The Apple I, or rather Apple Computer I is a desktop computer created in 1976 by Apple Computer. The originator and creator of the computer was Steve Wozniak. Steve Jobs – Wozniak’s friend came up with a brilliant idea to create a company and start selling computers. It quickly turned out that Apple had to find the money for production to make more computers. Jobs sold his car, and Wozniak his programmable HP-65 calculator.
Apple I went on sale on April 11, 1976, for $666.66. The company produced two hundred pieces of this computer. It is worth noting that, unlike other computers sold at the time for hobbyists in the form of “Do it yourself”. Apple I was already fully assembled. Nevertheless, to get a fully functional computer, its buyers had to add a case, power supply, keyboard, and monitor. Apple I was the first publicly available computer to use a monitor and a keyboard.
Apple Computer 1 ran Apple Integer BASIC, a programming language developed by Steve Wozniak, especially for Apple 1. Apple’s first computer promised flexibility, performance, and ease of use. It packed a 1 MHz 8-bit MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor, 4 kilobytes of RAM, and 1 kilobyte of Graphic memory, which was huge at the time. There was no internal storage, no keyboard, no display, and other peripherals.
The Apple I successor was the Apple II model. It went on sale on 16 April 1977 and, unlike its predecessor, it had housing and a keyboard. Today Apple I is 48 years old!
Apple-1 Details
| Introduced | April 11, 1976 – 48 years ago |
| Discontinued | September 1, 1977 – 47 years ago |
| Time on the Market | 508 days (16 months) |
| Original Price | $666.66 |
| Model Number | Unknown |
| Weight | 5.3 Ibs. 2.400 KG |
| Dimensions | 15.5” W x 9” D 39.37 cm W x 22.86 cm D |
Apple I Tech Specs
Processor
| Processor | MOS Technology 6502 |
| Speed | 1 MHz |
| Architecture | 8-bit |
| Number of Cores | 1 |
Memory
| Storage | None |
| Built-in Memory | 4 KB |
| Maximum Memory | 8 KB on-board65 KB via Expansion connector |
| Graphic Memory | 1 KB |
| Memory Slots | 16-pin, 4K Dynamic, type 4096 (2104) |
Connections
| Display Connection | 1 – Composite positive video |
| Dual In-line Package (DIP) | 1 – for ASCII encoded keyboard |
Expansion
| Slots | 1 – 44-pin Expansion connector 1 – Cassette Board connector |
| Media | 1 – Cassette Interface (Optional) |
Software
| Software | Apple Integer BASIC with optional Cassette Interface |
| Firmware | None |
Power
| Power | 58 W |
| Line Voltage | 8 to 10 Volts AC At 3A, 26 to 28 Volts AC (RMS) Center-Tapped, 1A |
Disclaimer: The data presented in this article is under continuous development and has been manually collected from various sources based on their availability. The author of this article may revise this dataset as additional research is conducted and reviewed. Please note that the information is provided “as is” and “as available” without express or implied warranties. The author cannot be held responsible for any omissions, inaccuracies, or errors in the published information. Any warranties relating to this information are hereby disclaimed.
