Editing Apple I (section)

== Historical Context ==

By March 1, 1976, Wozniak completed the basic design of his computer after being inspired by demonstrations at the Homebrew Computer Club and his desire to make affordable computing accessible to hobbyists.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3019 |title=Steve Wozniak & Steve Jobs Release the Apple I |publisher=History of Information |access-date=2025-01-25}}</ref> The development was directly enabled by the revolutionary '''MOS 6502 processor''', which debuted in 1975 at just $25—compared to $175 for competing Intel 8080 and Motorola 6800 processors.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/chip-hall-of-fame-mos-technology-6502-microprocessor |title=Chip Hall of Fame: MOS Technology 6502 Microprocessor |publisher=IEEE Spectrum |date=2023-12-04 |access-date=2025-01-25}}</ref>

=== Key Historical Milestones ===
* '''Homebrew origins:''' Designed for the Homebrew Computer Club; early prototypes were wire‑wrapped before the green fiberglass production board
* '''Byte Shop breakthrough:''' Paul Terrell ordered 50 fully assembled boards at US$500 each, forcing Apple to move from kits to finished hardware<ref>{{cite web |url=https://engineering.berkeley.edu/steve-wozniak-inventor-and-apple-co-founder/ |title=Steve Wozniak: Inventor and Apple co-founder |publisher=UC Berkeley Engineering |date=2023-07-27 |access-date=2025-01-25}}</ref>
* '''Seed capital:''' Wozniak sold his HP‑65 calculator for $500 and Jobs sold his VW Microbus for $1,500 to fund the first batch of parts, raising $1,300 total<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cultofmac.com/apple-history/apple-computer-founded |title=Apple is founded by Steve Jobs, Woz and Ron Wayne |publisher=Cult of Mac |date=2025-04-01 |access-date=2025-01-25}}</ref>
* '''Pricing quirk:''' The retail price of '''US$666.66''' reflected Wozniak's fondness for repeating digits and delivered a one‑third markup on the $500 wholesale cost<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/steve-jobs-and-steve-wozniak |title=Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak |publisher=Lemelson-MIT Program |access-date=2025-01-25}}</ref>