A computer mouse that was one of Steve Jobs’ major inspirations has been sold for £147,000.
The early and rare three-button mouse and coding keyset created by computing icon Douglas Engelbart featured two metal discs which correspond to the X-axis and Y-axis and the lot sold for around 12 times its estimate of £12,000 in a sale by Boston-based RR Auction.
Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction said: “Engelbart’s invention would, in part, change the course of modern life.
“This device played a crucial role in the evolution of computer history.”
Douglas’ mouse was the inspiration for late Apple CEO Steve’s first rollerball-controlled mice.
One of the main innovations of Douglas’ mouse was its axis use, with the coding keyset featuring five keys allowing permitting 31 key-press combinations, for typing and entering commands.
The pair of early input devices are like those used in the tech expert’s iconic 1968 ‘Mother of All Demos’, a live demonstration that displayed the introduction of a complete computer hardware and software system.
In the early 1970s, many of Douglas’ team were working at Xerox PARC, where they continued their research in human-computer interaction and kept improving upon the mouse.
It was while touring the research facility in 1979 that Steve – who died aged 56 in 2011 after a pancreatic cancer battle – saw witnessed the concepts of the mouse and the graphical user interface.
His aim was to improve their user-friendliness, which was key to his Apple machines.
The Xerox mice cost £245 each and did not roll smoothly, while Steve was intent on creating a single-button version that cost £12.
Apple licensed Douglas’ mouse patent for around £33,000 and Steve hired the design firm IDEO to bring the mouse to reality.
