Apple Lisa | 1983
Apple Lisa
Apple's strategy is very simple. Steve Jobs said, "What we want to do is create a high-performance computer the size of a notebook. One that anyone can use after just 20 minutes of learning." With current technology, that is impossible, but Apple considered three approaches. The first is to simply give up. The second is to make a piece of junk computer the size of a notebook, like our competitors do. The third is to follow the steps we intend to take and build the computer. Jobs said, "With our current technology, we can make a computer the size of a breadbox for $10,000. That's the Lisa we're working on. Next, we'll make a computer the size of a shoebox for $2,500, and finally, we’ll make a notebook-sized computer and sell it for under $1,000."
On January 19, 1983, Apple released the Lisa computer. It was the first Apple computer to feature a GUI (Graphical User Interface). The name Lisa was initially said to be an acronym for 'Local Integrated Software Architecture,' but in fact, it was named after Steve Jobs's daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs. Jobs himself confirmed this in his biography. At the time, Jobs had not recognized Lisa Brennan-Jobs as his daughter, which surprised many. Later, however, Jobs accepted her as his daughter, and they became a family.
The Lisa project began in 1978, and in 1979, after Steve Jobs visited Xerox PARC and saw the Alto computer, discussions about the potential of GUI started within Apple. Subsequently, Apple secured a license for GUI technology in exchange for giving Xerox stock. The Lisa was unveiled on January 19, 1983, and featured cutting-edge technologies of the time.
Technically, the Lisa had a monochrome high-resolution display, memory protection, cooperative multitasking, a screen saver, an anti-glare screen, expandable RAM, expansion slots, and even a built-in help panel on the keyboard. It came with several applications, and the operating system, initially called Lisa OS (Office System), was later updated and renamed Lisa 7/7.
However, the Lisa was a commercial failure. Its CPU, the Motorola 68000 at 5 MHz, was too slow to take full advantage of the computer's features, and the large hard disk made performance even worse. It was also large and impractical to carry, and the design was criticized for being asymmetrical. Most importantly, it was very expensive. At $9,995, the Lisa was more expensive than a Chevrolet Caprice, a large car, and far more costly than 16 Commodore 64 computers.
The Lisa was quickly overshadowed by the Macintosh 128K, released a year later. The Macintosh was a quarter of the price, smaller, more portable, faster, and more attractive. Despite this, NASA used the Lisa for its easy-to-use project management tools.
In January 1984, Apple released an upgraded version, the Lisa 2. It was priced much lower, but by then, the market had already moved to the Macintosh, and the Lisa 2 failed. The Lisa 2 was later renamed the Macintosh XL and was discontinued in April 1985. The Lisa 2 and Macintosh XL could run Macintosh software through the MacWorks XL emulator.
Although the Lisa was a commercial failure, its innovative spirit lived on in later Apple products, and it played a crucial role in shaping the design and technology of Apple's future products.
