26 May
2013
26 May
'13
9:46 p.m.
On Mon, 27 May 2013, Liam Proven wrote:
On 26 May 2013 19:21, Tony Duell <ard at
p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
I don't know about Tony, but if I somehow ended up owning an original
Apple I, I'd be inclined to sell it and use the proceeds to buy a replica
and put the rest in trust to fund other vintage computer gear. The high
selling price of these Apple I boards is still a bubble and there are only
so many people out there who can (and will) spend crazy money on them. The
media (and potential sellers/auction houses) love to hype that there
aren't many of these left, but there are probably quite a few still hiding
in closets/attics/basements waiting to be unearthed (and hopefully not
thrown in the trash when someone clears out an estate).
There's a purely selfish reason, I guess. If
machines are selling for
very high prices then I'll not be able to afford to buy them. Oh well..
But there's another reason. There seems to be no correlation between
technical ability and wealth (if there is a correlation, it's small and
negative, in that highly-paid jobs tend not to be electronics/computer
related). Which means, alas, that some old computers, the Apple 1 being a
prime example, are not so likely to be owned by people who can restore
them, care for them, and run them. And that is a pity. These machines
should not be kept in a safe, regarded as an investment, They should be run.
Well, all right, true, but did you *want* an Apple I?
AIUI, you could just build your own if you wanted, no? The plans and
things are out there, I believe. It's a fairly simple machine.
I couldn't, but you could, I'm sure.
Would it matter to you if it was a replica or a real one?