Apple II/III · The Garage Era · 1976
Apple I
Hand-built by Steve Wozniak and sold by Steve Jobs from a garage, the Apple I was little more than a board. You supplied the case, power, keyboard and TV. Only ~200 were made.
The first Apple product, sold as a fully assembled board when rivals shipped kits.
Apple II (1977)
Apple I: key facts
When was the Apple I released?
The Apple I arrived in April 1976. Apple discontinued it in October 1977.
How much did the Apple I cost?
The Apple I launched at $667 in 1976, about $3,667 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What specs stand out?
Key specs: MOS 6502 at 1.023 MHz, 4 KB RAM, Composite video out (BYO TV), text only display, Cassette, keyboard header.
Why does the Apple I matter?
The first Apple product, sold as a fully assembled board when rivals shipped kits.
Full specifications
| CPU | MOS 6502 · 1.023 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 4 KB (up to 8 KB) |
| Storage | — |
| Display | Composite video out (BYO TV), text only |
| GPU | Built-in terminal circuitry |
| Ports | Cassette, keyboard header |
| Weight | Bare board |
| Dimensions | Single PCB |
| Operating system | Woz Monitor / Integer BASIC |
| Released | April 1976 |
| Discontinued | October 1977 |
| Launch price | $667 |
How the Apple I compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 4,190,000× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 1.023 MHz, the clock is roughly 3,130× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro, and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
Launched at $667 in 1976, about $3,667 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Method note: clock comparisons use frequency only; price conversions use US CPI.
Sources
Specs checked against Apple technical specifications archive, EveryMac, Mactracker, Wikimedia Commons image credits.
Did you know?
The $666.66 price wasn’t satanic. Woz just liked repeating digits, marked a third over $500 wholesale.
Related Apple II/III models
Open the Apple I in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-08-11