Mac · 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.
Apple I: key facts
When was the Apple I released?
The Apple I was released 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 are the Apple I’s specs?
The Apple I used a MOS 6502 running at 1.023 MHz, with 4 KB of memory. It ran Woz Monitor / Integer BASIC.
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).
Cross-architecture speed figures are clock-only and approximate; inflation figures use US CPI.
Did you know?
The $666.66 price wasn’t satanic — Woz just liked repeating digits, marked a third over $500 wholesale.
Related Mac models
Open the Apple I in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-25