I would pay someone to build an Apple I replica by Monday

Unless you have a kit that contains everything, it would be impossible to build an Apple I replica in less than a week. You are better off finding someone who already owns a replica willing to lend it to you.

Only the parts are about 400-500$/€. Trying to source them is very time consuming as the times where you could buy tested Kits are gone. And now you waste weeks with waiting, testing, complaining an reordering parts to collect a full working set by time. If you have only one set and can not select parts that play together then you need to tune the circuit to get it working and even more to get it reliable.

A fully working one with an authentic look is worth between 500-1000$/€.

In post #3, 'natas666' wrote:

" A fully working one with an authentic look is worth between 500-1000$/€. "

Uncle Bernie comments:

Your lower price point is too low. Nobody can buy even the components for that low price - do not forget you also need a keyboard, a power supply, and an ACI card to have a complete Apple-1, and this assumes you already do have a suitable B&W monitor for it.

Your upper price point would allow for an Apple-1 build using a good PCB with gold plated fingers on the edge connector, a good keyboard (Datanetics clone oy my YAAK), original Stancor transformers, and a Gen2 improved ACI plus a B&W monitor bought off Ebay, but you have to wait to snatch a cheap one.

But this budget does not include any allowance for the actual work, nor for any profit margin if the work is done by a business. Hobbyists, of course, work for free.

It takes about two 8 hour work sessions to populate the PCBs and solder everything together and make the system work, provided that 100% tested and burned-in ICs are used, such as in my long sold out Apple-1 IC kits.

Even at current minimum wage of US$ 20 per hour (which depends on the state in which the work is done) it is not possible to do this below a budget of $1400. And if a business does the work, the "overhead" for taxes and social security fees would push this to $1800 at least. And still no profit being made ! And it's just the naked PCBs, no enclosures.

In this light, the few commercial vendors who sell complete Apple-1 clone systems (less the monitor) for ~$2000-$2400 are actually "cheap" if you consider and factor in all the costs.

And still, people complain about these prices ... hey, go ahead and buy a new $150 notebook computer running Linux, download an Apple-1 emulator (free) and be happy.

- Uncle Bernie

P.S.: Due to the fact that the international stocks of the 1404/2504, 2513, 2519 ICs needed to build an Apple-1 clone are almost depleted, further Apple-1 clone building will soon cease (at least for clones not using ugly substitute cards for these ICs) and this means that the few Apple-1 clones existing worldwide (I estimate ~500 such clones in total) will get "rarity collectible" status soon and unless the bottom drops out of the worldwide economy, prices being asked and paid for can only rise, altough I don't expect that they ever get to the price level paid by collectors (billionaires ?) for one of the few surviving originals. They get auctioned off at hammer prices between $350000 and $1 Million, depending on provenance and condition. IMHO it's one of the weirdest phenomena in historical computer collecting I've ever witnessed, and I know a lot of crazy computer collectors who own machines like the CDC6600, Cray-1, etc. and spend a fortune to keep them running. None of these even rarer machines did cost them as much money as an Apple-1 original would do. Weird !

If it's just for a photo or video shoot, and if the camera isn't going to be getting really close, you wouldn't necessarily need a working replica. It could just be a convincing-looking prop.

You could, for example, get an Apple 1 PCB and slap whatever parts on it that looked about right (same size ICs, etc.) Then hook a totally different computer up to the monitor, hidden off-screen, to generate the video image.

And if you don't need to see the PCB, you could just get a woodworker to build you a case, add a switch and a light, then put a salavaged Apple II keyboard in it.

>  Getting Apple-1 clone costs / pricing right ...

>> In post #3, 'natas666' wrote:

>> " A fully working one with an authentic look is worth between 500-1000$/€. "

> Uncle Bernie comments:

> Your lower price point is too low. Nobody can buy even the components for that low price - do not forget you also need a keyboard, a power supply, and an ACI card to have a complete Apple-1, and this assumes you already do have a suitable B&W monitor for it.

I bought a now-working Apple I clone (cheap) for $1K. The parts alone were going to cost me more than that. I was sure I could repair it. Took me a couple of weeks to get the parts and do the work. 

Since the OP's request was so unreasonable I skip a reply. But I do want to back up Uncle Bernies Claim.

BWT, that was last year so the pricing and scarcity have only gotten worse. I have 2 more blanks that I'll eventually work on but those 2 will be borg like abominations and I'm okay with that. :-)

As said the price was just for PCB and parts, no labour, no keyboard and no monitor not even a PSU. And the 500$ mark was for the time where kits have been still available. I am aware now 1000$/€ is the lower limit for the mentioned parts and I agree a full system with an authentic monitor, PSU, ACI, tape recorder, case and fully build an tested can easily reach or cross the 2000$ mark and get close to 3000$ especially if you don't build it yourself and contract someone to do that for you.

Armin is still selling replicas board and manual as sold from the two Steves 1666€ including 19% German VAT.

Like above with keyboard and PSU and Acrylic case, EU-cable and video cable 2499€. 

He is also selling parts and part kits for 999€

Empty PCB 29€ HASL and 59€ contacts hard gold plated.

https://www.apple-1-replica.com/shop

Really wondering how much you would pay for it ? and 1 week is almost impossible to get all parts and good parts