NeXTcube logic board with Motorola 68040 processor (recapped and working), 11″ x 11.25″, with the reverse featuring the classic NeXT logo designed by Paul Rand, with a copyright date of 1990, reading: "NeXT Inc., Made in USA, PN-1698.AE." In fine condition.
Introduced in 1990, the NeXTcube was a high-end workstation computer (launched with a $7,995 list price) built to run the innovative NeXTSTEP operating system. Although NeXT's computer hardware encountered subpar sales, the object-oriented NeXTSTEP operating system and development environment proved highly influential. The OS offered an intuitive GUI with features like an application dock, true multitasking, drag-and-drop tools, large full-color icons, real-time scrolling, and other elements that are considered ubiquitous today. Unix derivatives incorporating NeXTSTEP would eventually power all of Apple's platforms, including the iPhone. Apple purchased NeXT in 1997 for $429 million and 1.5 million shares of Apple stock, with Steve Jobs, as part of the agreement, returning to the company he had co-founded in 1976.