Oldest computer found during house cleaning

Two of the world's first desktop computers were discovered during a house cleaning in London. The computers found are two of only three Q1 computers in existence worldwide. Although largely forgotten today, the Q1 laid the foundation for the computers we have today when it was released more than 50 years ago.

Employees of the waste management firm Just Clear found these incredible pieces hidden under a pile of boxes while cleaning a house in London. The company says it tries to salvage as many items as possible but initially had no idea what these items were. Mr. O'Shea states that the team tried to research the computer on the internet but did not get any results until they reached a computer expert.

Of course, these rare pieces will be displayed at an exhibition in the computer science department of Kingston University instead of being recycled. Mr. O'Shea cannot be blamed for not recognizing the Q1, as these devices are now almost completely forgotten. However, when it was released in 1972, the Q1 was revolutionary.

Released with Intel's brand-new 8008 processor, the Q1 may look like a typewriter, but it was the first fully integrated personal computer. This means that all computer hardware, such as the screen, keyboard, and even the printer, was housed in a single unit. On the other hand, the computer also holds the distinction of being the first personal computer to run on a single-chip microprocessor.

The Q1 appeared exactly five years before Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak produced their first 200 Apple 1 computers. Moreover, it was extremely expensive when it was released and was marketed primarily for use in office and professional environments.

According to the Computer Users Association's 1979 "Benchmarking Report," the Q1 was sold for 20,500 dollars at the time, which is equivalent to 90,000 dollars today. For comparison, the IBM 5100 was sold for between 8,975 dollars and 19,975 dollars, and the Apple 1 was sold for less than 700 dollars.