July 1976
Apple I goes on sale
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak began selling the Apple I computer kit in July 1976 — a single-board machine with 4 KB RAMRandom access memory — fast volatile memory used while programs run. and MOS 6502 CPUCentral processing unit — the primary chip that executes program instructions..
What it was for
The Apple I was a fully assembled motherboard — buyers added a keyboard, power supply, and case. The Byte Shop ordered 50 units, proving a market existed between Altair kits and finished systems. Wozniak's elegant design foreshadowed the Apple II; hobbyists got a working computer without weeks of soldering.
Companies
- Apple
Why it's here
The Apple I was Apple's first product and bridge from hobby kits to the Apple II.
Why it mattered
It validated that a polished microcomputerA small computer built around a microprocessor — the category that became personal computers. design could sell through retail channels.
What it solved
Hobbyists wanted a working CPUCentral processing unit — the primary chip that executes program instructions. board without building from scratch like the Altair.
Media
ImageApple IAchim Baqué, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak found AppleApril 1, 1976
- Apple II introducedApril 16, 1977
- Altair 8800 releasedJanuary 1975