One of Apple’s earliest computers has just fetched a record-breaking price at auction, with a remarkable piece of Steve Jobs history helping tell its story.
Some Apple products become collector’s items. Others become part of computing history. And then there’s this: an original Apple-1 computer, signed by Steve Wozniak and accompanied by a letter from Steve Jobs, which has just sold for $1,148,200 at auction.
The machine, known as the “Hatfield” Apple-1, went under the hammer at Bonhams on October 14, attracting a fierce 28-minute bidding contest between two prospective buyers. The final price, including the buyer’s premium, comfortably exceeded its pre-auction estimate of $500,000 to $800,000.
But the computer itself isn’t the only reason this particular piece of Apple history is so special.
A letter from Steve Jobs that could have changed everything
The story goes back to 1978, when the Apple-1’s original owner, Fred Hatfield, contacted Apple to complain about the lack of software available for his computer.
Jobs, then Apple’s vice president of operations, responded with a letter offering Hatfield the opportunity to exchange his Apple-1 for an Apple II motherboard, with an additional $400 payment required.
Hatfield declined the offer and kept his machine.
That decision turned out to be rather significant. The computer survived, eventually finding its way into the hands of a buyer who restored it and secured Wozniak’s signature on its motherboard. The original Jobs letter remained with the machine, preserving a fascinating glimpse into Apple’s early days.
It’s a wonderful reminder that the history of technology isn’t just about the products themselves. Sometimes, it’s about the people who owned them, the decisions they made, and the things they chose to keep.
A record-breaking piece of Apple history
The Hatfield Apple-1 had already made headlines when it sold at auction in 2013, with Bonhams recording that earlier sale at approximately $686,000.
Its latest result takes things to another level, setting a world auction record for a commercially sold Apple-1 computer.
It’s worth noting that Apple-1 prototypes have achieved even higher prices. A prototype known as the “Celebration” board sold for $2.75 million in January 2026, so this isn’t a record for every Apple-1-related artefact.
Nevertheless, more than $1.1 million for a working computer originally sold in the 1970s is an extraordinary result.
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak produced the Apple-1 in 1976, the year Apple was founded. Around 200 were made, and fewer than 75 are believed to survive today. Originally sold for $666.66, the Apple-1 helped lay the foundations for the company that would go on to transform personal computing, music, smartphones and much more.
Nearly five decades later, one of those machines has proved that Apple’s earliest history is still worth an incredible amount.
And perhaps the most remarkable part of the story is that it might have ended very differently had Fred Hatfield accepted Steve Jobs’ offer back in 1978.
Sometimes, saying no turns out to be the best decision of all.
Source: MacRumors