THE 'HATFIELD' APPLE-1 COMPUTER SIGNED BY STEVE WOZNIAK WITH A LETTER SIGNED BY STEVE JOBS, BEAUTIFULLY PRESERVED IN WORKING CONDITION. Apple-1 Motherboard. Apple Computer Company: Palo Alto, CA, 1976. 230 x 395 mm (9 x 15 1/2 in). Labeled 'Apple Computer 1 / Palo Alto. Ca. Copyright 1976,' on component side, with 'NTI' stamp underneath (second batch), board complete with white ceramic MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor ('MCS 6502 / 2977'), keyboard interface and connector, 3 original Sprague 'Big Blue' capacitors, 8KB RAM, expansion connector, cassette board connector, original Apple cassette interface board labeled 'Apple 1 Cassette Interface Copyright 1976.' Signed by Steve Wozniak ('Woz') along top edge of motherboard. WITH: Typed Letter Signed ('Steven Jobs') as Vice President, Operations of Apple Computer Inc., to original owner, Fred Hatfield, authorizing the exchange of the Apple-1 for an Apple II 4k board, 1 p, 280 x 215 mm, Apple Computer Inc. Cupertino, CA, January 18, 1978. ALSO WITH: Original APPLE-1 OPERATION MANUAL; original PRELIMINARY APPLE BASIC USERS MANUAL with green coversheet bearing Apple's original Newton logo, original Apple-1 Cassette Interface manual, original typed invitation to join the 'Apple I Owners Club' founded by Joe Torzewski; custom power supply; period 1977 Koyo TMC-9M video monitor (serial number 7481); period Panasonic Model RQ-2102 Portable Cassette Recorder (serial number UA2CA001078); period ASCII keyboard and Apple II ASCII keyboard. Provenance: Fred Hatfield, original owner (see Jobs letter); Unnamed consignor (Auction Team Breker, Cologne, Germany, 25 May 2013 Lot 14 sold for approximately $686,000 USD) to the present owner. THE 'HATFIELD' APPLE-1, SIGNED BY CREATOR STEVE WOZNIAK ON THE MOTHERBOARD AND ACCOMPANIED BY A TYPED LETTER SIGNED BY STEVE JOBS TO THE ORIGINAL OWNER, FRED HATFIELD. BEAUTIFULLY PRESERVED IN WORKING CONDITION. The Apple-1 computer was the first pre-assembled personal computer offered for sale, heralding the dawn of the personal computer revolution. The story of its creation, production, and sale has become one of the most enduring legends of 20th-century technology. The Apple-1 Computer was designed and hand-built by Steve Wozniak after joining the Homebrew Computer Club in 1975 and inspired by his experience with microcomputers available at the time. Up until then, other microcomputers did not have built-in capability for video output and required a good deal of technical knowledge and additional parts to operate. Most relied on a series of switches and lights on the terminal or other costly and slow options such as the teletype. 'The Apple Computer is a complete microprocessor system, consisting of a Mos Technology 6502 microprocessor and support hardware, integral video display electronics, dynamic memory and refresh hardware, and fully regulated power supplies. It contains resident system monitor software, enabling the user, via the keyboard and display, to write, examine, debug, and run programs efficiently; thus being an educational tool for the learning and microprocessor programming, and an aid in the development of software.' Apple-1 Operation Manual p. 1. Wozniak's idea to produce a microcomputer that came preassembled with video display terminal circuitry and a microprocessor allowed users to connect it to a television or monitor. This made the Apple-1 significantly more user friendly and accessible, revolutionizing the way all computers would be designed from that point on and launching one of the most successful and iconic companies of all time. Wozniak demonstrated the device to the Homebrew Computer Club in early 1976, where he and fellow member Steve Jobs decided to produce and commercialize the boards. Wozniak and Jobs had been friends for a few years at this point as members of the Bay Area counter-culture movement, computer hobbyists, and collaborators. Together, along with friend Ronald Wayne who received a minority stake, they formed the Apple Computer Company on 1 April 1976. After seeing the prototype produced in Jobs' family garage, Paul Terrell, fellow Homebrew Computer Club member and owner of the Byte Shop, one of the world's first retail computer stores, put in an order for 50 preassembled Apple-1 boards for $500 each. Jobs used this purchase order to secure the necessary parts on 30-day credit terms, and they began production on the first commercially available preassembled personal computers. In total, only 200 Apple-1 computers were produced with approximately 175 sold through 1977 even after the Apple II came to market (Williams, Gregg p. 69). 50 years later, only 74 verified Apple-1 Computers are known and fewer are still in working condition, according to the Apple-1 Registry. The 'Hatfield' Apple-1 is #48 on the Registry and is a rare working example of one of the most extraordinary artifacts of computing history, made even more significant by the signature of its inventor, Steve Wozniak. The development of the personal computer ranks among humanity's most influential milestones, standing perhaps as the most significant leap in information distribution since the Gutenberg Bible (of which, fittingly, only about 180 copies were printed). Reflecting on his achievements at Apple, Steve Jobs captured the profound human element behind this digital revolution, telling biographer Walter Isaacson: 'I think great artists and great engineers are similar, in that they both have a desire to express themselves... In the seventies computers became a way for people to express their creativity' (Isaacson p. 567). The 'Hatfield' Apple-1 was originally owned by Computer Data Systems employee Fred Hatfield. After the release of the Apple II, it was common practice for Apple to offer Apple-1 owners trade-ins to upgrade to the newer, more powerful and refined device. Hatfield wrote to Apple complaining about the limited software options for the Apple-1. He received the letter signed by Steve Jobs included in this lot confirming his eligibility for a trade-in, although he ultimately decided not to take the offer. Although Fred Hatfield decided not to accept the trade-in offer, many Apple-1 owners did, and many of these boards were later distributed to Apple employees, often with parts missing. For this reason, it is rare to see an example of the computer like this one that can be traced back to the original owner and maintains almost all of its original components. The letter serves as a testament to just how personally involved Jobs and Wozniak were in the early days of Apple, doing everything from designing and producing the products, to running customer support. Jobs placed a heavy emphasis on the human element in everything he produced, stating, 'The reason Apple resonates with people is that there's a deep current of humanity in our innovation' (Isaacson p. 567). Letters signed by Jobs are incredibly desirable amongst Apple collectors, and the 'Hatfield' Apple-1 is the only example known to have associated signed correspondence from Jobs. This lot presents the rare opportun For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing