Apple's Living Cofounders Reminisce About Its First Computer

The iPhone 6 isn't the only Apple hardware in high demand.

The company's first computers have become collectors' items in recent years.

An Apple I computer thought to be one of the first ever made sold for nearly a million dollars in October.

Apple cofounders Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne recently sat down with Computerworld to talk about Apple's beginning and their first computer, the Apple I.

Apple fans may have heard of Steve Wozniak, but fewer know Ron Wayne's story.

Steve Jobs asked Wayne to persuade Wozniak to join the company.

At one point, Wayne owned 10% of Apple. That stake would be worth north of $68 billion today, based on Apple's market capitalization on Friday.

Wayne cashed out days after officially joining Apple. He was paid $800 for his shares. That's roughly three grand in 2014 dollars, according to the US Inflation Calculator.

Wayne doesn't harbor any regrets about the partnership, though.

"I'm just amazed, to be perfectly candid," he said. "I just played a small part. It's all about Steve Wozniak creating this product."

Wozniak told Computerworld he wasn't shocked by the uptick in demand for old Apple products.

"It doesn't seem that unusual at all," he said. "It's the largest brand in the world, so many people know Apple, and the Apple-1 is so rare. But it's also because the world's changed since Apple was started."

The Apple cofounder remembered the company's early days fondly.

"We started with nothing," said Wozniak. "But the fun was in designing computers. It was an exciting time in our lives, and memorable for the friends you made and the conversations you had."