An original Apple 1 computer built by Steve Jobs is up for auction and could sell for £500,000
The Register reports that high-end auction London house Christie's is selling off the vintage device, which was launched in 1976. Just 200 were ever made, and they were hand-built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, "but only a quarter of those still exist," says the auction house in the listing.
The starting bid is £240,000 ($370,000), with 13 days left - but is expected to go for considerably more than that. Christie's estimates the final price will be between £300,000 ($464,000) and £500,000 ($773,000). It's part of Christie's "Seven Centuries of Science" auction, which is "a curated group of scientific instruments that span the centuries from 1300-1976. These artefacts tell the story of the history of calculating and computing, beginning with from the newly discovered 'Chetwode' horary Quadrant from the 14th century through to the iconic Apple-1 that heralded the revolution in home computing."
Buyer beware, however: The machine hasn't actually been turned on since 2005. "Neither of the electrics nor electronics have been tested," Christie's warns. "We assume it could be brought up to working order again," but cautions: "We recommend a certified engineer attempt this."
As an added bonus, the device comes "with the extremely rare first manual issued by the Apple computer company." It was written by Ronald Wayne, who also designed Apple's original logo.
