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Unboxing a brand new Apple //c in 2008 [pics]

flickr.com — On Thursday night, Kathryn and I unboxed my latest Ebay acquisition: an Apple //c. There are many vintage Apple II computers available for auction, but this one is special: It's never been opened. Ever. It hasn't seen the light of day since before it was shipped on May 5th, 1988.

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  • nycdigginit, on 02/05/2008, -6/+84Great carpet!
  • nbeighley, on 02/05/2008, -6/+143I would have bought it just for those stickers!
    • jamesov89, on 02/05/2008, -12/+2I just bid on some.

      http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40& ...
      • Audacitor, on 02/05/2008, -0/+3I just out bid you.

        // No I didn't. I jest.
    • Nerfdude, on 02/05/2008, -17/+4you would have paid over two thousand dollars for some old stickers and an ancient computer?
      he could have bought a brand new macbook pro for less. what a ridiculous way to blow your money.
      • UNL1M1T3D, on 02/05/2008, -0/+8Everyone has different hobbies in life. I wouldn't spend $2000 on this, but to each their own. He probably isn't doing to bad financially.
      • Audacitor, on 02/05/2008, -0/+4Clearly you haven't been using computers very long. Anybody who remembers computers from the 80s would kill to open a brand new box from that era.
    • anogenic, on 02/05/2008, -0/+9I predict the colored apple will be making a come-back...in 2017
      • smrekar, on 02/05/2008, -0/+5doubt it, i live in orange county. I put one on my car and was accused on multiple counts of being gay, so i took it off. I doubt they will make a comeback.
        • Rekutyn, on 02/05/2008, -0/+2Orange County 'eh? *Looks accusingly towards smrekar*
        • poxonyou, on 02/05/2008, -0/+7Could have also been because you were wearing hot pants and white cowboy boots.
      • Audacitor, on 02/05/2008, -0/+2I hope so. I always did like it better than the monocrhome apple we have today.
    • yosempai, on 02/05/2008, -1/+4I bought a //c at a garage sale for $5. It came with all of the documentation and stickers. Just no software. I still haven't decided what to do with the stickers.
      • Audacitor, on 02/05/2008, -0/+1Put one over the the gray Apple on an iMac.
    • ninjasenses, on 02/05/2008, -10/+3I just puked a little in my mouth
  • ifnotme, on 02/05/2008, -5/+193Truly the best unboxing series ever!
    • mal1964, on 02/05/2008, -0/+7When can someone share with us, the joy of watching the boxing of it?
      • Markpdotcom, on 02/05/2008, -1/+5Probably a week or two after this was posted ;)
        Nostalgia is great, but when you actually use an old computer for any length of time you quickly realise why progress is made...
        • 5xSTUN, on 02/05/2008, -0/+3Oh, no doubt!
          At my office we have one old Tangerine iMac running OS 9, and when I have to go in there and do stuff on it once in a while, I'm struck by how clunky the interface is compared to OS X.
          I can imagine running an Apple //c would make me nuts.
        • Audacitor, on 02/05/2008, -1/+2@5x
          I have a couple of Blueberry (or was it Bondi Blue?) iMacs down stairs. Neither are functional; I took the RAM out of them to beef up PowerMac G3 that we'd been using at the time. All they really need is some RAM, and one needs a new optical drive. Which I should really get around to, because there was this one piece of software I should have salvaged; Rainbox. It was this awesome drawing program, like KidPix, except nothing stayed one color. I swear, whoever wrote it must have been high on LSD or something, but it was awesome.

          Edit: I should have JFGI. http://www.axlrosen.net/rainbox.html
    • merreborn, on 02/05/2008, -0/+2Interesting that apple's packaging philosophy hasn't changed much in two decades. They still have the "Open this first" package, etc.
    • Audacitor, on 02/05/2008, -0/+1I want video before I call it that.
  • whymanwhy, on 02/05/2008, -9/+16Lucky..
    • NgrHader, on 02/05/2008, -0/+3I still have a IIci which I won back in 6th grade, it has never crashed and can still serve as a keyboarding instructor tool, it has yellowed over the years though, but I did upgrade the "Cash" with the "American Express" L2 card
  • Gregd, on 02/05/2008, -4/+46Here are some photos of it powered on!

    http://flickr.com/photos/kathryn/tags/iic/

  • 10001110101, on 02/05/2008, -1/+253He should try using that packing slip for some sort of refund (as a joke).. Just to see what Apple's data retention is like.
    "Yes, I just opened my Apple? I'm missing the system orientation manual. It came to me on warehouse shipment 45925.."
    • genepooldesign, on 02/05/2008, -1/+15Yes! And record it for YouTube!
    • Yarnage, on 02/05/2008, -0/+14I used to work for Apple's customer support. Basically, anything before 1996 is not in their current system and any kind of legacy hardware (basically, anything from from OS 9 and down) has to go to a seperate support line where they don't have access to your data but, instead, charge support fees to help you. So, there is a good chance you'd eventually be helped but you'll be paying and they won't have any information on the computer.
    • wonderboy, on 02/05/2008, -0/+11"Yes, I just opened my Apple?"

      I'm Ron Burgundy?
  • Gregd, on 02/05/2008, -46/+2Here are some photos of it actually powered on:

    http://digg.com/apple/Unboxing_a_brand_new_Apple_c ...

  • Eslamicolt3, on 02/05/2008, -1/+21Dunno about you, but I speak pascal to my Apple!
  • GhostWithToast, on 02/05/2008, -10/+2wonder how much it was.

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item ... auction?
  • GhostWithToast, on 02/05/2008, -2/+29for some reason that first one didn't work - it ends with =9711597407

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item ...
    • mz00m, on 02/05/2008, -1/+7$810 seems like a pretty damn good deal IMHO...
    • coheedcollapse, on 02/05/2008, -10/+4WTF. That guy paid $810 for a collectors item and opened the freaking box. There are about a million things that could be better done with someone's money than that.

      My first computer was a C64, but I'm not going to throw away a month's rent on it just to open it again. That's plain insanity.
      • LoveWidescreen, on 02/05/2008, -4/+9And who the hell are you to judge how other people spend their own money?
        • coheedcollapse, on 02/05/2008, -7/+2I'm sorry for pointing out the inherent retardedness of spending $800 on a "collectors" sealed mac just to open it. I could care less if someone spends an extravagant amount of money on an awesome theater system or even a nice car, but to buy something worth an incredibly large amount of money just to re-live an inflated childhood memory is just crazy.

          Yeah you might say the "feeling" is worth it, but you know damn well that if this were something less mainstream (for example, a G.I. Joe), people wouldn't be ooohing and aahing at it, but rather, calling the guy out for an obviously stupid move.
        • t0ken, on 02/05/2008, -1/+9I can think of nothing more boring and pointless than spending $800 (especially as large as a boxed computer), just to stick it in the corner and NOT open it. Sure, it may be a collectors item, but what the hell is the point of owning it if you don't get to use it? I'll never understand it. I'll put it this way— if I had a Shelby Cobra, you can bet your ass I'd be driving that thing on sunny weekend afternoons.
        • coheedcollapse, on 02/05/2008, -3/+2Yes t0ken, but the difference between that Shelby Cobra and an AppleII is that you can literally run an AppleII emulator and get almost the same exact experience on any modern computer. That or you can wait up until you find one used at a garage sale or online for much less than a mint unopened one.

          Also, Shelby Cobras are still impressive technically and aesthetically compared to a lot of modern cars and they do everything that a car does in a practical manner while an Apple II will get absolutely nothing done. Ever. Cars and computers don't compare.
      • Nerfdude, on 02/05/2008, -0/+4my first computer was an Atari 800. if i want to open it again, it's in a box in the basement. that's free.
    • Nerfdude, on 02/05/2008, -1/+5http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-APPLE-IIC-computer-NIB ...

      try $2,500. absolutely ridiculous.
    • teesix, on 02/05/2008, -0/+1That auction is from '06. Look down for the '8 auction.
      • fxu1989, on 02/05/2008, -1/+1"***Sorry for the Miss Communication this is a more accurate discription***"

        i woudlnt buy frmo sumbody wit a terible grahmer ... skurry

        edit: i hit da worng reply!
      • divxrippimp, on 02/05/2008, -1/+1How is it still on ebays site... Auctions get deleted after 90 days dont they?
  • bluegene, on 02/05/2008, -4/+119"What fruit is named after a Computer?" ...classic!
    • LastDitchHero, on 02/05/2008, -20/+13Or "what is the computer used by fruits"
      • aristotle0dude, on 02/05/2008, -0/+5Dell. That's what you are using isn't it?
      • scooterfish, on 02/05/2008, -2/+3If by "fruits" you mean "people who choose not to use Windows or Linux" then yes. Otherwise, shut the ***** up.
    • Raian, on 02/05/2008, -1/+20Microsoftangerine?
  • zephris, on 02/05/2008, -84/+8WHO THE ***** CARES! IT'S A GODDAMNED BOX. Open your own, look, it's easy: Call Dominos, order pizza, open box. Show me some pictures of that *****.
    • FlyingSpaghetti, on 02/05/2008, -6/+35EPOCH FAIL!!!
      • mythicflux, on 02/05/2008, -0/+7Great I have just behold a the next great internet meme. Damn you XKCD!
    • usingpond, on 02/05/2008, -3/+7You must be really fat.
    • adventflux, on 02/05/2008, -1/+14Imagine a Domino's pizza on your table. That you can't open. For the next twenty years.
      • EricAnderton, on 02/05/2008, -0/+10Oh god. Imagine the smell.
        • tgc1, on 02/05/2008, -0/+0Forget the smell, what would you do about the pests who'd inevitably come to visit? Ack!
    • apalys, on 02/05/2008, -1/+1Aww. Does someone need some anger management?

      I feel pretty. Oh so pretty!
    • scooterfish, on 02/05/2008, -0/+1Awww, did somebody get dumped by their virtual girlfriend in the midst of a WoW raiding party?
  • accelleron, on 02/05/2008, -3/+39It actually sold for less than when it came out.
    • wwwdot1jesdotus, on 02/05/2008, -1/+2It's this one:
      http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-APPLE-IIC-computer-NIB ...
      • Nerfdude, on 02/05/2008, -13/+4wow. what a colossal waste of money. fanboyism never ceases to amaze me.
    • willynilly, on 02/05/2008, -1/+1Yes. Apples were always a rip-off. The Ataris kicked their ass for half the price, and had four-channel sound, hardware sprites, redefinable character set, fine scrolling, and (gasp) LOWER-CASE LETTERS. Eventually the Apples managed to add the lower-case letters. The rest of it? Forget about it.
  • OrionBlastar, on 02/05/2008, -34/+4$810 for an Apple //c, you could get a Mac Mini with a monitor for that price now. Then run an Apple // emulator on it.
    • derrickgossman, on 02/05/2008, -0/+35yes, because THAT is why this guy bought it.
    • bwdd, on 02/05/2008, -0/+19I don't quite think he understands the terms "collector" and "authenticity".
      • yevkasem, on 02/05/2008, -2/+5neither does the idiot who spends all that money on a new, unboxed apple ii and then unboxes it and powers it up. it's worth $9 now.
    • Misaiato, on 02/05/2008, -4/+2My Orion has a first name, it's d-u-m-b-a.
      My Orion has a second name, it's s-s-h-a-t.
    • Audacitor, on 02/05/2008, -0/+1We're not in this for the software. It's the hardware.
  • maybeinoregon, on 02/05/2008, -3/+4thats just cool.
  • IAmLegend24, on 02/05/2008, -1/+26OMG he can play worms.
    • Gregd, on 02/05/2008, -1/+5He could play Wizardry or perhaps run some of the greatest software from one of the greatest software companies of that era Beagle Bros...
    • HunterSeeker42, on 02/05/2008, -0/+1Can this baby play Oregon Trail, or is that just the Apple II?

      If so, he has the best gaming rig ever.
  • sajnikanth, on 02/05/2008, -5/+8Nice. There's nothing like unboxing and ripping those covers off. Additional adrenaline rush if it comes with bubble wrap or cellophane on screens / glass.

    I however feel a little bad you opened it. Could've let it be and resist the temptation.
  • dantidote, on 02/05/2008, -0/+8I'm surprised a genie didn't pop out.
  • mCanada, on 02/05/2008, -1/+2210 BRUN HARD HAT MACK
    20 EXIT
    • huntrm, on 02/05/2008, -0/+2Oh man, I remember that - genius! Thank you for the memory!

      • mCanada, on 02/08/2008, -0/+1your welcome :) The screw driver would always come down the elevator and get me, it was such a piss off! This game probably kept me out of the good schools.
    • oshu, on 02/05/2008, -0/+4Close... It would be more like

      ] BRUN HARD HACK MACK

      Wow, I spent many a happy hour with Mack when I was a youth.
    • Amiga500, on 02/08/2008, -0/+0Sad thing is, the APPLE II version was pretty weak (lame hardware). Even the Coleco Adam version looked better.
  • fichek, on 02/05/2008, -14/+4Dugg for "What food is named after a computer?"
    • brkhobowriter, on 02/05/2008, -0/+4It's "What fruit is named after a computer?"
  • dagetti, on 02/05/2008, -19/+9That's cool I guess?

    So yeah, you spent $ opened it up and shared it. Now what?
    • rholland356, on 02/05/2008, -1/+4After the buyin' and the openin' comes the remorse. In heaping helpings.
      Actually, I predict a boom in this type of purchase, because after you have cleared so much space in your apartment by hanging your TV on the wall, you need some other tech to fill it up. And what could use up more space than an aged computer system?
    • dagetti, on 02/05/2008, -0/+1zZZ
  • SuperVepr308, on 02/05/2008, -8/+1Apple IIe was the first machine I ever worked on. Dem was da days...
    • sarixe, on 02/05/2008, -0/+3those were the days
      (yes they were)
      those were the days
  • McMaster88, on 02/05/2008, -26/+10zzzz....remind me why this is a big deal?
    • P373Y, on 02/05/2008, -2/+2remind me why you think your any better.
    • vibrokatana, on 02/05/2008, -4/+3Tell me when you remove yourself from the gene pool so everyone can rejoice.
  • HydrogenOxide, on 02/05/2008, -3/+19"There is something they didn't tell you when you bought this computer"
  • Moetownslick, on 02/05/2008, -0/+14ah the days of bard's tale and Larry bird vs. dr j
  • diggmemphis, on 02/05/2008, -28/+7Geek Porn.

    Buried for the sheer lameness of it all.
    • shaundee, on 02/05/2008, -3/+0Unboxing, the cultural phenomenon that ended culture
    • XXXXXXXXXXXXXX, on 02/05/2008, -0/+4Thanks, I wouldn't have thought of fapping to it if it weren't for you!
  • cadmiumpaint, on 02/05/2008, -2/+33quite a collectable, must have been tough to open it, but i respect the guy for doing it. what good is a collectable if you can't even use it.
  • AppleMacMan, on 02/05/2008, -17/+7Even today, there is no greater joy when it comes to computers than to un-box a new Mac! I was in love and took my new MacBook down the isle of marriage on Nov. 30th 2007. One thing about a Mac, you'll never seek a divorce!

    I wish I was lucky enough to get that Apple IIc. I bet it puts Vista to shame. (^__^)
    • jdpalite, on 02/05/2008, -0/+14The fact that you are talking about marriage to your mac makes me want to hurl.
      • usingpond, on 02/05/2008, -0/+2Look at his profile, he is clearly a joke account.
    • zeiben, on 02/05/2008, -1/+4This is the slippery slope O'Reilly keeps referring to...
    • willynilly, on 02/05/2008, -0/+1"I wish I was lucky enough to get that Apple IIc."

      I wish I WERE lucky enough... to write and speak correctly.
  • MnmlMn, on 02/05/2008, -2/+34Im sick of seeing Macbook Air's unboxed! Let's see more of these!
    • slapded, on 02/05/2008, -1/+49im giong to open a macbook air in 2028. stay tuned!!!!
    • willynilly, on 02/05/2008, -0/+4The MacBook Air's what?
      • MnmlMn, on 02/06/2008, -0/+1Lol! I think I'm going to add you as a friend just for saying that!
  • tidal, on 02/05/2008, -9/+4what a waste
  • AndrewDB, on 02/05/2008, -1/+5Man, I envy this guy.

    Now if I could find one and Stickybear Teaches Math, Typing, and Sneakers.

    There's another game I remember but I can't remember the name of it.. you were a spy going for his arch nemesis, and it had all sortsa missions, from flying a plane to running around near a ski slope and stuff.

    Man, I loved my Apple 2 C..
    • surrealitytl, on 02/05/2008, -0/+0The guy from Gizmos and Gadgets!
    • planarian, on 02/05/2008, -0/+1I think you're thinking of "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?"
      • AndrewDB, on 02/05/2008, -0/+2Nupe, wasn't Carmen Sandiego, I know that for a fact.
  • travbrack, on 02/05/2008, -3/+74*You have just come down with dysentery*
    *You have just broken an axle*
    *One of your oxen has died*
  • Cojawfee, on 02/05/2008, -10/+5Why did he open the box? If he wanted to use one, why not buy one that isn't still factory sealed?
    • Jarmer, on 02/05/2008, -0/+1that's exactly what I was wondering...
  • theeddyadams, on 02/05/2008, -1/+6The future is now.
  • bacchus101, on 02/05/2008, -8/+2I have a mint condition Apple Macintosh LC II in my closet. It has been back in its box since 1995 and I just pulled it out to play last week. To my dismay, System 6 is corrupt and I don't even have a floppy drive on this damn santa rosa laptop to burn OS Recovery disks. :(
    • pirloui, on 02/05/2008, -3/+3you can get a USB floppy drive..
    • Burn, on 02/05/2008, -3/+18You don't 'burn' floppy disks.
      • bacchus101, on 02/05/2008, -2/+5It was a matter of speaking rather then a literal statement of fact. If I confused you, I apologize.
      • UNL1M1T3D, on 02/05/2008, -0/+8How do you know this? Is your user name Bur... oh nevermind.
    • lolgamoff, on 02/05/2008, -2/+2damn santa rosa laptop? pfft.

      who the hell would want a floppy drive in there anyways?
      • UNL1M1T3D, on 02/05/2008, -1/+4Someone that wanted to make OS recovery disks for their Apple Macintosh LC II.
  • shadowspawn, on 02/05/2008, -0/+4I still have my ][e. Does some interesting things. You can even still burn EEPROM's with it
    • FluffyArmada, on 02/05/2008, -1/+2Ooo... the EEPROM thing sounds interesting... What would you be able to do with that? [I have an Apple IIGS that I'm dying to have more fun with.]
      • swaxhog, on 02/05/2008, -0/+2You can if you can find an EEPROM programmer for one and the software. I had one for my Apple ][+(paid $10 for it in the early 80s at a swap meet - best deal ever) and they all used the same bus connect, except for the //c.
  • sid007i, on 02/05/2008, -1/+1surprised it only got him $800 ... might as well get rid of my performa 550 apple .. my very first computer figured by the time I have kids and they are grown up, it will be an antique ..
    • a2fan, on 02/05/2008, -0/+1$2553.00 is what he paid... plus shipping.
  • mattwalton56, on 02/05/2008, -9/+1epic
  • LumberingOaf, on 02/05/2008, -9/+1How in the Hell is he going to play WoW on that?
  • Evolutuon, on 02/05/2008, -6/+2Epic.
  • franksalvo, on 02/05/2008, -0/+185.25 inches of paradise!!
    • slapded, on 02/05/2008, -1/+11dont talk about my schlong like that
      • earthforce1, on 02/05/2008, -0/+4Oh yeah?
        I have an 8 inch floppy in my downstairs!

        (Assembly language programs for a PDP-11 for you computer archeologists out there - If only I could find something to actually read it back)
    • bumblefoot, on 02/05/2008, -0/+9thats what she said
  • boredsam, on 02/05/2008, -13/+17Talk about a waste of money. My guess is he turns it on twice then it collects dust for 5 years until his wife makes him sell it.
    • mjmelies, on 02/05/2008, -5/+7Think about what you just typed. Wife?!?!?!?
  • Cobbmachine, on 02/05/2008, -2/+8Ok, as much as I dislike Apple computers, It's great to see someone older look like a child when it comes to electronics.
    • emotecontrol, on 02/05/2008, -2/+3This Apple computer is sex on toast. The Apples they have now aren't in the same league. They're not even Apple computers anymore. They're macs. They don't even merit a capital letter. Back in the day Apple made awesome machines, but now... nothing but wankage.
  • Unbeleve, on 02/05/2008, -1/+4That is great!! I had an Apple IIc when I was a kid. Just great!! I remember programming in line of 10 20 30 40 lol
  • stevenhatfield, on 02/05/2008, -4/+12It's amazing how much style Apple had, even back then! The 2 slanted ( // ) lights on the keyboard to further accentuate the "Apple //c" branding, the fonts on the printed manuals, and the rather stylish, even for today, logo.
    All in all, I think it's great that Apple is still kicking after all these years.
    (Personal disclosure: I own a bunch of Apple equipment, but unfortunately... no stock.)
  • JoeLeo, on 02/05/2008, -4/+4Apple's bread & butter until 1993.
    • willynilly, on 02/05/2008, -1/+1And, despite its admittedly stylish exterior, based on an architecture that was outdated in 1978 when the Ataris hit the market.
    • pgillan, on 02/05/2008, -0/+1Was the IIc ever their bread and butter? In all the years I had one, I don't ever remember running across another one. The school was full of IIe's, and I had some friends who either had those, or the original IBM pcs... I want to say PS/2, but I don't know if I'm just confusing it with keyboard now. Anyway, I don't remember the IIc being that popular, especially after they released the Macintosh.
  • defektiv, on 02/05/2008, -10/+7i was a commodore fan boi. the only thing i liked about apple over the commodores was apples ability to flash the screen with a simple FLASH command.
    • xsquirrel378x, on 02/05/2008, -1/+1unboxing a never opened amiga 500 or c64 is way cooler
      • defektiv, on 02/06/2008, -0/+1the apple fan bois have really sensitive emotions. looks like we got dugg down.. oh noes! my life is over!
  • bakshi, on 02/05/2008, -1/+1will it play doom?

    no?

    * waits 8 more years *
  • alsowoldguy, on 02/05/2008, -0/+5I suppose there is an argument that since he just opened the box, it's still under warranty. Perhaps a trip to the genius bar? "Hi, I'm having trouble getting ARCHON to start up. Can you help?"
    • D3koy, on 02/05/2008, -0/+4I need to see this video...make it happen
  • robopuppy, on 02/05/2008, -1/+1I have an Apple IIc WITH THOSE AWESOME STICKERS, manuals, monitor, keyboard, crappiness, all included, if you guys are interested in purchasing. Used, of course. $800 anyone? ANYONE?
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