{
  "id": 6875751,
  "title": "In 1978, Apple was destroying its first computers; Jobs sent a letter to an engineer",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/in-1978-apple-was-destroying-its-first-computers-jobs-sent-a-letter",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-12T06:17:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/in-1978-apple-was-destroying-its-first-computers-steve-jobs-sent-a-letter-to-an-engineer-with-400-asking-to-return-the-machine-he-declined-50-years-later-it-may-get-800000-in-auction/articleshow/134112633.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "An Apple-1 computer, initially sought for destruction, is now valued at $800,000. Steve Jobs offered Fred Hatfield $400 and an upgrade for his machine. Hatfield declined the offer, keeping his original Apple-1 instead. This refusal preserved a rare piece of computing history for future generations. The computer will be auctioned by Bonhams next month.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}