A rare Apple Computer 1 owned by a Dubai collector and signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has sold at auction for $340,100 (Dh1.25 million).
The computer was auctioned off on eBay by owner Jimmy Grewal, whose AAPL Collection documents the first 30 years of Apple's existence from 1976 and is widely considered the rarest selection of Apple products in the Middle East.
He told The National that “anything above $300,000 was a win”, and was confident of selling it for more than that, having not set a reserve price.
The computer, which still works, was valued at $485,000 before the start of the auction. It is one of only 200 that were made.
The new owner is an experienced vintage computer collector and Apple aficionado in the US.
The auction listing attracted more than 130,000 visitors and was actively “watched” by more than 6,500 eBay members. A total of 28 qualified bidders participated in the auction and submitted 113 bids.
Mr Grewal plans to use the proceeds to “further our plans to create more opportunities for the public in the UAE to interact with our extensive collection of vintage Apple products dating back to 1976".
He has another Apple 1 computer, which he said he will keep, but needed to sell one of them in order to invest in and expand his collection, and, hopefully, open a museum one day.
A pop-up shop is his main focus now, although he says it is early days and would need to organise some help moving the equipment. He currently has no plans to sell any more of his collection.
Although the selling price of his Apple 1 is below what it was valued at, it is some mark-up on the $666.66 it was sold for when first made in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Mr Wozniak.
The record sale for an Apple 1 computer is $905,000 at Bonhams in 2014. It was described as being “in beautiful working condition”.
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Jimmy Grewal sits in front of the incredibly rare Apple I, the first personal computer sold by Apple in 1976. Cody Combs / The National -
Apple's first attempt at a laptop, the Macintosh Portable, from 1989. It weighed 7 kilograms, but its battery lasted from 6 to 12 hours. Cody Combs / The National -
Left to right: Apple I, Apple II, Apple Lisa, Macintosh 512k. Cody Combs / The National -
A closeup of one of the first Macintosh models. Cody Combs / The National -
This Apple II (serial #92) has no vents on the casing, making it very rare, unlike the Apple II on the left. Grewal says only approximately a dozen of these ventless Apple IIs remain in existence. Cody Combs / The National -
This Apple II was purchased by the American School of Dubai in 1978. Cody Combs / The National -
This sticker, complete with typo, shows just how old this Apple II is. Cody Combs / The National -
The original 128k Macintosh sits on the top left of this portion of Grewal's Apple Collection. Also pictured just below is the 20th Anniversary Macintosh. Cody Combs / The National -
Grewal's collection is still growing, prompting him to move computers to different locatins to make room. Cody Combs / The National -
Some of Apple's first attempts at "tower" Macintosh computers, like the Macintohs Quadra, are also in Grewal's collection. Cody Combs / The National -
No detail was too small for Grewal in presenting his the Apple products. These cabinets were colour matched to correspond with the original rainbow Apple logo. Cody Combs / The National -
Grewal's collection of Apple laptops, ranging from the Apple Duo to the Apple PowerBooks continues to grow. Cody Combs / The National -
This unusually large Apple product is a rare Apple Network Server. These ran a Unix-based operating system. Cody Combs / The National -
The first Apple LaserWriter, manufactured in 1985, is one of several Apple printers in Grewal's collection. Cody Combs / The National -
This Apple Scribe printer utilized special thermal paper. The quality was poor and the printing was slow, but the thermal paper was an innovative idea at the time. Cody Combs / The National -
Also in Grewal's collection is an Apple Interactive Television Box from 1994. It was never released. Cody Combs / The National -
It's not technically an Apple product, but this NeXT Cube was the computer created by Steve Jobs' company, "Next", after he was fired from Apple in 1985. It's shaped almost perfectly like a cube, was very powerful, but sold poorly. Cody Combs / The National -
In Grewal's other office, Apple product cases are used to prop up a coffee table, and various Apple artefacts and photos are displayed on the wall. Cody Combs / The National -
This is a rarely used early rendition of the Apple logo. It's signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and the often forgotten co-founder Ron Wayne. Cody Combs / The National -
Inside this original Macintosh 128k, you can see the molded signatures from the original Macintosh team, including the signature of Steve Jobs. Cody Combs / The National -
An Apple Dot Matrix Printer, first introduced in 1982. Cody Combs / The National -
This rare Apple I was the first product shipped by Apple in 1976. This particular Apple I in Grewal's Dubai collection still works. Cody Combs / The National -
This is an original Apple Lisa in Grewal's Dubai collection. It was the first Apple computer to have a graphical user interface. Grewal says approximately 20 of the original Lisa computers remain in the world. Cody Combs / The National
Mr Grewal's collection includes the complete line of the Apple II and Macintosh families, early hand-held devices, printers and displays, and the original iPod, iPhone and iPad.
“Our mission is to preserve this story by collecting, restoring and displaying nearly 200 computers and hundreds of accessories and artefacts from Apple’s first 30 years,” he said.
“The fact that our collection is based in Dubai and is recognised globally should come as no surprise, given the UAE’s passion for technology and its broad adoption across all sectors of business and society.
“The UAE has one of the highest per-capita ownership of Apple products and is the regional hub for the company’s Asian operations.”
Anyone with grand ideas of holding on to their current iPhone or iPad will need to remember that the devices are one of millions that have been manufactured.
Mr Grewal said there was only a handful of Apple products that are now worth more than when they were first released — and those tend to be the ones that were sold in limited numbers.
Of the more recent products, he said the first iPhone and iPod are worth more than when they were first launched.
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Apple iPhone through the years
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The iPhone through the ages: Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone to the world in San Francisco, California, on January 9, 2007. It had a 3.5-inch screen and 2MP camera. Reuters -
The iPhone 3G was launched in 2008 with a faster 3G connection. It also added location services. Reuters -
The iPhone 3GS was released on June 19, 2009. It was twice as fast as its previous version. AFP -
The iPhone 4 was released on June 24, 2010. It featured FaceTime for the first occasion as well as a retina screen. Reuters -
A later release, this time on October 14, 2011, the iPhone 4S had a new dual-core processor. Reuters -
Apple CEO Tim Cook takes to the stage following the reveal of the iPhone 5 in San Francisco, California, on September 12, 2012. This was the first 4-inch screen and the phone was faster and slimmer. Reuters -
The iPhone 5C arrived on September 20, 2013 and was less expensive and very similar to the iPhone 5 except it came with colourful casing. Getty Images -
The iPhone 5s came at the same time as the 5C and introduced touch ID and a motion data processor as health and fitness apps started to come to the fore. Getty Images -
The iPhone 6 marked another double launch when unveiled on September 9, 2014. The 6 had a 4.7-inch screen, faster processor and improved camera. AFP -
The iPhone 6 Plus had a 5.5-inch screen and was $100 more expensive. Reuters -
The iPhone 6s came on September 25, 2015 with 3D touch and a camera that could shoot 4K video. EPA -
The iPhone 6s Plus is displayed at Tokyo's flagship store on September 25, 2015. Both new phones came in a new colour - rose gold. AFP -
Unveiled on March 21, 2016, the iPhone SE had the same design as the iPhone 5 and saw a return to the 4-inch screen which was preferred by some users. It was more affordable and hence lacked features such as Touch ID. AFP -
The iPhone 7 announced on September 7, 2016, said somewhat controversially goodbye to the audio jack. Reuters -
The iPhone 7 Plus had a dual camera added. AFP -
The iPhone 8 was released on September 22, 2017 and had a new glass and aluminium design, retina HD screen. Reuters -
A customer gets his hands on an iPhone 8 Plus on launch day in Tokyo on September 22, 2017. The launches also saw speakers that were 25% louder and the most powerful and smartest chip in a smartphone (according to Apple). AFP -
The iPhone X marked a decade of iPhones on September 12, 2017. It's main changes were an edge-to-edge super retina screen. Touch ID was removed with Face ID introduced. Reuters -
The iPhone XS was released on September 21, 2018 and had a Super Retina OLED screen with improved scratch and water resistance. Face ID was faster. Reuters -
The iPhone XS Max had the largest iPhone screen to date at 6.5 inches. It could handle 3 million pixels. Reuters -
The iPhone XR was slightly cheaper than the XS and came with a 6.1-inch screen. AFP -
A customer looks at the iPhone 11 at an Apple store in Dubai Mall on September 20, 2019. EPA -
A man tries out the iPhone 11 Pro in Cupertino, California, on September 10, 2019. AFP -
Midnight Green was introduced for the iPhone 11 Pro Max, while there was also a new three-camera system. Reuters -
Arriving on April 15, 2020, the iPhone SE was for budget-minded customers and was pretty much a replica of the iPhone 8. Its 4.7-inch screen felt rather on the small side compared to the big screens of its big brothers. Apple Inc. / AFP -
The iPhone 12 on October 13, 2020 introduced a new processor and a screen that offered four times better protection if dropped. Apple / AFP -
The iPhone 12 mini offered a 5.4-inch screen. Getty Images -
Mr Cook showcases the iPhone 12 Pro during an event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on October 13, 2020. This upgrade saw a faster chip, 5G speed, a "camera system that’s killer in low light. A LiDAR Scanner for more realistic AR. And two great sizes to choose from — including our largest display ever". Apple / EPA -
The iPhone 12 Pro Max was categorised as a 'legacy phone'. Reuters -
The new iPhone 13 was unveiled on September 14, 2021. It has a smart data mode which helps battery life, more 5G bands and antenna lines that use material made from recycled plastic water bottles. AFP -
Apple CEO Tim Cook showcasing the third generation iPhone SE featuring 5G and the A15 Bionic chip on March 8, 2022. EPA -
The Apple iPhone 14, 14 Plus, Pro Max and the Apple iPhone 14 Pro were unveiled during an event on September 7, 2022. It didn’t raise its US prices during one of the worst years for inflation in decades. The biggest addition was emergency calling after a car crash. Bloomberg
