Jimmy Grewal is one of the biggest fans ever of Apple products. He has spent years collecting and recovering old Apple computers and accessories, and established one of the largest ‘private, inclusive collections of Apple computers and accessories’ in the world.
In a small room in a Dubai-based company, he keeps his collection including 200 computers produced by Apple, in addition to many accessories that were fashioned during the company’s first three decades.
His private ‘Apple collection’ also includes two Apple Computer 1 he managed to get in the three past years from an oil company executive.
“This computer displayed capital letters only and no small letters. Another interesting thing is that it has no delete button, and no delete feature because it generated data in one direction from the keyboard to the monitor,” he said.
Grewal, 44, an Indian expat based in Dubai, plans to auction one of these two devices on e-Bay and to use the money to organize temporary exhibitions in the UAE and the GCC, to give the public the chance to explore his collection.
Last year, during an event in Dubai, he met Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple and the designer of the Apple Computer 1, who signed the computer Grewal plans to auction.
“Wozniak was surprised to see someone heading towards him holding an original Apple Computer 1. He signed the two computers, the one I was holding, and the one I am planning to auction. You can see his signature here, on the device. This device, in particular, will remain a part of my collection forever because I am really connected to it. It means a lot to me. I hope I can display it publicly soon,” he said.
Grewal, father of two, described owning two old Apple Computers 1 and taking care of them as an ‘honor’, noting that the devices were developed shortly before he was born.
