The first prototype of the Apple-1 was hand-wired by Steve Wozniak. Steve used point-to-point soldered wiring rather than wire wrap because it was easier to follow the wiring once built.
The prototype is shown in an early video by Steve Wozniak himself (Video section of this page). In an interview, Woz talked about the upper board visible in pictures. There are four white 2 KB EPROMs, and that's how he developed BASIC and other routines for the Apple-1.
Unfortunately, the prototype may be lost. Woz can't remember where it is, and perhaps it was destroyed in a fire in his garage. But that could just be a myth.
In early 2022, evidence emerged that at least the hand-wired prototype still exists. All efforts to obtain current pictures or even examine the prototype on site have failed so far.
It is a pre-production mainboard. The mainboard differs from the production units. The 6800 area is populated. There is no switch board above the 74154. Orange capacitors (Sprague Atom) are used. The logo is different. Chips are arranged the same way as in the production units, but the trace lines are very different.
Press release from March 29, 2022.
Paul Terrell (founder of the Byte Shop) gave Achim Baqué (curator of the Apple-1 Registry, a list of all Apple-1 computers) some information recently. Thanks to Paul’s support and his Polaroids of an early Apple-1, it was a great surprise to zoom into the pictures from 1976. The photos were taken when Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs first showed the Apple-1 to Paul at the Byte Shop. The Polaroids were already published in low resolution, but some characteristics had not been noticed until now.
It was not easy to get even a tiny bit of information about the production prototype. Achim Baqué asked Woz, Wendell Sander, Bill Fernandez, Chris Espinosa, Daniel Kottke, and Paul Terrell about the production prototype and received answers from all of them. It was not possible to clarify all open questions. Howard Cantin, the designer of the Apple-1 mainboard, may have some answers. Unfortunately, it was not possible to get in touch with him.
Confirming various assumptions took some time and a lot of research. No one remembers the prototype. We only have some pictures.
In the left center of all Apple-1 units is the text “Apple Computer 1.” However, the prototype states "Apple Computer A © 76". This could have been done to mark it as a prototype, or maybe the idea was to name the final version this way. Woz doesn't remember why the name was changed.
Now that the mystery of the handwritten number is solved, I will continue to search for information about the prototypes. Well, over the past years I have already tried to collect all information, but not much is known. Steve Wozniak mentioned a fire in his garage, and maybe the prototype(s) were in that garage. This would have been a terrible loss.
It is an Apple-1 prototype with a different board layout than the later final production series. It was already clear earlier that there are some differences. Thanks to the detailed pictures by Paul Terrell, it is now evident that there are many differences. Some traces are different. There is just a very small jumper section in the middle (above the IC 74154). The small caps are the same as those used in the 2nd batch. And so on.
The Apple-1 prototype has all the extra components for the 6800/6501 CPU instead of the 6502. Woz was sent a photo of the circuit board by the Apple-1 Registry in early 2012 and commented on the production prototype: “This Apple I below was probably about the first Apple I on an Apple PC board. I had left the 6800 space because it was needed for the $20 6501 instead of the $25 6502. The difference was strong clock driver transistors. Paul Terrell may well have gotten a sort-of prototype since his order is really the reason we built Apple I’s with parts installed. We built a couple with the 6501 but by real production time we could get the 6502 for the same cost.” According to this, the prototype was built with a 6501 CPU. For a 6501, you need the same additional components as for the 6800 CPU. The Woz monitor in the PROMs works without modification. That Paul Terrell was shown a prototype coincides with the book "Little Kingdom" by Michael Moritz.
Achim Baqué will continue to search for information about the prototypes. Over the past years, he has collected all available information, but not much is known. Steve Wozniak mentioned a fire in his garage, and perhaps the prototype(s) were in that garage. This would have been a terrible loss. There is a chance that the very first prototype still exists. Achim Baqué has some clues about its whereabouts, but nothing certain.
After publishing the information about the 'Computer A' (production prototype) in March 2022, it showed up in July 2022 and was sold at auction on August 18, 2022. More information about the auction.
In every story about the first Apple computer, Woz bought the 6502 and built the Apple-1 around it. Not the 6501 CPU. At least for the production prototype, it was the MOS 6501 CPU.
Here are two more Apple-1 units listed. Both are shown in Apple-1 ads and handouts. They do not particularly look like prototypes, but for #3, some chips are different. The 2513 is a ceramic version, the PIA is a zebra-ceramic, and the DRAM is Mostek MK4096P-11 (ceramic) instead of MK4096N-11 (plastic).
The small capacitors are the same as those used on NTI boards (2nd batch), except for a few. There is no NTI logo. Perhaps it was a pre-production NTI board?
If you want to read more about the engineering of the Apple-1, you can find many books on the subject.
= location,
= batch, numbers/stamps/labels,
= verification status,
= picture and video count,
= available history,
= auctions.
Accuracy: No guarantee can be given for the accuracy of any information. If you have more information, please feel free to
contact me. Many very good replicas of Apple-1 exist, even with date code–correct components. Anyone interested
in buying an Apple-1 must keep this in mind. Hobbyists usually build replicas for private use. Even some museums use replicas.
Last update: Jul 29, 2025. Change log for all Apple-1.
Technical info: For much better performance, all pictures are significantly reduced in size by admin using efficient compression tools for pictures shown on the web.
You can link to the Apple-1 Registry. Any form of reprint or reproduction (including excerpts) only with written permission of the Apple-1 Registry.
Here you find press releases and images free to use under CC BY-SA 4.0.
If you have pictures and/or information about any Apple-1, it would be very kind to share it with us.
Contact the Apple-1 Registry.
