This upcoming auction could set a new record since it is a 1983 Apple Macintosh prototype with a Twiggy disk drive that was not authorized by Steve Jobs.
It is another type of auction that is absolutely crazy considering the amount of money a person could pay by an Apple team. We are no longer talking about clothes or objects that belonged to Steve Jobs but rather about a prototype of a 1983 Apple Macintosh but with a 5.25-inch Twiggy disk drive which he abandoned due to apparent performance issues only to end up with a Sony unit. This is one of three existing prototypes in the world and just look at the label on which we can see that it is unit #M0001.
Auction for a 1983 Apple Macintosh that could reach a new record
They are one of those objects prized by collectors and fans of the bitten apple brand. who have sufficient resources to participate in the aforementioned auction. The Twiggy proprietary unit comes from Apple and according to AppleInsider, Steve Jobs ordered the destruction of equipment that was already in pre-production because it had a defect in said unit.. Apparently only two models had been sold at auction in recent years. One that was sold in 2019 for $150,000 and another in 2012 for $99,995.
Curious prototype of an Apple Macintosh from 1983 with Twiggy reader
It also comes with a keyboard bearing a serial number M01000 as well as a prototype connector. The most curious thing is that once the software is launched, the applications include notifications provided by Steve Jobs as instructions. The model will be auctioned at Bonham in New York from October 13 to 23. Average initial sale price is $80,000 to $120,000. We have no doubt that it will exceed these prices and will probably exceed 150,000 from previous auctions if this prototype performs without problems.
This is part of the description visible on the auction house’s website:
Macintosh personal computer, Apple Computers Inc, Cupertino, California, [1983]with 5-1/4 inch “Twiggy” disk drive with corresponding slot on the front panel, prototype mouse, prototype keyboard. Includes 820-0086-00 motherboard, copyright 1983, with Jean-Michel Folon “Mac Man” (Mr. Macintosh) on the edge, with a 512 EPROM adapter card also featuring “Mac Man”, contained in a plastic case pre-production molded, 330 x 245 x 250 mm, with a smooth plastic front and a textured plastic case with the Macintosh team signature molded inside.
Apple Macintosh 1983 M0001
A little history on the 1983 Mac
This is the beginning of the Mac success storyremember when Steve Jobs took the iconic photo with the product (the suit in the photo was recently sold at auction). It was a personal project led by Jef Raskin, a computer that was easy to use and surpassed what we had seen with Lisa. It was in 1981 that Steve Jobs took charge of this project which attracted his attention and evolved the concept towards a “user-friendly and personal computer”..
As the auction house reports, his attitude was “non-conformist” because he wanted this product to be extremely cool. It was the first example of part of the foundation that is today Apple, a product with an operating system that ran only on its own hardware.
The Twiggy units proved unreliable after use in the Lisa and they didn’t want to make any mistakes in the future.. The internal 3.5-inch drive was developed based on an existing Sony unit with support from Alps, also from Japan. The problem ultimately was just a matter of time since they couldn’t finish development and They were relying entirely on Sony to maintain complete secrecy and confidentiality so that Jobs would not find out..
Time witnessed one of the best SuperBowl commercials in 1984, during which the Macintosh was launched. The team in charge of its development and the mentality of Steve Jobs were important keys. Steve Wozniak classified it as an event that forever changed their lives and those of users. By coincidence could be compared to the last big change to Macs (and for iPads in the background), the arrival of Apple Silicon in which there is an important reiteration of what has been done in the past and which still works in recent years: rely on own software and hardware development for a single product. The latter is also the basis of what is today the iPhone and other Apple products.
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