1983 Macintosh prototype will be sold at auction and could exceed $120,000

A rare Macintosh prototype, produced by Apple in 1983, is being sold at auction in Bonhams – New York and much of the hardware is attracting the attention of enthusiasts and collectors. Model #M0001 has a “Twiggy disk” drive (5.25 inches), for example – which was canceled due to reliability issues.

It is claimed that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs ordered pre-production units to be destroyed before commercial launch. In other words, no model that hit the market after 1984 has a reader, arriving with a 3.5-inch drive – more compact and reliable.

Steve Jobs may have ordered the destruction of the 1983 Macintosh prototypes, but besides surviving, it is in very good condition. It also features a keyboard that has its serial number handwritten, a prototype Apple M01000 mouse with a single connector, and a Twiggy double-density floppy disk called “Mac Word.”

It goes without saying that this rare model serves as a part of Apple’s history, showing what its ideas were like during the development phase of its first computers and marks a great stage in technology in the 80s.

Auction expectations for the Macintosh prototype are that it will sell for between $80,000 and $120,000. However, experts point out that the final value could exceed this initial analysis and even break a record for Apple computers auctioned. In 2019, a similar model with a Twiggy drive sold for $150,075.

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More Macintosh Prototype Information

In addition to the Macintosh prototype itself being a rarity in itself, another detail that catches the public’s attention is a preview version of the first software – a version not finalized by Apple of its operating system.

This allows enthusiasts and collectors to see with their own eyes what the developers’ idea was like in the first years that Apple worked on its computers, apart from the fact that it is an important piece in the history of PCs. Note that notifications and the development of the system It was made by Steve Jobs himself.

The auction will take place between October 13th and October 23rd, 2024, with the fully functional Macintosh prototype aiming to break the brand’s records and reach hands that will help preserve the model.

Fonte: WCCFTECH