Steve Wozniak originally designed the Apple I for personal use. A friend of Wozniak, Steve Jobs, came with the idea to sell the computer. This would eventually lead to the foundation of the company Apple Computers in April 1976. The Apple I's introductory price at the time was $666,66. This was Wozniak's idea because he liked repeating numbers. There were approximately 200 Apple I's manufactured.

If compared to other computers from the time, the Apple I was a fully mounted circuit board with approximately thirty chips. An optional board, which created an interface for data storage on cassette, was later released for the price of $75. The use of a keyboard and monitor with the Apple I was characteristic and made it an innovative machine.

The system in collection of the HomeComputerMuseum is a non-functional replica, built in 2020. Some components and condensators which were placed were not functioning.