How Much Did the Apple II Cost in 1977?
By the Price Time Machine team · Updated
The Apple II price was $1,298 when it went on sale in June 1977, with just 4 KB of memory. Adjusted for inflation, that is about $7,205 in September 2026 money, roughly 5.6 times the original price.
Think you know where it came from? Test yourself before you read on: play this question in Price Time Machine.
Play this question: where was it designed, and what did it cost? →
Apple II at a glance
- US launch price
- $1,298
- In today’s money
- ≈ $7,205June 1977 to September 2026 (CPI-U, BLS)
- US release date
- June 10, 1977
- Where it was designed
- Cupertino, United StatesDesigned by Steve Wozniak at Apple in Cupertino, California.
- Category
- Gaming & tech
- Price source
- en.wikipedia.org
Today’s price is the US launch price adjusted for US inflation with the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, comparing the launch month with the latest published month. It updates automatically as new figures come out.
What $1,298 bought in 1977
The basic Apple II came with 4 KB of RAM. The fully loaded model with 48 KB cost $2,638. For a while Apple also sold it as a bare circuit board, without a case, for $500 less, the way its first computer, the Apple I, had been sold.
Unlike many earlier computers, it came ready to use in a plastic case with a keyboard, and it could show colour graphics on a TV.
The Apple II price in today’s money
Inflation means a dollar buys less today than it did in 1977. Using the US Consumer Price Index, the original Apple II price of $1,298 works out at about $7,205 in September 2026 money, around 5.6 times the original figure. That is what the same amount of spending power would cost now, not what the Apple II sells for second-hand.
Where was the Apple II designed?
Apple designed it in Cupertino, California. Steve Wozniak did the electronic design, Jerry Manock designed the case and Rod Holt developed the power supply. Steve Jobs shaped it as a finished appliance for households rather than a kit for hobbyists. Jobs and Wozniak unveiled it at the West Coast Computer Faire in 1977.
Apple II facts you might not know
- Its colour graphics are why Apple’s logo became a rainbow-striped apple.
- Byte magazine called the Apple II, Commodore PET and TRS-80 the “1977 Trinity” of home computers.
- Apple’s yearly sales grew from $775,000 in 1977 to $118 million by 1980.
- Fewer than 65,000 of the original model were sold, but the Apple II family lasted until the Apple IIe was discontinued in November 1993.
Frequently asked questions
How much did the first Apple II cost?
The Apple II cost $1,298 with 4 KB of memory when it went on sale in June 1977, and $2,638 with 48 KB.
How much is $1,298 from 1977 in today’s money?
Adjusted for US inflation, the Apple II’s launch price is about $7,205 in September 2026 money.
Who designed the Apple II?
Steve Wozniak designed its electronics. Jerry Manock designed the case and Rod Holt the power supply.
Want to compare the Apple II price with other launch prices? See what the Nintendo Switch launch cost, browse more famous launch prices, or play this question in Price Time Machine.
Sources
Launch prices and dates are checked against the sources below. Today’s price is calculated from official US inflation data and updates automatically when new figures are published.