Overview
Lisa is a desktop computer developed by Apple, released on January 19, 1983. It is generally considered the first mass-market personal computer operable through a graphical user interface (GUI). In 1983, a machine like the Lisa was still so expensive that it was primarily marketed to individual and small and medium-sized businesses as a groundbreaking new alternative to much bigger and more expensive mainframes or minicomputers such as from IBM, that either require additional, expensive consultancy from the supplier, hiring specially trained personnel, or at least, a much steeper learning curve to maintain and operate. Earlier GUI-controlled personal computers were not mass-marketed; for example, the Xerox Alto was manufactured only for Xerox and select partners through Xerox PARC from the early to mid-1970s.
Development of project “LISA” began in 1978. It underwent many changes and shipped at US30,600 in 2023) with a five-megabyte hard drive. It was affected by its high price, insufficient software, unreliable Apple FileWare floppy disks, and the imminent release of the cheaper and faster Macintosh.: 79 Only 60,000 Lisa units were sold in two years.: 77
Considered a commercial failure with technical acclaim, Lisa introduced several advanced features that reappeared on the Macintosh and eventually IBM PC compatibles. These include an operating system with memory protection and a document-oriented workflow. The hardware is more advanced overall than the following Macintosh, including hard disk drive support, capacity for up to 2 megabytes (MB) of random-access memory (RAM), expansion slots, and a larger, higher-resolution display.
The complexity of the Lisa operating system and its associated programs (especially its office suite), and the ad hoc protected memory implementation (due to the lack of a Motorola memory management unit), placed a high demand on the CPU and, to some extent, the storage system. As a result of cost-cutting measures designed to bring it more into the consumer market, advanced software, and factors such as the delayed availability of the 68000 processor and its impact on the design process, many said that Lisa’s user experience was sluggish overall. The workstation-tier price (though at the low end) and lack of a technical software application library made it a difficult sale for much of the technical workstation market. Further impediments to the Lisa’s acceptance were the runaway success of the IBM PC, and Apple’s decision to essentially compete with itself via the lower-priced Macintosh.
In 1982, after Steve Jobs was forced out of the Lisa project by Apple’s board of directors, he appropriated the Macintosh project from Jef Raskin, who had originally conceived of a sub-$1,000 text-based appliance computer in 1979. Jobs immediately redefined Macintosh as a less expensive and more focused version of the graphical Lisa.
When Macintosh launched in January 1984, it quickly surpassed Lisa’s underwhelming sales. Jobs then began assimilating increasing numbers of Lisa staff, as he had done with the Apple II division after assuming control over Raskin’s project. Newer Lisa models were eventually introduced to address its shortcomings but, even after lowering the list price considerably, the platform failed to achieve sales volumes comparable to the much less expensive Mac. The final model, the Lisa 2/10, was rebranded as the Macintosh XL to become the high-end model in the Macintosh series.: 79