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Apple-1 computer built by Jobs, Wozniak sells for $500,000 at auction

One of the first Apple computers fetches 750 times more than the original 1970s sale price.

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Andrew Blok has been an editor at CNET covering HVAC and home energy, with a focus on solar, since October 2021. As an environmental journalist, he navigates the changing energy landscape to help people make smart energy decisions. He's a graduate of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State and has written for several publications in the Great Lakes region, including Great Lakes Now and Environmental Health News, since 2019. You can find him in western Michigan watching birds.
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This Apple-1 computer built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak sold for $500,000 at auction.

 MediaNews Group/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty Images / Contributor

One of the first 200 computers ever built by Apple sold at auction this week. The Apple-1 computer, which was hand-built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, was purchased for $500,000.

The computer is housed in a wooden case and is one of about only 60 Apple-1 models still in existence, according to the Los Angeles Times. Several Apple-1 computers have sold over the last 10 years for similarly astonishing prices.

The Apple-1 computer originally sold for $666.66, which means this week's sale price is 750 times more than the original price. The buyer is staying anonymous, but the Los Angeles Times reported that an auction house representative said it appears the computer "will leave the country."

The Apple-1 holds a prestigious place in the history of personal computing. It was one of the first offerings from the brand-new company that still operated out of Jobs' home. Apple is now one of the world's most valuable companies.

John Moran Auctioneers, the auction house responsible for the sale, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

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