Trivia 15 of 30

What was the first Apple computer called?

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The Apple Computer

The original Apple Computer (later known as the Apple-1) went on sale in July 1976 for $666.66 (or about $3,500 in today’s dollars). The product was simply a motherboard, without a monitor, keyboard, or power source. The first unit was used in a high school math class. About 200 units were produced in total, and all but 25 were sold within the first nine or ten months (Wikipedia.org).

Apple-1 motherboard

The original Apple Computer (later known as the Apple-1). Photo: Bonhams.com

An old Apple-1 motherboard and small video monitor sit on display

This Apple-1 computer sold for $905,000 at an auction in 2014. Photo: Bonhams.com

Demonstration of the Apple-1 (2:32). Video: Bonham auctioneers

Apple Lisa

The Apple Lisa was released in 1983. It was the fourth computer released by Apple, following the Apple 1, 2, and 3. It cost $9,995 in 1983, which is roughly equivalent to $30,000 today. It is considered a commercial failure, as only 10,000 units were ever sold in its two years on the market (Wikipedia.org).

An old Apple Lisa computer on display on a white shelf.

Apple Lisa on display at The BYTE Shop computer museum in Boston in 2022. Photo: Wikimedia.org

Apple Macintosh

The original Apple Macintosh computer was released in 1984 and sold for $2,495 (equivalent to about $7,000 in today’s dollars. It went on sale two days after Apple’s now-famous “1984” ad aired during Super Bowl XVIII (Wikimedia.org).

An original Apple Macintosh sits on a small wooden table in a dimly lit room.

The original Apple Macintosh. Photo: Classicomputers.org.nz

Apple’s famous 1984 ad, directed by Ridley Scott. Video: Mac History

Apple Newton

The Newton was a personal digital assistant (PDA) released by Apple Computers in 1993. It sold for $900, or about $1,800 today (Arstechnica.com). The device’s high price tag and early problems with its handwriting recognition feature limited its sales. Steve Jobs killed the product a year after his return to Apple in 1998 (Wikipedia.org).

An Apple Newton next to a much smaller Apple iPhone.

The Apple Newton (left), released in 1993, compared to the Apple iPhone (right), released in 2007. Photo: Wikimedia.org