They are seeking a woman without knowing who donated an Apple-I $ 200,000 – BBC

BBC Technology

• June 1, 2015

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Copy Apple-I, the first computer model created by Apple in 1976.

One of the first computers made by Apple, the Apple-I, appeared in a box of e-waste donated to a recycling company operating in Silicon Valley in the United States.

The machine of 1976 was sold for $ 200,000, and now the company is looking for the woman who anonymously left the box in April at its recycling center to share half the money with her.

The policy CleanBayArea in Milpitas, California, is 50% share profits raised from the sale of equipment.

The Apple-I was hidden in the bottom of a box, under a tangle of cables, keyboards and mice, as he He described the BBC’s vice president of marketing for the company, Viktor Gichun.

“So I think he should not see the computer, nor we saw us when we were handed the box at first,” he said.

Gichun He said that when they saw for the first time did not realize the value it had.

“I thought it was rubbish we had to recycle,” he said laughing.

A collection machine

In 2010 this copy of Apple-I was sold in its original packaging at auction Christie’s in London for $ 210,000.

This issue is one of only 200 models were produced.

went on sale in 1976, the same year that Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne founded the company, which began operating from the garage of Jobs’ parents.

The Apple-I was the first product manufactured by the company Apple and was assembled by hand by Wozniak himself.

(the equivalent of about $ 2,763 in 2015, adjusted for inflation) was then sold for US $ 666.66.

1,000 times slower and made of wood

Despite its great value as a collectible, the processor Apple-I is 1,000 times slower than the current Apple tablet, the iPad.

Computer Apple-I at auction in Hong Kong.

Gichun told the BBC he had never seen such an old computer and failed to initially recognize the value it had.

“This machine was manufactured 30 years ago, when I He was only 4 years. I had never seen before a computer made of wood, “he said.

” It’s not like the computers we use today. Does not have a monitor, a keyboard and a wooden body and a plate on the back of the keyboard. “

” I had written the word Apple but not the logo we know. “

“It looked like something made with knife and strokes, for divertimento”.

“When I first saw it I said, what is this? Is it really? “Animatedly said.

So he called his partner, who is in charge of sales and asked what he thought of that.

It was he who realized they were dealing with something of value, although at that time not yet imagined how much.

The collector who paid cash

After researching Internet, Gichun partner found another copy Apple-I had recientmente sold US200.000.

That was how they met a collector who visited the store.

” She asked no questions, just looked at her, because I think he understood much, much more than we do what that was, “recalls Gichun.

And then asked” how much they want for it? “.

Account Gichun laughs that partners with some shyness US200.000 said.

“When we said we did not believe it was to pay that. We would have been happy with 100,000 “.

And he said” Ok, see you tomorrow. “

And the next day came with the cash, he told Gichun the BBC while laughed heartily, as if he still had just not believe it.

“It’s ridiculous,” he laughed.

In search of the mysterious owner

Now, the recycling company is looking for the donor who set the box to deliver a check for US $ 100,000.

Gichun says he remembers perfectly of her and her car and suspect lives near because “normally not you walk far to go to get rid of three boxes of electronic waste”.

According to the description of the young man was white and over 60 years.

“We hope to find that today all media talking about this,” he said.