2 Aug
2005
2 Aug
'05
7:38 a.m.
On Mon, 1 Aug 2005, William Maddox wrote:
Speaking of the Apple 1, I just noticed the winning
bidder is the same guy who bought that "hobby computer
in a wooden case" that was the subject of such wild
speculation a few weeks back. He also bought an NRI
832, which I have heard claimed to predate the Kenbak
and be in fact the first computer kit ever marketed.
Does anyone know the real scoop on that?
Wow, didn't see that! Didn't expect to see one of those on eBay though
(duh) makes sense. If you look through old copies of Popular Electronics
or Radio Electronics you'll see ads from the National Radio Institute
(NRI) hawking correspondence courses on digital computers. Part of the
package is the kit for the NRI 832 computer, which is what you get as part
of the course. I'm not sure if it pre-dates the Kenbak-1 but it is
defintely very early 1970s vintage.
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
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