APC cardboard computer

Between 2011 and 2014, we built APC, a low-cost computer in a cardboard enclosure. More of the things people used computers for were moving online. We wanted to see how simple and inexpensive a useful computer could be.

We kept the enclosure easy to open and left connections for experimenting with the hardware. The materials were easy to recycle.

  • An early APC prototype in a plain cardboard enclosure, with its ports exposed along one edge.
    First working prototype.
  • Steve Jobs and Bill Gates seated facing one another in conversation.
    Inspiration from some heroes.
  • The APC cardboard lid lifted to reveal its circuit board and metal base.
    You could easily open APC and connect various things to the GPIOs.
  • The red APC circuit board, showing its processor, connectors, and backup battery.
    The board.
  • The APC enclosure separated into cardboard panels and a metal tray.
    Easy to recycle materials.
  • A dimensioned outline of the APC computer and its row of ports.
  • A red and black layout drawing showing the APC board inside the enclosure.
  • The closed APC cardboard computer standing upright like a book.
    Simple. Open.
  • A Venn diagram places the “sweet spot for startups” between “seems like a bad idea” and “is a good idea.”
    We built APC inside a large company. I think it could have been a startup.

We built APC inside a large company and eventually had to stop because of internal resource constraints. I still think it could have been a startup.