Codename: ?

Power: 58 Watts

Introduced: April 1976

Terminated: 1977

Apple I

The Apple I, also known as the Apple-1, was an early personal computer. They were designed and hand-built by Steve Wozniak. Wozniak’s friend Steve Jobs had the idea of selling the computer. The Apple I was Apple’s first product, demonstrated in April 1976 at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, California. It went on sale in July 1976 at a price of $666.66, because Wozniak liked repeating digits and because they originally sold it to a local shop for $500 and added a one-third markup. About 200 units were produced. Unlike other hobbyist computers of its day, which were sold as kits, the Apple I was a fully assembled circuit board containing about 30 chips. However, to make a working computer, users still had to add a case, power supply, keyboard, and display. An optional board providing a cassette interface for storage was later released at a cost of $75.

The Apple I is sometimes credited as the first personal computer to be sold in fully assembled form; however, some argue that the honor rightfully belongs to other machines, such as the MOS Technology KIM-1, Datapoint 2200, or more commonly the Altair 8800 (which could be bought in kit or assembled form at extra cost). One major difference sets the Apple I apart — it was the first personal computer to use a keyboard.

The Apple I’s built-in computer terminal circuitry was distinctive. All one needed was a keyboard and an inexpensive video monitor. Competing machines such as the Altair 8800 generally were programmed with front-mounted toggle switches and used indicator lights (red LEDs, most commonly) for output, and had to be extended with separate hardware to allow 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 dropped to $475.[5]. It continued to be sold through August 1977, despite the introduction of the Apple II in April 1977, which began shipping in June of that year.[6] The Apple II was otherwise identical to the Apple I, except it added more RAM, color graphics, sound capabilities, additional expansion slots and was notably contained in a styled plastic case with an integrated keyboard. Apple had dropped the Apple 1 from its price list by October 1977, officially discontinuing it.

As of 2008, an estimated 30 to 50 Apple Is are still known to exist, making it a very rare collector’s item. An Apple I reportedly sold for $50,000 at auction in 1999; however, a more typical price for an Apple I is in the $14,000–$16,000 range. A software-compatible clone of the Apple I (Replica 1) produced using modern components, was released in 2003 at a price of around $200.

Source:
Apple I. (2008, September 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11:50, October 12, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Apple_I&oldid=241506300

This article is published under the GNU General Public License

Mac History » Apple I

Steve Wozniak: How I Invented the Personal Computer

Apple I

Apple I