Computers

Rare Macintosh 128K prototype for sale on eBay

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The Macintosh 128K prototype that is up for sale on eBay
A seller on eBay claims this could be one of the oldest complete Macintosh systems in the world
This alleged prototype could set you back over US$100,000
The Macintosh 128K comes with original keyboard, mouse and cords
The Macintosh 128K comes with original keyboard, mouse and cords
The underside of the keyboard
The back with original cords
The Macintosh 128K prototype features the classic Apple logo
A view with the cover off, from the side
Cover off, from the rear
The heart of the Macintosh 128K prototype system
The heart of the system
The chips were cleaned and restored
The underside of the disk drive
The motherboard of the Macintosh 128K prototype
Comparison of prototype and its successor
Memory with the rarely seen "Mister Macintosh" icon
Power supply of the Macintosh 128K prototype
Etched signatures in the Macintosh 128K prototype case
Etched signatures in the Macintosh 128K prototype case
Original cables are included with the Macintosh 128K prototype
Comparison of prototype and its successor on the right
The Macintosh 128K prototype that is up for sale on eBay
Macintosh 128K prototype patent
The developers' signatures
An ad with Steve Jobs for the Macintosh that finally made it to market
There's a few hours left in the eBay auction as this article goes live
The Macintosh 128K prototype up for sale on eBay
View gallery - 27 images

If you're an avid Apple fan with a bankroll akin to that of the late Steve Jobs, we've found an item on eBay that you might want to add to your watch list. A merchant in British Columbia is selling what they claim to be a rare prototype of the original Macintosh 128K computer based around a proprietary floppy disk drive Apple developed but later scrapped. The opening bid on the system, which comes with the original keyboard, mouse and cords but doesn't boot, is US$99,995.00.

The prototype includes the so-called "Twiggy" floppy disk drive that Apple developed, but it turned out to be too buggy and the company ended up shelving it in favor of a Sony-made disk drive instead.

The listing includes two dozen photos of the system inside and out, and a whole lot more background information on the prototype. There's no real information on the seller though, except for a note that his username "Wozniac" is simply an homage to Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, not an indication that he's the real Woz.

That, and the lack of documentation, make it tough to tell whether or not this is real or a fake, especially with $100,000 at stake. It's also impossible to tell if the lone bid on the item - for the minimum amount - is legit or a shill.

Mashable reports that they were able to get a hold of the seller, who gave his name as Adam but wouldn't reveal his last name. He claims to have acquired it from someone on the site AppleFritter.com and is hoping that a museum or collector with big bucks might be interested.

The same seller is also offering an awful lot of old Apple "Lisa" items, including a completely restored and functioning Lisa 1 system - that one will set you back $24,995.00.

The Lisa was another early and arguably more powerful workstation from Apple, but did not meet with nearly as much commercial success as the Macintosh eventually would.

Source: eBay via Mashable

View gallery - 27 images
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3 comments
Rt1583
Sounds to me that this person is trying to artificially drive an extreme collectors market where none exists.
Pretty much like diamonds. They are pretty much intrinsically worthless rocks that have been turned into a multi-billion dollar enterprise through the use of clever use of marketing.
Denis Klanac
Rt1583- My thoughts exactly.
ihateorange
Just looked and the auction has been closed. The bid was cancelled "Bidder claims his son placed a bid on this item and requested I cancel his bid" and its now on a BIN at $99,995.00. And with a delivery charge of $1500 I hope he will be delivering it by hand.