Apple 1 Computer Sells For $210,700

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Apple 1 Computer Sells For $210,700

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday November 24, 2010 @04:21AM from the blast-from-the-past dept.

digitaldc writes "An Apple computer purchased more than 30 years ago has sold for 425 times its original selling price. From the article: 'An Apple-1, one of only about 200 such machines built in Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' parents' garage, sold at Christie's auction house in London today for 133,250 pounds (about $210,700). The Apple-1, which didn't include a casing, power supply, keyboard, or monitor, originally retailed for $666.66 in 1976. Apple discontinued the model in 1977.'"

136 of 164 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

I heard this on the news by geekoid · 2010-11-24 04:25 · Score: 1

and they were incredulous that an 'old' computer would sell for so much. I was thinking yeah, that Mona Lisa is nothing but old paying and old canvas, why would someone pay millions for it?
Of course this was from the same channel that said "We will be getting snow and cold weather".

--
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
1. Re:I heard this on the news by Lev13than · 2010-11-24 04:35 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Going from $666 to $210,100 in 36 years is an 18% return - not bad, but not as crazy huge as it might look on first glance.
  
  --
  When you have nothing left to burn you must set yourself on fire
2. Re:I heard this on the news by rolfwind · 2010-11-24 04:36 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  But it also was the right time to sell because the Apple brand is riding high at the moment so interest overall is higher.
  Collectibles/Antiques are like any other market, and interest fluctuates. I have seen things that used to fetch $100k go for as little as $3k now (for instance, the European Glass market really sunk once communism collapsed and the east opened up). This is not unusual.
  Some people think the older something gets, the more it's worth but that's not always the case. Often there's a peak and then decline.
3. Re:I heard this on the news by ciderbrew · 2010-11-24 05:03 · Score: 1
  
  It’s not unusual to buy communist glass from anyone.
  Bada-bada ba daaa.
4. Re:I heard this on the news by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-24 05:10 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Please don't try to do math that you don't understand.
5. Re:I heard this on the news by Charliemopps · 2010-11-24 05:15 · Score: 1
  
  An apple computer Compared to the Mona Lisa. Now I've heard everything. Lets not forget that there were many other computer manufactures around at the time producing hardware superior to anything apple was doing and most of them went on to be far far more successful than apple. I know apple markets itself has this giant global computer manufacturer but the fact of the matter is they make toys for people with too much money to show of to their friends. Every product they make has a competing products that are superior, cheaper and more popular. This constant misnomer that somehow apple has the lead on anything in relation to technology drives me crazy. It's all marketing. There were smartphones better than the iphone long before the iphone was released. They're called blackberries. Now, after the fact, there are even more... and again, they are better, cheaper, and more popular.
6. Re:I heard this on the news by oiron · 2010-11-24 05:20 · Score: 1
  
  If you had an authentic 10000 year old cave drawing you could sell, I'm sure someone would buy it for quite a tidy sum!
  Apple-I is important because it's old, and it's unique. As the summary mentions, there were only 200 of them, and I'm sure a good number are destroyed by now...
7. Re:I heard this on the news by delinear · 2010-11-24 05:25 · Score: 1
  
  Where's the defining line? How about classic cars - some people revere them as art even though they're just old machines. What about a desk? You can't get much more functional, but an antique desk will get a furnitue fanatic hot under the collar and can sell for a fortune. Really all of these things are just: their constituent parts + the arbitrary value people assign to them. When people start assigning the same arbitrary value to old computers that they do to old masters, how do you make the distinction?
8. Re:I heard this on the news by delinear · 2010-11-24 05:26 · Score: 1
  
  This constant misnomer that somehow apple has the lead on anything in relation to technology drives me crazy. It's all marketing.
  Surely, if nothing else, that demonstrates that they lead on marketing in relation to technology :)
9. Re:I heard this on the news by blai · 2010-11-24 05:32 · Score: 1
  
  Alright, I have the first Xbox.
  
  --
  In soviet Russia, God creates you!
10. Re:I heard this on the news by inerlogic · 2010-11-24 05:54 · Score: 1
  
  +2
11. Re:I heard this on the news by Charliemopps · 2010-11-24 06:02 · Score: 1
  
  Well played my friend. Well played.
12. Re:I heard this on the news by Kjella · 2010-11-24 06:05 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Well if you put the money in the bank at 3% interest rate you'd see about 1.03^36 = 290% return, but it's not how we normally talk about it. Return on investment (ROI) is implicitly annual, 666 * 1.18^36 = 210,000 so nominally 18%. You are correct that it should be corrected for inflation though, 2562 * 1.13^36 = 210,000 so a real ROI of 13%. Which is still impressive but not that absurdly high.
  
  --
  Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
13. Re:I heard this on the news by timeOday · 2010-11-24 06:43 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  an 18% return - not bad, but not as crazy huge as it might look on first glance.
  Well, an 18% return sustained for 36 years is crazy huge, precisely because it turns $666 into $210k. An 18% return on a single stock for year is very good. An 18% return on a portfolio for a whole year is really good. But a sustained 18% return for 36 years in a row? I doubt Bill G.'s own stock in Microsoft achieved that.
14. Re:I heard this on the news by Yvanhoe · 2010-11-24 07:02 · Score: 1
  
  If you had put it in that commodity : http://www.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=NASDAQ:AAPL
  
  You would have had an interesting return too.
  
  --
  The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
15. Re:I heard this on the news by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-24 07:09 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Please try to be constructive and tell him what he did wrong instead of berating him.
16. Re:I heard this on the news by kill-1 · 2010-11-24 07:22 · Score: 1
  
  Bill G.'s stock went from $0.08 in 1986 (split adjusted) to $25. That's a return of about 27% a year for the last 24 years.
17. Re:I heard this on the news by fishbowl · 2010-11-24 08:21 · Score: 1
  
  >You missed the point: $666 -> $210,100 in 36 years is equivalent to investing $666 for 36 years at 18%
  >annual interest. The power of compounding!
  You make it sound like consistent 18% opportunities were actually available to anyone, particularly with that small of an initial investment.
  
  --
  -fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
18. Re:I heard this on the news by FrigBot · 2010-11-24 08:59 · Score: 1
  
  That is an interesting point, but I'd like to see some figures to illustrate the reality of it.
19. Re:I heard this on the news by warrigal · 2010-11-24 09:25 · Score: 1
  
  Lets not forget that there were many other computer manufactures around at the time producing hardware superior to anything apple was doing and most of them went on to be far far more successful than apple. Care to name one that's still in business? Every product they make has a competing products that are superior, cheaper and more popular. Some sort of facts? Apart from rabid fanboy trolling? It's all marketing. There were smartphones better than the iphone long before the iphone was released. They're called blackberries. Now, after the fact, there are even more... and again, they are better, cheaper, and more popular. Which is why RIM have been assiduously copying everything that Apple does. Even a "tablet" now. Go back to 4chan/g/.
20. Re:I heard this on the news by the_other_chewey · 2010-11-24 10:51 · Score: 1
  
  I was thinking yeah, that Mona Lisa is nothing but old paying and old canvas, why would someone pay millions for it?
  I wouldn't, since it's sure to be fake.
  The Mona Lisa is painted on wood.
21. Re:I heard this on the news by serbanp · 2010-11-24 11:55 · Score: 1
  
  What's depressing is not that an AC makes a snarky comment on a post that is factually correct, but that there hare at least 3 idiotic slashdotters with mod points who marked the comment "Informative". What are the odds of this happening?
22. Re:I heard this on the news by timeOday · 2010-11-24 13:56 · Score: 1
  
  Wierdly enough, those returns are almost identical:
  25/0.08 = 312.50
  210000/666 = 315.32
23. Re:I heard this on the news by mezis · 2010-11-25 00:20 · Score: 1
  
  .... not bad, but not as crazy huge as it might look on first glance.
  Funny how you just summed up why the US plunged the whole wolrd into a crisis. 18% return actually *is* crazy huge. 2% or 5% (or whatever your average inflation rate might be) would be "not bad".
figures... by uncanny · 2010-11-24 04:25 · Score: 3, Interesting

Just yesterday my father and i were talking about some old computers that the university i work at have on display, and he was telling me about how, about 30 years ago, he had an apple 1, and it was numbered 151. He remembers that they were offering to trade this computer for a new updated version, boy did he get a deal! then again, if they kept all their old baseball cards they'd be rich off of those too
1. Re:figures... by hcpxvi · 2010-11-24 04:59 · Score: 1
  
  he had an apple 1, and it was numbered 151. Heh. A magic Apple number. ISTR that on the Apple ][ you could type "CALL -151" at the Basic prompt to drop yourself into the monitor/disassembler mode.
2. Re:figures... by RealGrouchy · 2010-11-24 09:21 · Score: 1
  
  then again, if they kept all their old baseball cards they'd be rich off of those too
  They are valuable specifically because so many people didn't keep them.
  Children's bicycles from the early 1900s are an example. Something like two girls' bikes were built for every hundred boys' bikes. However, because girls kept theirs clean and in good condition, they are not worth as much as the boys' bikes, which were ridden to the breaking point.
  - RG>
  
  --
  Hey pal, this isn't a pleasantforest, so don't waste my time with pleasantries!
So what? by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-24 04:26 · Score: 5, Funny

Every Apple computer sells for more than it's worth.
1. Re:So what? by rolfwind · 2010-11-24 04:37 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  And Linux is Free only if your time is worth nothing.
2. Re:So what? by Monkeedude1212 · 2010-11-24 04:51 · Score: 1
  
  I hear Acrobat 1.0 is also going for 5+ figures.
3. Re:So what? by cobrausn · 2010-11-24 04:51 · Score: 1
  
  Ha. I use linux for several things, but I can't argue with this. So much time.
  
  --
  How does it feel to be a liar with pants constantly on fire?
4. Re:So what? by FauxPasIII · 2010-11-24 04:56 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  This troll made a lot more sense 7 or 8 years ago when it wasn't much quicker and easier to install and maintain Linux than any other general use system.
  Even if you factor out install time (since most people get their Windows and Mac systems preloaded), the time you spend maintaining your system very quickly tilts the balance back in favor of Linux.
  
  --
  25% Funny, 25% Insightful, 25% Informative, 25% Troll
5. Re:So what? by Requiem18th · 2010-11-24 04:56 · Score: 1
  
  If a few cumulative hours over the years is the price for not having system updates maliciously disable functions of my media player then I'd say It's a bargain.
  
  --
  But... the future refused to change.
6. Re:So what? by Aeros · 2010-11-24 05:05 · Score: 1
  
  I have every version of AOL to put up. Any bids!
7. Re:So what? by abigor · 2010-11-24 05:15 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  I take it you don't run Gentoo.
8. Re:So what? by Monkeedude1212 · 2010-11-24 05:16 · Score: 2
  
  I got a phone call yesterday. From my Dad. Computer Virus. Fourth one this year.
  Now, I use windows at work and I tend to use it at home. I don't have to do any regular maintenance on it at all. I save maybe 3 seconds in boot time compared to my Ubuntu box.
  I'd say its more or less the time I spend maintaining OTHER PEOPLES systems makes me want THEM to use Linux more than anything else.
  Seems a bit strange now that I reflect on it.
9. Re:So what? by blair1q · 2010-11-24 05:22 · Score: 1
  
  Really? Yesterday I tried to get a piece of software for my desktop linux machine. Instead of a click-download-click-install, I got directed to a page that gave me step-by-step directions to manually download and unpackage the files, but I couldn't do it with that version because I had a different distro, so I had to go to another version that first gave me a long (100+) list of package dependencies that I would have had to validate, again manually, and I would have had to install any of them that were lacking, probably following the same trail of tears for each one, and then I would have had to download the package I originally wanted to install, and compile and install it myself.
  Linux is only easy to maintain in those places where it's been made easy to maintain and only for those people using the versions that were made easy to maintain for those few places where they've been made easy to maintain. Other than that subset of a subset, maintaining Linux requires a deep experience with the sort of hackish mayhem that is proffered as ease-of-use by the hundreds of people who have different ideas of "ease" and way different ideas of how much ease they know how to implement before releasing their product.
  Android is pretty good, and somewhere under there is a Linux kernel. But I have to break my warranty to "maintain" any of it by hand. So it's not really the open model you were thinking of.
10. Re:So what? by nschubach · 2010-11-24 05:40 · Score: 1
  
  I replaced my Mom's computer with Ubuntu some time back and since then she stopped calling me to clean up all her toolbars and spyware. Now I just get those awkward calls asking how things are. It was the best thing I've done. Every now and then she complains that she can't install a new screensaver (background image) and I'm still trying to get it through her head that you don't need to "install" these... but overall, it's been a good experience.
  
  --
  Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
11. Re:So what? by nschubach · 2010-11-24 05:42 · Score: 1
  
  Why are you blaming the OS for the application developer's lack of packaging?
  Your scenario would also have played out the same if Blizzard asked you to download a zip file and copy the files to the right place instead of packaging up their app in an installer.
  
  --
  Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
12. Re:So what? by Kjella · 2010-11-24 05:46 · Score: 1
  
  Assuming a few things, like:
  - Your hardware actually works with Linux, or you've bought specifically only Linux-friendly hardware. It's great if everything works out of the box, if you don't have to put in driver CDs that's great. But there's still a lot of hardware that isn't or is poorly supported under Linux. Or it has some quirks like wireless not doing encrypted connections, suspend/resume not working fully or something like that.
  - You're not looking to run any Windows software. Don't get me wrong, WINE is great in that it exists at all but it's a maintenance nightmare with many bugs and regressions, and very few applications run out of the box with a platinum status. Normally you have to follow a set of tweaks to make it work decently, and even then not often perfectly.
  - You're not looking to interact with any proprietary software or service, for example I've had plenty problems getting the OSS clones to work well together with my friends on MSN, basic messaging works but stuff like file transfers, support for emoticons, notice to others that I'm typing etc. have been broken. Free Spotify is a killer app here in Scandinavia. Does it exist under Linux? No, only a hacked up client that requires a paid subscription.
  I'm pretty much a FAIL on all three. I've struggled with half-supported hardware, WINE and proprietary stuff. Without it Linux just wouldn't work well enough for me, I'm not doing it just for fun. Why I bother I'm not sure, but I'm certainly not spending less time managing Linux...
  
  --
  Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
13. Re:So what? by Tablizer · 2010-11-24 05:50 · Score: 1
  
  You should get mod points just for surviving angry mod-mobs.
  
  --
  Table-ized A.I.
14. Re:So what? by blair1q · 2010-11-24 06:37 · Score: 1
  
  So it's easy to maintain, and if it isn't it's because the people making you maintain it don't know how to do that. And they're the bulk of the people to distribute stuff. As opposed to Windoze, where 99.9% of installs are click-download-click-install-click-options, or easier.
15. Re:So what? by mcgrew · 2010-11-24 06:38 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  And how is that? It takes half an hour at most to install it, and all or most of the apps you need are installed with it. I've found that Windows takes up a hell of a lot more of my valuable time than Linux. And I don't just save time and money on the OS, I save money by not needing AV and paying for updates, time not cleaning out malware, time not relearning a new OS every time MS comes up with a new version, etc.
  Fifteen years ago your statement was accurate, but the pendulem has swung the other way. Most distros just plain work, right out of the box, no muss, fuss, or tweaking (unless you just want to).
  
  --
  Free Martian Whores!
16. Re:So what? by Dr.+Cody · 2010-11-24 06:41 · Score: 1
  
  This troll made a lot more sense 7 or 8 years ago when it wasn't much quicker and easier to install and maintain Linux than any other general use system.
  Even if you factor out install time (since most people get their Windows and Mac systems preloaded), the time you spend maintaining your system very quickly tilts the balance back in favor of Linux.
  Don't be that guy...
17. Re:So what? by BitZtream · 2010-11-24 07:23 · Score: 1
  
  Or you could just lock their machines down, which would give them basically the same experience as running Linux, except you could actually still install software they want to run for them rather than pushing them off on something completely other than what they want/need.
  4th virus in a year and you haven't made him run as a user that doesn't have any rights to damage the system? Linux isn't going to save you in this case.
  
  --
  Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
18. Re:So what? by Monkeedude1212 · 2010-11-24 07:29 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  So what happens when they want to install new software - I get a phone call?
  I think that would amount for more than 4 phone calls a year.
19. Re:So what? by jo_ham · 2010-11-24 07:39 · Score: 1
  
  I dropped a LiveCD of Kubuntu on my Powerbook, ran an update that was suggested right after doing so, which promptly broke the wireless networking. Still haven't fixed that.
  There are just as many maintenance tasks and oddities to mess with on Linux as there are on other systems, but it's much better than it was.
20. Re:So what? by Requiem18th · 2010-11-24 08:27 · Score: 1
  
  I've used pidgin for over a decade when it was called GAIM, what's your point?
  
  --
  But... the future refused to change.
21. Re:So what? by farble1670 · 2010-11-24 08:55 · Score: 2
  
  I save money by not needing AV and paying for updates,
  microsoft provides a free AV / malware suite called security essentials. updates to it come along with other OS updates. it's widely acknowledged to be the lightest weight least intrusive AV solution.
  
  Fifteen years ago your statement was accurate, but the pendulem has swung the other way. Most distros just plain work, right out of the box, no muss, fuss, or tweaking (unless you just want to).
  yes, unless you want to play a DVD. or you want your multimedia keys to work. or use the lightscribe features of your DVD ROM. or plug in my android phone. or use my SD card reader slot. or power off my laptop's LCD display when idle. oh, and the fact that i literally got 1/2 the battery life on linux compared to other options --- i had all of these issues with a newish run of the mill off the shelf HP laptop.
  i try linux every 5 years or so and it's always the same story. most major things work, but there are always a host of things that don't. i usually manage to get about 1/2 of those working by spending my precious free time googling on the topic, and deal with the rest until i am finally fed up and switch to something else.
22. Re:So what? by FauxPasIII · 2010-11-24 09:01 · Score: 1
  
  So it's easy to maintain, and if it isn't it's because the people making you maintain it don't know how to do that. And they're the bulk of the people to distribute stuff. As opposed to Windoze, where 99.9% of installs are click-download-click-install-click-options, or easier.
  I guess it comes down to what you run. In Linux, 100.0% of my installs are "apt-get install ", whereas in Windows I never make it through a week without an install consisting of "Open archive in 7zip, copy it to a new folder somewhere, add that folder to the PATH environment variable". And heaven help you if you need to make sure you're running the most up-to-date version of things in Windows.
  Even if you're willing to call that a wash, there's still the questions of drivers (everything's already on your system in Linux, and kept up to date through automatic updates), viruses and malware (essentially nonexistent on Linux), and creeping performance degradation (doesn't happen on Linux, requires running defrag and registry cleaning tools to keep Windows from rotting away).
  I actually do keep a Windows 7 install running, because one area where Windows is solidly ahead of Linux is third party app support. I like Star Trek Online and Starcraft 2, and I need Microsoft Office and IE, and if I were to try to get all that running in Wine then the whole "waste of time" argument might gain a shadow of validity.
  But as far as just keeping the base system and apps functional and up to date so you can get _work_ done, there's just no comparison; if you value your time, choose Linux.
  
  --
  25% Funny, 25% Insightful, 25% Informative, 25% Troll
23. Re:So what? by blair1q · 2010-11-24 09:14 · Score: 1
  
  "everything's already on your system in Linux, and kept up to date through automatic updates"
  You're thinking of a particular distro and version, not "Linux" in general.
24. Re:So what? by tizan · 2010-11-24 09:30 · Score: 1
  
  I am sure if you dropped that DVD of snow-leopard it would have worked out of the box...oh wait that hardware is no longer supported !
  Aren't you glad you have a community that gave you OS/software that still works for your older hardware (albeit be cranky)?
25. Re:So what? by Shadow99_1 · 2010-11-24 09:34 · Score: 1
  
  Having setup and maintained many Ubuntu installs just a year ago, I can say that windows (at least version 7) 'just runs' more than Ubuntu does. Ubuntu would not setup the 3D drivers for the Nvidia or Ati cards, so manual install. Ubuntu couldn't seem to find a HP 5i network printer they were connected to without uninstalling and reinstalling the whole printer interface from the web... Ubuntu randomly hated certain CD/DVD-rom drives from the same batch of computers failing to even install, so replacing hardware (which worked with windows) on about 1/4th of machines. That's even funnier when you would sometimes be able to place the drive that didn't work in one machine with Ubuntu in another machine and try it and it would (though this is only a 50/50 chance at best). I could go on, but a single batch of 10 machines would often take me a day. This couldn't be automated because many bits weren't identical between machines, like the random drive won't work to install Ubuntu issue.
  I'm not saying Ubuntu or Linux are bad, but I am saying you make it out to be easy as pie to just run Ubuntu and windows is so much harder for some reason. 200 machines later I'd say neither is perfect and maybe, just maybe, we should stop this non-sense about Linux being no fuss for 'average tasks' and not MS.
  
  --
  we are all invisible unless we choose otherwise
26. Re:So what? by jo_ham · 2010-11-24 09:44 · Score: 1
  
  I am indeed - I dual boot Ubuntu and Leopard on it currently, but figured I'd give Kubuntu a go with the LiveCD, mainly to see how easy it would be for a non-computer person to deal with.
  Given that it was working wirelessly, and then stopped *on the first update* on a fresh install, I decided to stick with Ubuntu. Other than the window manager being different, I'm not exactly sure why it would fail to work, and messing with the package manager to try and get it going again didn't work.
  Also, to be fair to Snow Leopard, Ubuntu isn't officially supported on PPC hardware either, although it at least runs.
27. Re:So what? by Billly+Gates · 2010-11-24 10:10 · Score: 1
  
  Try configuring php to work with postgresql and apache2?
  Most people use Linux for web development. Under Windows I use Xampp and get over it with a few mouse clicks.
  
  --
  http://saveie6.com/
28. Re:So what? by Billly+Gates · 2010-11-24 11:03 · Score: 1
  
  Many WOW players have left due to annoying issues like this and patch Tuesday. With their latest release the update goes while you play to help eliminate this. Linux users do not care.
  
  --
  http://saveie6.com/
29. Re:So what? by psm321 · 2010-11-24 11:07 · Score: 1
  
  The point is that the GAIM/pidgin developers love removing features in pursuit of their GNOME/Apple-ish "no options for the user, what we like must be best" philosophy.
30. Re:So what? by farble1670 · 2010-11-24 11:17 · Score: 1
  
  well actually, i run the android sdk on linux (unbuntu), windows 7, and mac os so it's not FUD its called empirical evidence.
  windows 7 required installing a driver. one or two clicks.
  macos required nothing.
  on linux, i had to edit configuration files. oh and also, i have to restart adb as root or it cannot detect the version / information of my device.
  judge for yourself which is the better experience.
31. Re:So what? by Requiem18th · 2010-11-24 11:18 · Score: 1
  
  Sigh, true but nothing as sever as Apple disabling specific user extensions in iTunes.
  
  --
  But... the future refused to change.
32. Re:So what? by farble1670 · 2010-11-24 11:31 · Score: 1
  
  and to the LCD,
  clearly it was a bug, which is my my point. i'm not saying that in general linux can't power down a notebook LCD, i'm saying that it wouldn't power down mine. windows works fine. it's running on the same box now.
  linux is superior because you can shut down the LCD power manually (from the command line)? comments like this are among the examples i use to point out how out of touch some linux users are are with the general computing populace. really, do you think that's important to even a tiny fraction of users?
33. Re:So what? by runningman24 · 2010-11-24 11:44 · Score: 1
  
  You don't get calls when they want new software on their Linux box?
34. Re:So what? by Monkeedude1212 · 2010-11-24 11:51 · Score: 1
  
  I haven't given them a linux box. Precisely for what you're pointing out.
  I'm just saying, I wish they were technical enough to do that for themselves. Even if they were just technical enough to use ubuntu enough to know how to add/remove/use Ubuntu the same way they know how to add/remove/use Windows - I wouldn't have to deal with it.
35. Re:So what? by FauxPasIII · 2010-11-24 13:12 · Score: 1
  
  While that's true, I don't understand how it relates to what we're discussing?
  Then again, this whole thread is attached to a conversation about a collector buying an Apple 1, so off-topic is relative. =)
  
  --
  25% Funny, 25% Insightful, 25% Informative, 25% Troll
36. Re:So what? by psm321 · 2010-11-26 06:12 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, that's why people have written programs for Windows to provide the missing functionality. It's very important if your laptop happens to live in your bedroom :)
For what by Murdoch5 · 2010-11-24 04:28 · Score: 1

What is set person going to do with this computer.
1. Re:For what by symes · 2010-11-24 04:31 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  He's a collector - afaik, he'll refurbish it, get it going and then put with all his other computers that he doesn't use.
2. Re:For what by ch-chuck · 2010-11-24 04:51 · Score: 1
  
  It's an essential part of building a time machine to go back to 1976.
  
  --
  try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
3. Re:For what by delinear · 2010-11-24 05:32 · Score: 1
  
  I don't understand - Apple already have a time machine, and it's a good bit cheaper than what he's shelled out here.
Estimated Price by Psychotic_Wrath · 2010-11-24 04:30 · Score: 1

I remember seeing an estimated price for this to sell at auction a couple weeks ago. Reading the comments people seemed to think it wouldn't sell for what it had predicted. Looks like it did

The auction house expects it to sell for over $160,000.

--

Doctors do Massage in Longview WA now, who knew?
Big News! by Anonymous Coward · 2010-11-24 04:30 · Score: 2, Informative

The big news is that they sold off documents from Turing and some of the machinery used to break the enigma codes and win world war II. These are things that belong in museums and should be shared as part of our shared heritage. The news that is reported in the US is that some interesting commercial product was sold because of its historical value. That is fucked up.
1. Re:Big News! by countSudoku() · 2010-11-24 04:57 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Stop your whining this INSTANT, young man! Google stepped up and offered $100,000, which is like $12 pounds 50 shillings I think, to help secure the artifacts for the Bletchley Park Museum. And that is NOT fucked up, unless you're talking about the sale in the first place, which is indeed a bit fucked in the head, but then perhaps the collector needs the bucks and the Turning notes are of value.
  More to the point; I have the build an Apple I book and will gladly build anyone an Apple I for $50,000! Order now and save BIG!!1!
  
  --
  This is the NSA, we're gonna geet U h@x0r5! Also, what is a h@x0r5?
2. Re:Big News! by flosofl · 2010-11-24 05:00 · Score: 1
  
  These are things that belong in museums
  Thanks for that Indiana Jones...
  
  --
  "This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence" - Vyvyan "The Young Ones"
3. Re:Big News! by oiron · 2010-11-24 05:23 · Score: 1
  
  ...$12 pounds 50 shillings...
  How much is that in Peso Dirams?
4. Re:Big News! by CyberDragon777 · 2010-11-24 10:52 · Score: 1
  
  More to the point; I have the build an Apple I book and will gladly build anyone an Apple I for $50,000! Order now and save BIG!!1!
  Build one?
  Resell this with insane markup instead:
  http://www.brielcomputers.com/wordpress/?cat=4
  
  --
  We both said a lot of things that you are going to regret.
Still work? by scubamage · 2010-11-24 04:34 · Score: 1

Anyone else seriously doubt that the thing would work? I'm guessing that the capacitors have given out, or if they haven't will do so as soon as there's power run through it. It'd be neat to see if they can get the thing running properly. Still not as cool as the Apple I they had in Make II though (made entirely out of a breadboard and wires - sooo cool).
1. Re:Still work? by djupdal · 2010-11-24 05:03 · Score: 1
  
  It is not that old. I have computer equipment from the 70s that still work. I have an FM tuner from the 70s that is working perfectly, I use it every day. It is not at all strange if 30+ year old electronics powers up just fine.
  Even if the caps have dried, they are easily replaced. So are all the other components. IIRC the apple I did not have any custom components apart from the PCB, it was made from off-the-shelf components.
2. Re:Still work? by toofast · 2010-11-24 06:05 · Score: 1
  
  My Timex Sinclair I got in early 1982 still works like a charm... Granted, it's 6 years younger than this, but it's still almost 30 years old!
3. Re:Still work? by tompaulco · 2010-11-24 07:04 · Score: 1
  
  One wonders at what point it ceases to be Apple 1 Serial Number 1 and becomes a newly built Apple 1 based on the original design.
  
  --
  If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
4. Re:Still work? by Thud457 · 2010-11-24 08:16 · Score: 1
  
  Bill Cosby advertising
  oh yeah? Well my old computer had Alan Alda shilling for it!
  
  just to settle the issue of celeberty microcomputer advertising:
  Bill Cosby < Alan Alda < William Shatner < Iassic Asimov
  hmmm, Leonard Nimoy should be in there somewhere, right? (what? no endorsements from DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei or Walter Koenig I smell parody potential! Come on, George!)
  and photographic proof Apple is out to turn you whole family GAY!
  Jack Black?!!!
  
  --
  the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
5. Re:Still work? by konohitowa · 2010-11-24 09:40 · Score: 1
  
  Which reminds me. I've got a couple of leaky caps on an older tube radio (1930's vintage) that are causing one hell of a hum. I really need to track down some suitable replacements. The fact that they're starting to die doesn't surprise me given that they're also paper wrapped. The Apple I being dead for similar reasons *would* surprise me.
6. Re:Still work? by toddestan · 2010-11-24 16:30 · Score: 1
  
  A lot will depend on the last time the computer was powered up. Electrolytic caps tend to break down if they haven't been polarized (by having a voltage put across them) in a long time. If the computer was powered and run for a few hours at least up a couple of times a decade, it's probably OK. If it's been sitting in a box for 25+ years then it's more of a crap shoot whether it's going to work.
  Same with old audio equipment and hard drives. Something that's seen somewhat regular use will often work better than a unit that's been in storage for many years.
Ken Williams must be a bit depressed right now... by Max+Romantschuk · 2010-11-24 04:42 · Score: 1

If memory serves me correctly he lost his in a fire way back.
And I should get a time machine and go tell my primary school self not to listen to my parents and keep my original King's Quest I box... Darn.

--
.: Max Romantschuk :: http://max.romantschuk.fi/
Bill Gates bought it... by jongalbreath · 2010-11-24 04:42 · Score: 1

...so he could crush it! Haha
MYTH CONFIRMED! by AmigaHeretic · 2010-11-24 04:42 · Score: 1

Alright, someone call the MythBusters and have them cancel the "Apple Tax" episode.
Interesting Price by Bill+Dimm · 2010-11-24 04:44 · Score: 4, Funny

$666.66 -- could Steve Jobs make it any clearer that he is the devil? ;-)
1. Re:Interesting Price by rotide · 2010-11-24 05:01 · Score: 1
  
  Insightful? This was a joke. Fanboi-ism at it's finest!
2. Re:Interesting Price by Ecuador · 2010-11-24 05:02 · Score: 1
  
  Well, it seems he could and he proved it again and again over the years since...
  
  --
  Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
3. Re:Interesting Price by RyuuzakiTetsuya · 2010-11-24 05:24 · Score: 1
  
  in the first century AD the number of the devil is 666.
  In the 21st century, the number of the devil is $666.66 apparently. I guess inflation is a force greater than good or evil.
  
  --
  Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
4. Re:Interesting Price by nschubach · 2010-11-24 05:56 · Score: 1
  
  Mods sometimes have a sense of humor too. It's not my fault that you missed it.
  
  --
  Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
5. Re:Interesting Price by phantomfive · 2010-11-24 06:09 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  A few years ago I ran across an evangelical christian web page claiming that Apple was from the devil. That Apple was a dirty hippie company trying to push their evil values on the rest of us. Among the evidence, that it's core was built on Darwin. Serious stuff. Something like this. Choice quote:
  
  But there are even darker undertones to this company than most are aware of. Consider the name of the company and its logo: an apple with a bite taken out of it. This is clearly a reference to the Fall, when Adam and Eve were tempted with an apple by the serpent. It is now Apple Computers offering us temptation, thereby aligning themselves with the forces of darkness.
  
  --
  Qxe4
6. Re:Interesting Price by tompaulco · 2010-11-24 07:12 · Score: 1
  
  Wow, you would expect a religious wacko to be more knowledgeable about his religion. It was not an apple that they were tempted with but the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.
  
  --
  If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
7. Re:Interesting Price by BitZtream · 2010-11-24 07:24 · Score: 1
  
  Ah, another idiot that has no clue what the number 666 means and still assumes 'ITZ THE DEVILZORS!'
  
  --
  Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
8. Re:Interesting Price by Thud457 · 2010-11-24 07:27 · Score: 1
  
  well, their logo is the legendary fruit of the tree of knowledge.
  And it has a bite from it.
  
  (I'm assuming showing two bites didn't work from a design perspective?)
  
  --
  the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
9. Re:Interesting Price by RealGrouchy · 2010-11-24 09:23 · Score: 1
  
  $666.66 -- could Steve Jobs make it any clearer that he is the devil? ;-)
  With a third decimal place! Accounting departments, beware!
  - RG>
  
  --
  Hey pal, this isn't a pleasantforest, so don't waste my time with pleasantries!
10. Re:Interesting Price by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · 2010-11-24 10:30 · Score: 1
  
  No, Not really. That's what makes them "religious wackos" rather than just "religious people".
  
  --
  Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
11. Re:Interesting Price by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · 2010-11-24 10:32 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, You and I know it doesn't, but most people think it is. And, sadly, what most people think is more important than the truth sometimes.
  
  --
  Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
And if you invested the money in Apple itself? by snsh · 2010-11-24 04:44 · Score: 2, Interesting

If a VC had invested $666 in Apple in 1976, how many Apple I's would that be worth today?
1. Re:And if you invested the money in Apple itself? by 140Mandak262Jamuna · 2010-11-24 05:02 · Score: 1
  
  I just posted that AAPL has appreciated 87 times since 1980. Since this four years before Apple went public, and early investment on successful companies is worth 10 times on IPO day, 666$ in 1976 = 6660$ on 1980. That would be worth 579,000$ today. Yes, the investment would have appreciated even more. And it has. The founders are billionaires.
  
  --
  sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
2. Re:And if you invested the money in Apple itself? by olsmeister · 2010-11-24 05:02 · Score: 1
  
  Well, I'm not sure about a VC in 1976, but if you'd invested $666.66 in 12/12/1980 the date of the IPO, you would have received your shares at $2.75 per share (after adjusting for stock splits that have occurred since then). Given that the same shares are trading around $315, you'd be sitting on right around $76,350.
3. Re:And if you invested the money in Apple itself? by Lev13than · 2010-11-24 05:04 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  If a VC had invested $666 in Apple in 1976, how many Apple I's would that be worth today?
  
  About $76,000, for an IRR of 17.1%. APPL shares were worth $2.75 (split adjusted) at their 1980 IPO, and are going for $315 or so today.
  In contrast, the Apple I has gone from $666 to $210,000 over 36 years, which is an IRR of 18.4%.
  
  --
  When you have nothing left to burn you must set yourself on fire
4. Re:And if you invested the money in Apple itself? by blair1q · 2010-11-24 05:32 · Score: 1
  
  For comparison, INTC's split-adjusted IPO-day closing price in July 1986 is $0.37, and it trades at $21.33, an IRR of 33%.
  MSFT's in March 1986 is (25.45/0.08)^(1/14.7) - 1 = 48%.
  That would have been a good year to bet the farm and the mortgage on it.
5. Re:And if you invested the money in Apple itself? by hipp5 · 2010-11-24 05:33 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  That reminds me of this . Some guy calculated how much value you'd have if you had bought Apple stock instead of their various gadgets.
6. Re:And if you invested the money in Apple itself? by Billly+Gates · 2010-11-24 10:22 · Score: 1
  
  Keep in mind Apple was very very close to bankruptcy and insolvency back in 1997/1998. More than likely you would have sold in 1997 or earlier to get at least some of your money back before the *expected* bankruptcy would wipe out all your cash. The value of the share was a penny stock. It is up now but people can't see the future. Most rational people would have sold *myself included* as Windows95 was unstoppable and Microsoft was going to be the new standard back then. Apple was simply dead and most former macheads were busy switching to Windows NT and phasing out their macs back then.
  
  --
  http://saveie6.com/
7. Re:And if you invested the money in Apple itself? by Macrat · 2010-11-24 14:45 · Score: 1
  
  The founders are billionaires.
  Woz isn't a billionaire.
  http://www.woz.org/letters/general/97.html
  http://www.woz.org/letters/pirates/13.html
Big Cat Joke by AmigaHeretic · 2010-11-24 04:45 · Score: 1

Apple users prefer the term "Cougar" ;)
1. Re:Big Cat Joke by H3xx · 2010-11-24 05:08 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Apple users prefer the term "Cougar" ;)
  "Cougar" is also a term for a middle-aged woman who seduces younger men. The Apple 1 seduced many young men as well, causing them to become obsessed and spend excess amounts of time with it (her?).
  ...except the Apple 1 is way sexier.
  
  --
  "Ubuntu" - an African word meaning "Slackware is too hard for me."
2. Re:Big Cat Joke by Yvan256 · 2010-11-24 05:10 · Score: 1
  
  Of course it's way sexier... it's naked!
3. Re:Big Cat Joke by calags · 2010-11-24 08:19 · Score: 1
  
  It's one motherboard... ILF!
  
  --
  Never attribute to stupidity what can be construed as a monopoly preservation tactic.
Apple Stock has appreciated 100 times. by 140Mandak262Jamuna · 2010-11-24 04:52 · Score: 1

The split adjusted price for a share of AAPL on Dec 12 1980 is $3.60. Current closing price is around $314. or 87 times. Given this info the 425x price for the original apple computer does not seem to be totally unreasonable/surprising. The antique comes with a letter signed by Steve "le God" Jobs himself.

--
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
1. Re:Apple Stock has appreciated 100 times. by 140Mandak262Jamuna · 2010-11-24 05:18 · Score: 1
  
  Thanks. Neither English nor French is my first language. So I appreciate such tips. I misplaced a comma yesterday and got some grief for it.
  
  --
  sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
I saw the BBC headline on this yesterday by DeathToBill · 2010-11-24 04:56 · Score: 4, Funny

Something like: "Apple Computer sells for £133,250." Am I the only one who saw this and thought, "That can't be right! Their market capitalization is, like, £70bn or something. And why would shareholders be getting out now?"

--
Slashdot - News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters, in ISO-8859-1 Has just realised that beta makes this signature redundant
1. Re:I saw the BBC headline on this yesterday by LoganDzwon · 2010-11-24 06:47 · Score: 1
  
  The name of the company is Apple, Inc. Not Apple Computer. Granted, the capitalization leads to confusion.
2. Re:I saw the BBC headline on this yesterday by DeathToBill · 2010-11-25 23:08 · Score: 1
  
  Fine, so they dropped the 'Computer' bit in 2007. Excuse me for not following every twist and turn of the Jobs corporate... hey! Donuts!
  
  --
  Slashdot - News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters, in ISO-8859-1 Has just realised that beta makes this signature redundant
Re:The guy then cut into the case to mod it! by Yvan256 · 2010-11-24 05:17 · Score: 1

At least read the summary before trying to be funny or troll:
"The Apple-1, which didn't include a casing, power supply, keyboard, or monitor, originally retailed for $666.66 in 1976."
That, and any nerd worth its card already knew those little facts.
Re:Ken Williams must be a bit depressed right now. by asvravi · 2010-11-24 05:21 · Score: 1

Here is a movie which chronicles the happenings around early Apple and MS computers http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168122/
How does 425 times $666.66 equal $210,700 ? by Griffon26 · 2010-11-24 05:24 · Score: 1

What am I missing?
1. Re:How does 425 times $666.66 equal $210,700 ? by swfranklin · 2010-11-24 05:54 · Score: 1
  
  Obviously the article writer didn't break out a calculator and verify his numbers... however there is some basis in fact for that multiplier. The "Cost" of an Apple 1 was $500.00, the "Retail" was $666.66 (a 33% profit for the reseller). The auction price was approximately 425x the "Cost".
2. Re:How does 425 times $666.66 equal $210,700 ? by swfranklin · 2010-11-24 05:55 · Score: 1
  
  (a 33% profit for the reseller)
  Speaking of not breaking out a calculator... the MARKUP was 33%, and the PROFIT was 25% :-P
Hey, check out my WANG!! by mrnick · 2010-11-24 05:42 · Score: 2, Funny

Wow, that's a descent sum of money! I wonder how much I could get for my WANG??

--

Encryption: I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to encrypt it...
1. Re:Hey, check out my WANG!! by Farmer+Tim · 2010-11-24 05:59 · Score: 1
  
  Not as much as Ron Jeremy.
  
  --
  Blank until /. makes another boneheaded UI decision.
No thanks. by jamrock · 2010-11-24 06:11 · Score: 4, Funny

I wonder how much I could get for my WANG??
Well let's see. If you're a typical Slashdot denizen it's never been used and 3.5 inch floppy is standard.

You should clear just enough to buy some razor blades to slit your wrists.
1. Re:No thanks. by cmholm · 2010-11-24 09:08 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  If you're a typical Slashdot denizen it's never been used
  Au contraire, you're thinking external interface. Typically, the built-in-test mode has been exercised thousands of times.
  
  --
  Luke, help me take this mask off ... Just for once, let me butterfly kiss you with my own eyes.
what use is a baby? by Thud457 · 2010-11-24 07:00 · Score: 1

What can you do with an Apple I ?
How about CHANGE THE WORLD.

And you can't play "Breakout" on the Mona Lisa.

--
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
1. Re:what use is a baby? by commodore64_love · 2010-11-24 08:01 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  I'd sooner play Breakout on an Atari 800 (1979) or Commodore 64 (1982).
  Plus these computers still get support (well the C64 does) such that you could use it on the modern internet or do word processing, spreadhseets, etc. Apples can't. Also I remember using 8-bit Apples in school and not really liking them. The lack of good sound & graphics felt dull compared to what Atari and Commodore were doing at the time.
  
  --
  "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
2. Re:what use is a baby? by bhtooefr · 2010-11-25 00:55 · Score: 1
  
  Actually, the Apple-1 can't (easily) play Breakout - it's (essentially) a very primitive "glass teletype," strapped to a computer on the same PCB.
  As for the 8-bit Apple II, the strengths there were durability and expansion. (Oh, and yes, you can use it on the modern internet - using a port of Contiki (and a couple ethernet cards, one of them made by the owner of the site that the Contiki port is hosted on,) the same software used on the C64 to get online - do word processing, and spreadsheets (using various applications - for word processing, there were quite a few - Apple Writer, Magic Window, Bank Street Writer, for spreadsheets, you had VisiCalc (the ORIGINAL spreadsheet,) and there was always the (rather excellent) AppleWorks, if you wanted a suite. Oh, and there was also GEOS (yes, the same GEOS as on the C64, it was a port.) Want DTP? There's Print Shop... or, for a much more powerful DTP, there's Publish-It.)
  And then there's always the 16-bit IIGS, which had pretty much the best sound capabilities of any computer from that era, acceptable graphics capabilities (not as good as the Atari ST or Amiga, admittedly,) and there's even a GUI web browser (not graphical, just GUI) for it. Oh, and there's AppleWorks GS, which was buggy, but it's a GUI office suite for the thing.
Sorry, I'm a bit dyslexic... by VortexCortex · 2010-11-24 07:30 · Score: 1

... and I thought the headline was, "1 Apple Computer Sells For $210700"; Which, honestly, did not sound like news to me.
1. Re:Sorry, I'm a bit dyslexic... by Stregano · 2010-11-24 07:56 · Score: 1
  
  Well if you put it that way, that is an expensive piece of produce
  
  --
  The world is how you make it
More info by sootman · 2010-11-24 07:34 · Score: 5, Funny

"The Apple-1, which didn't include a casing, power supply, keyboard, or monitor..."
Also, it didn't run Flash.

--
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Re:The guy then cut into the case to mod it! by aristotle-dude · 2010-11-24 08:01 · Score: 1

That, and any nerd worth its card already knew those little facts.
You're neither a geek or a nerd if you use Apple products. Nerds and geeks do creative things with their computers and hardware. They write their own software, modify their hardware or create their own.
Guess what? Your "God", Steve Jobs, expressly forbids this kind of geek-ery. It's one of his commandments.
No, Apple users are spoon fed newbs that don't care about doing things their own way. They want to be lead to do it the Steve Jobs way. That's the exact opposite of being a geek or nerd.
I guess that is why they don't offer developer tools that ship with the OS oh wait...
http://developer.apple.com/technologies/tools/
Information for developing hardware drivers for third party hardware either oh wait...
http://developer.apple.com/hardwaredrivers/
They also don't provide developer conferences like the WWDC, SDKs for OS X and iOS. Nope, they don't support any sort of development activity. /sarcasm

--
Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
Apple I: no wireless... by Rastignac · 2010-11-24 09:17 · Score: 1

...Less space than a nomad. Lame.
And expensive !

--
-- Rastignac was here.
Thanks for the corollary by jamrock · 2010-11-24 09:20 · Score: 1

Au contraire, you're thinking external interface. Typically, the built-in-test mode has been exercised thousands of times.
Ah. Thank you for the corollary. I should have made it explicit that I was referring to normal usage scenarios, not manual override.
Re:The guy then cut into the case to mod it! by konohitowa · 2010-11-24 09:36 · Score: 1

I'd say, "Don't feed the troll." But the person you responded to is more than likely some ignoramus that lacks the ability to actually do any of the things they're trying to get nerd cred for.
I use Apple products because they suit me well and I like being able to do development as quickly as possible while still have the CLI goodness of Unix available by default. And yet, I also built my first computer with a soldering iron. Granted, it was a ZX-81 kit, so it's not like I laid out the circuit board for it nor had to wirewrap anything. Just a bit of debugging because the schematic had the keyboard scanline diodes laid out backwards. Maybe I should pull it out of storage and add some neon to the case -- so I could be a *real* computer builder.
of course the irony by MrKaos · 2010-11-24 09:50 · Score: 1

The Apple-1, which didn't include a casing, power supply, keyboard, or monitor
Is that *was* user friendly back in those days.

--
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
But could a Beowulf cluster of these.. by ihaveamo · 2010-11-24 10:20 · Score: 1

..run Linux?
Isn't it 17.34%? by bigtallmofo · 2010-11-24 10:55 · Score: 1

Please excuse me if my formula is incorrect but 666.66 x (1.18 ^ 36) = 258,021.96 which is significantly higher than $210,700.

To solve, use:

210,700 / 666.66 ^ (1/36) = 1.1733775686728221274377171681115 - 1 = 17.34%.

--
I'm a big tall mofo.
Old machines... some are indeed valuable by fyngyrz · 2010-11-24 11:20 · Score: 1

Me too. I have fully working SWTPC systems, GIMIX, a COSMAC ELF, an SC/MP, and some others from the days before Apple. [rubs hands together, grins.]
I sold an Altair 8800 and an Altair 680 some years back -- made what I thought at the time was an obscene amount of money on both sales -- but methinks I still should have waited longer. Never did get my hands on an IMSAI chassis.
Best part is, I have written full-machine emulations like this one to replace the real things, so when they go... they're not really gone. It's still fun to do 6809 assembly programming. Not so much fun to do 6800, 6502, 1802, 8080 or z80 assembly, but still.... fun anyway. :)

--
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.