The Apple I Launched in 1976 as the First Personal Computer You Could Buy

The first Apple computer, called the Apple I, came out in 1976. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the first unit by hand in Jobs's parents' garage in Los Altos, California, and the machine sold for $666.66. This was not the first computer ever made, but it was the first one designed and priced for individual people to own and use at home, rather than only for businesses or universities.

The Apple I was a circuit board about the size of a paperback book. It had no case, no keyboard, and no monitor included—you had to supply those yourself or build them. The computer had 4 kilobytes of memory, which is roughly the size of a single email today. Despite these limits, it marked a turning point: before the Apple I, computers filled entire rooms and cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Key Takeaways

  • The Apple I was released in 1976 and cost $666.66, making it the first personal computer sold to individual buyers rather than only to institutions.
  • Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak hand-built the first Apple I in a garage and sold about 200 units before moving on to the Apple II.
  • The Apple I was a bare circuit board with no case or keyboard, so buyers had to add their own monitor and input devices.
  • The Apple II, released in 1977, was the first mass-market personal computer and included a case, keyboard, and color graphics capability.

How the Apple I Compared to Other Early Computers

In 1976, other computers existed—the Altair 8800 came out in 1975, and the Commodore PET arrived the same year as the Apple I. The Altair was a kit you had to assemble yourself and required knowledge of electronics. The Apple I was simpler: it was a working circuit board you could plug into a power supply and a television set. You still needed to add a keyboard, but the barrier to entry was lower than the Altair.

The Apple I ran on a 6502 processor and used BASIC programming language, which meant hobbyists could write their own programs. About 200 Apple I units were sold before Apple moved on to the next model. The computer was never meant to be a long-term product—Jobs and Wozniak were already planning something better.

The Apple II Changed What a Personal Computer Could Be

In 1977, Apple released the Apple II, which was the machine that actually brought personal computers into homes and small businesses. The Apple II came in a plastic case, included a keyboard, and could display color graphics on a television or monitor. It had 4 kilobytes of memory standard, but you could expand it to 64 kilobytes. The price started at $1,298.

The Apple II was the first personal computer that looked finished and professional. You did not have to be an electronics informed to use it. Within a few years, software like VisiCalc (the first spreadsheet program) made the Apple II essential for small business owners. The Apple II line stayed in production for 16 years and sold millions of units.

Why the Apple I Mattered Even Though Few People Owned One

The Apple I proved that personal computers could exist and that people would buy them. Before 1976, the computer industry believed computers would always be large, expensive machines run by trained operators. The Apple I showed that a small team could design a computer that regular people could afford and use.

The Apple I also established Apple as a company willing to think differently about technology. Jobs and Wozniak were not trying to make a cheaper version of an existing product—they were inventing a new category. That approach became central to Apple's identity and influenced how the company designed products for decades afterward.

What You Could Actually Do With an Apple I

An Apple I owner could write programs in BASIC, play straightforward games, and do basic calculations. The computer could store data on a cassette tape recorder, which was slow and unreliable. There was no hard drive, no floppy disk drive (at first), and no way to print documents easily. Most owners were hobbyists and engineers who enjoyed building things and writing code.

The Apple I had no software bundled with it. You had to write your own programs or find them in computer magazines and user groups. This was very different from later personal computers, which came with games, word processors, and other programs ready to use. For most people in 1976, an Apple I would have been frustrating and pointless. For the people who wanted one, it was revolutionary.

The Timeline From Apple I to the Computers We Use Today

The Apple I (1976) led directly to the Apple II (1977), which became the standard personal computer for the next decade. In 1984, Apple released the Macintosh, which introduced the graphical user interface—the windows, icons, and mouse-based system that modern computers still use. The Macintosh was expensive and had limited software at first, but it showed what personal computers could become.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, personal computers became faster, cheaper, and more powerful. IBM and other companies built computers that ran Microsoft's operating systems. By the 2000s, computers were in most homes and offices. The journey from the Apple I—a bare circuit board in a garage—to today's laptops and tablets took less than 50 years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was the Apple I really the first personal computer?

The Altair 8800 (1975) came out a year earlier, but it was a kit you had to assemble. The Apple I was the first personal computer sold as a working unit. Some people count the Altair as first, others count the Apple I, depending on whether you mean "first designed" or "first you could actually use out of the box."

How much would an Apple I cost in today's money?

The Apple I cost $666.66 in 1976. Adjusted for inflation, that is roughly $3,500 in 2024 dollars. However, that comparison does not capture the real difference—an Apple I had far less power than a modern smartphone, so the price difference is not just about inflation.

Can you still buy an Apple I?

No, Apple has not made the Apple I since 1977. Original Apple I computers are rare and expensive in the used market because so few were made and many were taken apart or discarded. Museums and collectors own most of the surviving units.

Did Steve Jobs invent the Apple I?

Steve Wozniak designed and built the Apple I. Steve Jobs handled business, marketing, and finding the first buyers. Both were essential—Wozniak created the machine, and Jobs made sure people knew about it and could buy it. They were partners, not a single inventor.

What happened to the Apple I after the Apple II came out?

Apple stopped making the Apple I and focused entirely on the Apple II. The Apple II was faster, had more memory, came in a case, and included a keyboard. There was no reason for anyone to buy an Apple I once the Apple II existed at a reasonable price.