Photo of Smithsonian microcomputer exhibit

From: Joe <rigdonj_at_intellistar.net>
Date: Wed Feb 25 17:00:46 1998

At 08:28 AM 2/25/98 -0800, you wrote:
>> On Tue, 24 Feb 1998, John Higginbotham wrote:
>>
>> > Thinking out loud:
>> > I wonder what the market would be for an Apple I replica?
>>
>> It would be very strong if you claimed it was an original :-) That's one
>> reason I won't pay a lot for a collectible computer. How are you going to
>> authenticate it? Most of the chips and processes are still available
>> today, so it's fairly straightforward to clone them.
>
>You've also got the issue of date codes on IC's to deal with. And not many
>40-pin DIPs are still made the same way as original 8080A's, i.e.
>white ceramic with a gold cap.
>
>> Prediction: 10 years from now, we'll be able to go to Hong Kong and buy a
>> couterfeit Altair for $100!
>
>Not a chance. While the actual electronics "silicon" inside an Altair is
>worth less than $50 today, the sheet metal and the power supply transformer
>would cost you a couple hundred dollars to duplicate. (While the total
>cost would be about the same, the distribution of the costs is almost
>exactly reveresed from 20 years ago.)
>
>For those who really want a S-100 front panel machine, maybe they'd be
>willing to pay for me to make duplicates of my TIMSAI.

   Sure! I want one, what's the price?

  Joe
Received on Wed Feb 25 1998 - 17:00:46 GMT