The Replica-1: All the low-tech fun, without going bankrupt

I've been inspired by the success of Apple's iPad 2, which recently enjoyed the most successful first week's sales of any technology product in history. In honor of this, I'm typing this week's post on an iPad borrowed from Oberlin College's library. My stiff, untrained fingers are havign a bit of trouble with the onscreen keyboard, so forgive me if the occasional syntax error slips in. (This keyboard is by far my biggest gripe with this thing: I'll take an IBM Model M over this shit any day.)

Frankly, I'd much rather be typing this week's post on one of these puppies:

Its power supply is a hamster on a treadmill.

This gorgeous wooden computer is the Apple I, Apple Computer's very first product, released way back in April 1976. They were handbuilt by Steve Wozniack in his parents' garage in Palo Alto, CA, and sold via mail-order for $666.66 (about the price of a MacBook Pro in today's money). Only around 40 survive today; when they are sold, they typically change hands for astronomical sums of money. One working Apple I sold last year for $213,000. That's roughly $26,000 for every kilobyte of memory. Quite a nice chunk of change just to play Breakout!

Luckily for us mere mortals, the wonder of modern CPU technology means you don't have to mortgage your house to afford an Apple I. Thanks to Vince Briel, super-nerd deluxe and owner of Briel Computers, you can now own the Replica 1, a faithful recreation of the Apple I, for less than $200.

Like the original, the Replica 1 is sold either pre-assembled or as a kit. It does not include a keyboard or monitor, but it does include a USB interface for saving programs on a modern computer, replacing the original Apple I tape interface. Functionally, the Replica 1 is an exact copy of Apple's model, but it uses a greatly simplified motherboard layout and dramatically improved DC power supply for faster performance and lower power consumption.

If an Apple I doesn't suit your fancy, Briel also sells kits and pre-assembled replicas of other obsolete classics, like the legendary Altair 8080. The Replica 1, however, is the only one of Vince's products that's officially approved by Steve Wozniack himself. This is a suprising and welcome move from the Apple founder; if only more Silicon Valley multi-billionaires released the plans for their early computers to fans! (Homemade Atari 400, anyone?)

I recommend the Replica 1 as a gift for the aging computer nerd in your life. In fact, if anyone out there in internet-land would like to spare two hundred bucks and send me a kit in the mail, I'd be happy to do a full review right here on This Old Box. (And, of course, I'd be happy to repay you with sexual favors.)