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Bell & Howell Apple II Plus appears on eBay, like a foundling carved out of onyx
You wouldn't know it by the never ending barrage of black PowerBook's throughout the '90s, or even the onyx MacBooks in the mid-00s, but dark-clad casings from Apple were pretty much non-existent until Cupertino got serious about laptops, excluding of course the ill-fated Macintosh TV. Exempt from the prevailing 'Snow White' design ethos however, were clones machines sold by other companies, like the Bell & Howell's variant of the Apple ][ Plus above. Per Wikipedia, the machine in question was only available through educational channels, notable for its A/V outputs (which you can espy after the break) especially for that purpose. Typical eBay caveats apply, with the buyer selling the machine "as is" -- read sans power supply -- but we can't imagine it'll be long before an Apple collector swoops in and steals the pooch. More pics and your chance to bid on a piece of history await at the source below.
Bell & Howell MICRO Computer Apple II Plus found on Ebay
Here is an auction, spotted by Steve Troughton-Smith, that you don't see very often. Seller christique1 is auctioning off an Apple II Plus that was built specifically for Bell & Howell and sold to educational markets. Internally, the unit resembles a standard, beige Apple II Plus, but it's clad in a black casing made specifically for that model. The auction includes only the computer. There is no power supply so the seller can't confirm the unit works. Even if it isn't operational, it's still a collector's dream. It's a rare model, less than 10,000 were supposedly made, and it's described as being in good condition with only a few dings and scratches. The keyboard is covered and in remarkable condition. Right now, the auction has one day left and has reached US$100. If you are into collectibles, here's you chance to own a rare piece of Apple history.
