Following up on the earlier post about the original Apple-1 computer put up for auction in the UK: the thing was just bought for $213,600 by Marco Boglione, a private collector . What does he get for spending all that cash? Simply put, it’s a piece of tech history, but if you want the longer answer, it’s one of the first real “personal computers” anyone could buy back in 1976, during a time when real computer enthusiasts had to weld their own motherboards together. Hand-built by Jobs and Wozniak out of a garage, this particular piece is only one of 200 Apple-1 computers ever built and is probably one of the most well-preserved of the lot. The Apple-1 came with the original box stamped with Apple’s original logo, as well as a pair of letters from Jobs and Wozniak.
Funny thing about tech. Unlike some other consumer passions like cars or guitars, they don’t really become any more expensive as the years go by. Case in point: a lot of car lovers would appreciate a vintage ’55 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing more than a new 2010 SL65, and any guitar collector would be willing to pay top dollar for a classic 50’s-era Gibson Les Paul if he got a chance. But the average tech geek would probably not be willing to trade an iPhone 4 for, say, a 1996 Motorola StarTAC (although the StarTAC’s apparently gaining status as a collector’s item, according to RetroBrick). But this bulky wooden monstrosity? It’s about to break that trend. This is an original Apple-1 computer—only one out of 200 ever built by Jobs and Wozniak and sold from out of Steve Jobs’ parents’ garage from back in ‘76—and it’s about to go on sale for 150,000 euros (around US$200K).
Microsoft recently put up a new PC vs Mac page on their Windows 7 section that compares the two platforms, or at least to try to convince you that one system is better than the other. The end results are naturally Windows-biased, of course. It’s set up to convince people on the fence to pick up a Windows-powered PC over a Mac after all. Before we get to the comparisons, let’s just throw this in: we really don’t think there are that many people still “on the fence” anymore. It’s either you’re more comfortable with a PC or a Mac, and there are those who own—and are comfortable with working—both. (more…)
