Both parties were tidying up the garage, and this led to a difference of opinion . Hans requested that the lawyer add another clause to the contract . They would clear the garbage in the garage . As long as the walls were not damaged, Abel could not find fault with them .
The contract was signed, and the rental was paid, so Li Du and his group could start moving in . Once the landlord had left, Hans immediately asked, "Hey, what's in the garage?"
Li Du opened the door, went in, and opened a worn out wooden box . "This is the one . I wonder who left this here, the previous tenant or Abel . "
He opened the wooden box and found a small, tatty machine consisting of a big, washed out monitor, an old fashioned keyboard, and a motherboard and microchips . Among those items, the keyboard was unique . It did not have protection on its periphery . It was as if it were simply a plastic board with some plastic keys attached on top . It gave the keyboard an ancient appearance . This was clearly an old computer . Just like the big monitor, it was outdated . However, it was noteworthy that there was a well-known logo printed on a component of this old computer: an apple with a bite taken out of it!
Hans was amazed and yelled, "An Apple-1?! Is this the first generation of Apple computers? Steve Jobs and Stephen Gary Wozniak's Apple-1?!"
On December 8, 1975, Paul Terrell opened the world's first retail computer store in Mountain View, California . In 1976, two young adults paid this computer store a visit and brought in a computer that they had tinkered with . They wanted to promote the fine product they had designed with the objective of making some money . At that time, no one could have known that this was an historical moment . The legendary story in the history of technology had begun to unfold .
These two young adults were, of course, Steve Jobs and Stephen Gary Wozniak . They named their invention the Apple-1 . It was the ancestor of the Apple series, and that was the thing Li Du and Hans were looking at now .
Hans knew about the Apple-1's value . He carefully lifted it up and had a look at the motherboard, microchips, and monitor . He said joyfully, "This is great! We've found a treasure . "
Sophie was puzzled . She asked, "Is that a computer?"
Hans turned back and said, "Yes, this one of the Apple-1's DIY components . Customers would buy it and weld the corresponding microchips onto the motherboard, and then connect the power supply unit, motherboard, and monitor together . "
Sophie gasped, surprised . "Wow, that sounds complex . I wouldn't know how to assemble it if I bought one . It would just be useless junk in my hands . "
Li Du said thoughtfully, "Maybe the person who bought this had the exact same thought . They were unable to assemble it, so they decided to abandon it . "
Hans and Lu Guan were fiddling with the computer components . Sophie looked at them with curiosity and asked, "Does it still work? It has already been so many years since the birth of the Apple-1 . Since it was left here for such a long time, it probably won't work now, right?"
"It doesn't matter if it works or not . This thing is still very valuable . It could at least pay our rent . If it does work, then it would be wonderful," Hans said in high spirits .
"It doesn't matter if it works or not . This thing is still very valuable . It could at least pay our rent . If it does work, then it would be wonderful," Hans said in high spirits .
The Apple-1 was very costly since it was Apple's only limited edition product . At that time, Jobs was selling the Apple-1 to Terrell . Terrell appeared to be very interested, but he told Jobs that he wanted computers that were well assembled . Thus, granting Terrell's wish, Jobs provided him with 50 Apple-1s in perfect condition .
The computer market back then was very small . Jobs and Wozniak had to promote the product themselves . At that time, the Apple-1 was specially sold to computer enthusiasts .
Jobs and Wozniak were unique in two distinctive areas . The first was that they had to sell the product themselves . They were selling computer components which included wooden cases, keyboards, and power supply units . The second was that to generate more profits by solely selling motherboards and monitors, the customer had to sort out their other needs themselves .
This Apple-1 in the possession of Li Du and his group was the very Apple-1 Jobs and Wozniak invented that they offered to sell to Terrell . This could be ascertained based on the composition of the caseless keyboard .
How many of the Apple-1s had they managed to sell at that time? Two hundred units in total were sold and 25 units were not sold . The total number of Apple-1s on the market would be 175 units!
This number of Apple-1s sold in a short period of time was a pretty good result . This gave Jobs and Wozniak confidence in continuing their path in the industry . However, based on the current market, this number was small . It would seem that the Apple-1 was extremely valuable .
As soon as Li Du found the Apple-1, he took some time to research it . According to the information online, Apple had recorded all registered Apple-1s in a statistics report . There were still 66 units worldwide .
As soon as Li Du found the Apple-1, he took some time to research it . According to the information online, Apple had recorded all registered Apple-1s in a statistics report . There were still 66 units worldwide .
The reason these reports were kept was because when Apple had just started, Wozniak was the only one who could provide technical support for the Apple-1 . The number of units at that time was relatively small, so Wozniak could to handle them . However, when the Apple II was released in 1977, the number of Apple users had increased rapidly . In order to reduce Wozniak's workload, Apple set up a technical support team .
In addition, to aim technical support in a better direction, Apple strongly encouraged users to upgrade their utilities . As the users began to upgrade, a lot of the Apple-1's were obliterated . This further decreased the number of existing Apple-1 machines in the world .
Hans and Lu Guan took out the components and gave them a good cleaning . Thick layers of dust had covered the components . Fortunately, the weather in Phoenix was hot and dry . Thus, the machine had not corroded due to the low humidity . This was the most important point .
While cleaning, Lu Guan noticed a welding point on the motherboard . "I thought no one had used it . Apparently, someone did use it and then disassembled it . "
Li Du asked, "Does it affect its value?"
"As long as it can still operate, who cares if someone has used it," Hans answered .
After cleaning up the components, Hans and Lu Guan picked up an electric welder and reassembled the computer . This process seemed very complex to Li Du . However, the task was simple for Hans and Lu Guan . They found a tutorial online and followed the directions . It seemed like they were building a lego house . They managed to assemble it with ease .
Hans plugged in the battery charger, rubbed his hands together, and waited expectantly . "Come on, D*mn it!"
After cleaning up the components, Hans and Lu Guan picked up an electric welder and reassembled the computer . This process seemed very complex to Li Du . However, the task was simple for Hans and Lu Guan . They found a tutorial online and followed the directions . It seemed like they were building a lego house . They managed to assemble it with ease .
Hans plugged in the battery charger, rubbed his hands together, and waited expectantly . "Come on, D*mn it!"
Lu Guan then turned the switch on . He had always longed for this experience . The Apple-1 had been one of the items on his Christmas wish list as a child .
The power switch activated . The green light below the small screen lit up . The characters on the screen began to dance around! Seeing this, Hans and Lu Guan excitedly gave each other a high five and shouted, "Yes, hurray! It worked! This is a working Apple-1!"
The Apple-1 began to operate its programs but its speed was very slow . Li Du asked, "Why is it taking so long?"
Hans waved his hand . "Patience, Li Du . This computer uses BASIC . It's more disordered and complicated than other computer languages . Just give it a little while . "
The characters dancing on the screen had increased . At last, the classic Apple-1's black interface appeared in front of them .
Hans made a fist and yelled, "YES! This is worth at least $600,000!"
The current market price for a working Apple-1 was $600,000 . When it was first released, its price was only $666 . 66 . Its value had increased a thousandfold .
Both parties were tidying up the garage, and this led to a difference of opinion . Hans requested that the lawyer add another clause to the contract . They would clear the garbage in the garage . As long as the walls were not damaged, Abel could not find fault with them . The contract was signed, and the rental was paid, so Li Du and his group could start moving in . Once the landlord had left, Hans immediately asked, Hey, whats in the garage? Li Du opened the door, went in, and opened a worn out wooden box . This is the one . I wonder who left this here, the previous tenant or Abel . He opened the wooden box and found a small, tatty machine consisting of a big, washed out monitor, an old fashioned keyboard, and a motherboard and microchips . Among those items, the keyboard was unique . It did not have protection on its periphery . It was as if it were simply a plastic board with some plastic keys attached on top . It gave the keyboard an ancient appearance . This was clearly an old computer . Just like the big monitor, it was outdated . However, it was noteworthy that there was a well-known logo printed on a component of this old computer: an apple with a bite taken out of it! Hans was amazed and yelled, An Apple-1?! Is this the first generation of Apple computers? Steve Jobs and Stephen Gary Wozniaks Apple-1?! On December 8, 1975, Paul Terrell opened the worlds first retail computer store in Mountain View, California . In 1976, two young adults paid this computer store a visit and brought in a computer that they had tinkered with . They wanted to promote the fine product they had designed with the objective of making some money . At that time, no one could have known that this was an historical moment . The legendary story in the history of technology had begun to unfold . These two young adults were, of course, Steve Jobs and Stephen Gary Wozniak . They named their invention the Apple-1 . It was the ancestor of the Apple series, and that was the thing Li Du and Hans were looking at now . Hans knew about the Apple-1s value . He carefully lifted it up and had a look at the motherboard, microchips, and monitor . He said joyfully, This is great! Weve found a treasure . Sophie was puzzled . She asked, Is that a computer? Hans turned back and said, Yes, this one of the Apple-1s DIY components . Customers would buy it and weld the corresponding microchips onto the motherboard, and then connect the power supply unit, motherboard, and monitor together . Sophie gasped, surprised . Wow, that sounds complex . I wouldnt know how to assemble it if I bought one . It would just be useless junk in my hands . Li Du said thoughtfully, Maybe the person who bought this had the exact same thought . They were unable to assemble it, so they decided to abandon it . Hans and Lu Guan were fiddling with the computer components . Sophie looked at them with curiosity and asked, Does it still work? It has already been so many years since the birth of the Apple-1 . Since it was left here for such a long time, it probably wont work now, right? It doesnt matter if it works or not . This thing is still very valuable . It could at least pay our rent . If it does work, then it would be wonderful, Hans said in high spirits . The Apple-1 was very costly since it was Apples only limited edition product . At that time, Jobs was selling the Apple-1 to Terrell . Terrell appeared to be very interested, but he told Jobs that he wanted computers that were well assembled . Thus, granting Terrells wish, Jobs provided him with 50 Apple-1s in perfect condition . The computer market back then was very small . Jobs and Wozniak had to promote the product themselves . At that time, the Apple-1 was specially sold to computer enthusiasts . Jobs and Wozniak were unique in two distinctive areas . The first was that they had to sell the product themselves . They were selling computer components which included wooden cases, keyboards, and power supply units . The second was that to generate more profits by solely selling motherboards and monitors, the customer had to sort out their other needs themselves . This Apple-1 in the possession of Li Du and his group was the very Apple-1 Jobs and Wozniak invented that they offered to sell to Terrell . This could be ascertained based on the composition of the caseless keyboard . How many of the Apple-1s had they managed to sell at that time? Two hundred units in total were sold and 25 units were not sold . The total number of Apple-1s on the market would be 175 units! This number of Apple-1s sold in a short period of time was a pretty good result . This gave Jobs and Wozniak confidence in continuing their path in the industry . However, based on the current market, this number was small . It would seem that the Apple-1 was extremely valuable . As soon as Li Du found the Apple-1, he took some time to research it . According to the information online, Apple had recorded all registered Apple-1s in a statistics report . There were still 66 units worldwide . The reason these reports were kept was because when Apple had just started, Wozniak was the only one who could provide technical support for the Apple-1 . The number of units at that time was relatively small, so Wozniak could to handle them . However, when the Apple II was released in 1977, the number of Apple users had increased rapidly . In order to reduce Wozniaks workload, Apple set up a technical support team . In addition, to aim technical support in a better direction, Apple strongly encouraged users to upgrade their utilities . As the users began to upgrade, a lot of the Apple-1s were obliterated . This further decreased the number of existing Apple-1 machines in the world . Hans and Lu Guan took out the components and gave them a good cleaning . Thick layers of dust had covered the components . Fortunately, the weather in Phoenix was hot and dry . Thus, the machine had not corroded due to the low humidity . This was the most important point . While cleaning, Lu Guan noticed a welding point on the motherboard . I thought no one had used it . Apparently, someone did use it and then disassembled it . Li Du asked, Does it affect its value? As long as it can still operate, who cares if someone has used it, Hans answered . After cleaning up the components, Hans and Lu Guan picked up an electric welder and reassembled the computer . This process seemed very complex to Li Du . However, the task was simple for Hans and Lu Guan . They found a tutorial online and followed the directions . It seemed like they were building a lego house . They managed to assemble it with ease . Hans plugged in the battery charger, rubbed his hands together, and waited expectantly . Come on, D*mn it! Lu Guan then turned the switch on . He had always longed for this experience . The Apple-1 had been one of the items on his Christmas wish list as a child . The power switch activated . The green light below the small screen lit up . The characters on the screen began to dance around! Seeing this, Hans and Lu Guan excitedly gave each other a high five and shouted, Yes, hurray! It worked! This is a working Apple-1! The Apple-1 began to operate its programs but its speed was very slow . Li Du asked, Why is it taking so long? Hans waved his hand . Patience, Li Du . This computer uses BASIC . Its more disordered and complicated than other computer languages . Just give it a little while . The characters dancing on the screen had increased . At last, the classic Apple-1s black interface appeared in front of them . Hans made a fist and yelled, YES! This is worth at least $600,000! The current market price for a working Apple-1 was $600,000 . When it was first released, its price was only $666 . 66 . Its value had increased a thousandfold .
Chapter end
Report
|
Donate
Oh o, this user has not set a donation button.
|