The prototype of Apple VideoPad 2, long lost, will come auctioned in November. The device will be part of a History of Science and Technology auction Bonhams, an international auction house, in Los Angeles. The VideoPad will be auctioned together with others Apple prototypes e Steve Jobs memorabilia and it is estimated that it will be sold at a price that fluctuates between $ 8,000 and $ 12,000.
A rare Apple VideoPad will be auctioned
Developed between 1993 and the 1995 with the VideoPads 1 and 3 (the only two examples shown to the public), this rare surviving PDA prototype was Apple’s new creation after the Newton Message Pad. Unlike the Newton Message Pad, the folding screen apparently it included one integrated camera for videoconferencing.
Despite being designed to be ahead of its time, was canceled along with the Newton OS after Jobs returned to the company in 1997. According to Bonhams, this was after Jobs realized that the technology it was not yet at the required level for a positive user experience.
The device was manufactured by sketches e conceptual design drafts designed by former CEO, John Sculley. The project was never made public but it was a vision super early than a tablet. Also, if you squint and pay close attention, you can see a line drawn between it and successful devices like theiPhone and theiPad.
Among the other Apple devices that will make their appearance at auction we find the original Personal Computer Apple II and prototypes like theApple Macintosh, l’Apple EMate 300 and the1st generation iPad. There will also be one handwritten autograph letter from Jobs to his childhood best friend. It is estimated that it can be sold at a price that fluctuates between 200.000 e i $ 300,000.
For more information you can consult the official Bonhams website.