Which computer will be the most valuable in year 2050?

Boray · Post by **Boray** » Wed Apr 16, 2014 4:36 am

In fully working condition.

(I just felt there hadn't been enough polls lately)

orion70 · Post by **orion70** » Wed Apr 16, 2014 5:41 am

First to vote

I guess it will be the oldest. Even if probably early IBM clones running old win systems will be the mainstream collector's item (the elderly will remember them as their youth PCs), the VIC will be seen as the dinosaur of them all. No-one will probably know how to use or repair a VIC without the help of books, manuals, and internet sources, but the very few working models will be seen as fetishes, and cost a fortune. Say, like purchasing a working Olivetti Programma 101 today

.

pixel · Post by **pixel** » Wed Apr 16, 2014 6:26 am

I guess it'll be the plus/4, because there aren't so many.

Post by **joshuadenmark** » Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:38 am

My vote is for Vic20 all time favorite!

buzbard · Post by **buzbard** » Wed Apr 16, 2014 9:35 am

I voted C64.
There isn't really a large fan base for Plus4/C16 only because it came at the end of Commodore's life span. The C64 was a lot more popular.
The C64 seems to have a more 'fragile' chip set than the VIC20 so I'm guessing there are going to be fewer and fewer C64s as time rolls on.

pixel · Post by **pixel** » Wed Apr 16, 2014 10:53 am

buzbard wrote:I voted C64.
There isn't really a large fan base for Plus4/C16 only because it came at the end of Commodore's life span. The C64 was a lot more popular.
The C64 seems to have a more 'fragile' chip set than the VIC20 so I'm guessing there are going to be fewer and fewer C64s as time rolls on.

It's even worse with the C16 series. The TED chip tends to overheat and you can kill the thing by (un-)plugging the joystick when turned on.

Boray · Post by **Boray** » Wed Apr 16, 2014 12:48 pm

By then maybe you can print out a fully working Vic-20 in your 3D printer.

Witzo · Post by **Witzo** » Tue Apr 22, 2014 3:49 am

I voted Plus/4 for collectors, since that is what I think is the aim of the poll.
But the actually most useful computer will be the Pentium, because of enormous amounts of old data lying around that historians will want to access.

akator · Post by **akator** » Tue Apr 22, 2014 8:57 am

An interesting question. Every time I come up with an answer I think of new reasons a different computer might be more valuable

Rarity is only a driving factor if people actually want it, also requiring enough people to know about it to want it. The Plus/4 may be the rarest but only 3 people may know what it is in 2050. Those 3 people will place a high value on it, but they will be the only ones.

The C64 will probably win this contest because from this list because of its market impact and popularity. In 2050 there will be comparatively few intact and working C64s, so rarity combined with historical significance will probably make it the winner.

Windows 95 PCs outsold the C64, but there was no one model or configuration to create a singular recognizable computer, an identifiable object of desire.

My reasoning for this is also because of insanely priced Atari 2600 and NES games sold over the last decade. There are equally rare software titles for other systems, but a critical mass of public awareness is necessary to drive the prices to stratospheric levels. I think the C64 is the only system listed that has the potential to meet those requirements.

malcontent · Post by **malcontent** » Tue Apr 22, 2014 5:18 pm

Gotta say plus/4, or maybe c16. TED fragility and all... Can't the joysticks burn it out somehow?

PETs definitely win though. Not too many computers prone to rust.

RJBowman · Post by **RJBowman** » Fri Apr 25, 2014 9:28 pm

No write ins? The most valuable will be the Apple One followed by the Altair. These values would be reversed if reason prevailed, but sadly the pioneering work of Altair is unknown to the masses, and people are more likely to believe that Apple invented the micro computer.

VIC will be more valuable than '64. The wondows machines will be worthless. The Amigas, sadly, will be mostly forgotten, and the various oddball Commodore 8-bit machines will non-sequitur antiques; without "book" value and worth whatever an eccentric collector will pay for them on that day.

Barney · Post by **Barney** » Thu Jan 22, 2015 1:00 am

The AMIGA will never be forgotten. It will definitely be worth more than any computer on the above list. Take a look on Ebay and see what AMIGA's go for. Some go for over $2,000.

English Invader · Post by **English Invader** » Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:23 am

I think, in the long run, emulation will drive down the prices of real hardware; especially when CRT televisions become hard to find.

At the moment, all emulation seems to do is whet my appetite for the real thing but there may come a time when it all seems like more trouble than it's worth and I'll settle for a nice PC and a lot of space in my home.

R'zo · Post by **R'zo** » Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:16 am

I voted Vic, it has my love. 64 seems to have a larger following than the vic and more devout than the others so it will probably win out.

16KVIC20 · Post by **16KVIC20** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 4:18 pm

I think it would be the C64. It was the biggest seller, so it will be remembered kind of like a Model T Ford (have you seen what they sell for now!). As others have said it seems to be more fragile than our dear Vic, so there will be fewer and fewer. The Vic will continue to be sought after by those in the know, but for the mainstream, which is what drives markets, the C64 will be the one to have, especially as you can do quite a bit more with it. Many of the games are still pretty impressive now I think. Much as I love the VIC it certainly does have its limitations.

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