One of Apple’s earliest computers has sold at auction for £371,000.
The Apple 1, also known as the Apple I, cost $666.66 (£525) when launched in 1976 – equivalent to £3,600 today.
It came as a kit without casing, keyboard or monitor, and with a tiny 4KB memory and 1MHz processor.
But it was the first personal computer with a fully assembled motherboard.
The sales blurb promised “an extremely powerful sys-tem for anything from developing programs to playing games or running BASIC”.
Fewer than half of the 200 units made are still around.
Creators Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak gave owners discounts to trade them in for an Apple II, and many Apple Is were destroyed.
Friday's example, sold online by Christie’s in London, was in working order and came with manual and rudimentary non-Apple printer, monitor and keyboard.
The auction house’s James Hyslop said: “This goes to show just how far Apple has come.”
Yesterday’s price was not an Apple I record. In 2016, one sold in the US for $815,000 (£640,000).
Apple 1
Launched April 1976
Price $666.66 (£525)
Spec Kit computer without casing, keyboard or monitor
Memory Up to 8KB
iMac Pro
Launched December 2017
Price From £4,899
Spec 27in screen, HD camera, wireless keyboard and mouse
Memory Up to 256GB
