The Apple II computer was the first personal computer to achieve significant commercial success upon its release in 1977. Designed for Apple by co-founder and hardware designer Steve Wozniak and product designer Jerry Mannock in 1977, under the leadership of co-founder Steve Jobs, the Apple II signaled a significant shift in how computers were to be used in both domestic and office environments. The Apple II represents a significant moment within digital and product design and tells the story of the introduction of home computing, and the wider impact this shift had on society.

VisiCalc is a spreadsheet application released on floppy diskette for the Apple II by VisiCorp in 1979. Developed by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston, VisiCalc simplified complex financial modeling tasks and transformed the Apple II into an indispensable business tool as well as home computer able to run games and word-process. VisiCalc is recognised as one of the earliest, if not the first, ‘killer app’ within computing circles as its success led to significant sales of the Apple II. A killer app, a term first used in 1987 and made famous by Bill Gates when describing Internet Explorer, is a computer application that is so popular it proves the core value of the platform, hardware, software or device that used to operate it. VisiCalc sold over 1 million copies, with 700,000 sold in the first six years.

The Apple II is an important addition to the museum’s collection, and is a lead example of the convergence of work and home computing. Apple has had significant, widespread influence on the field of digital and product design since its inception in 1976 and this is reflected in our collections. The acquisition of the Apple II joins other objects in the V&A’s collection from the company including Apple Power Book from 1992, the iMac G3 from 1998, two versions of the iPhone (from 2007 and 2014), the iPod Nano from 2012 and the iPod Touch from 2010. The Apple II and accessories represents a significant addition to the story of Apple and personal computing in the late twentieth century at the V&A.

This acquisition package was purchased from US-based collector Dany de Grave, whose family have collected items from the history of Apple since its conception in 1976.