April 11, 1976 – The First Apple Computer is Released

It is hard to imagine life without personal computers. I am old enough to remember when computers did not decorate the top of every office desk. Now they are everywhere – even in our pockets! But how did the computer business get to where it is now? Helping to ignite the industry were two members of a computer hobbyist group who came up with an idea, called the Apple Computer.

Steve Wozniak had a goal. He wanted to show the members of his group, the Homebrew Computer Club, that they could build their own, affordable computer. When his design was ready, he handed out schematics of his board to club members and taught them how to assemble their own units. Recognizing the substantial interest generated by this, fellow club member Steve Jobs convinced Wozniak that they should build and sell the computers, rather than giving the design away. This computer, the Apple I, was released for sale on April 11, 1976.

The Apple I was a single board computer with built-in circuitry for a video monitor and a keyboard. It featured an 8-bit MOS 6502, 1 MHz microprocessor and 40x24-pixel graphics. The 4KB standard memory could be expanded up to 8KB (or 48KB if expansion cards were added). Consumers had to add their own keyboard and monitor, although a regular television set could be used. Additional components such as power supply transformers, a power switch and a case would also need to be provided by the purchaser. Shortly after its initial release, an optional board was offered which provided a cassette interface for storage. The system could be used for programming, games or for running the BASIC operating system.

The Apple I was initially sold for $666.66, equivalent to a little over $3000 in today’s dollars. Over its lifetime, around 200 units were made and was discontinued in September of 1977. Sixty-six are still in existence today and if you have one, celebrate; in October of 2014, an Apple I was sold for $905,000.

References:

https://www.cultofmac.com/475761/apple-1-launch/

https://www.technologizer.com/2011/04/08/apple-i/

https://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/computing/17-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-apple-1-one-of-the-worlds-most-expensive-computers-11363989385058

https://www.mac-history.net/apple-history-2/apple-i/2012-07-08/apple-i

Photo Reference:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_I_Computer.jpg