I sort of support it... Though you're correct that the Apple II set a much
better trend for future machines that would follow (C64, IBM PC, etc.), the
Apple I is merely a symbol of enginuity, blood and sweat by the two Steves,
and something spiritual that hangs over the company, its customers, and even
Silicon Valley itself.
However, let's look at it in this point of view... If Steve Jobs left Apple,
went back to the orchards and porked out on apricots for the rest of his
life, what would've happened to the Apple 1's legacy? What if Woz moved to
Canada to try out some improvisational comedy at Second City, then ended up
building blue boxes in Toronto for the rest of his life, then I'm sure the
Apple 1's legacy would have little to no impact today. I think Steve Jobs
and Woz's contributions to the industry as a whole years after 1976 plays a
major factor in the value of the Apple 1. It's the same concept as the value
of a painting depending on whether or not the artist is dead. Though we do
not wish for the sudden death of the two Steves, it's really the concept of
the simple computing device that's totally dead, making the Apple 1 that
much stronger of a symbol.
Yeah, those other devices you mentioned (MOS KIMs and Rockwell AIMs) could
also be up there with the Apple 1. However, can you find a handful of people
that can tell you off the top of their heads the names of the people who
made these devices? And, what kind of people these engineers were? I know
that Lee Felsenstein invented the Osborne 1, but what kind of a person was
he? From what I can gather, he was pretty much a featureless bore and a
total nerd, so that may not have helped the Osborne 1's legacy. But then if
you take the same personality and put it in another body, name the body Bill
Gates, and then crank up the art of gab feature 3 notches, then you'll
understand that it is Bill that makes the MITS Altair's legacy and not just
the machine itself. Remember that the inventor of the box is now practicing
general medicine, so he didn't help the Altair's legacy any.
Quite interesting....
--- Bryan
It's pretty mystifying to me that Apple I computers command so much
money.
I guess value is in the eye of the beholder. In my opinnion it was the
original Apple 2 that was the real innovation. Sure the Apple I was a
clever
piece of hardware but still it was basically just a SBC with integrated TV
typewriter. If people weren't so crazy about Apple computer, I suspect
those
machine's average asking price would be more in line with the likes of MOS
KIMs or Rockwell AIMs.
Does anyone share this opinion?
- Liam Busey