Again, if you thought the Macintosh was the first of its kind, you were wrong. #AppleLisa
In the 1970s, as we have posted about before (check it out), the printers company Xerox had attempted to enter the computer market and for the first time utilize the mouse through a GUI (Graphics User Interface). If you read the post, you know that the Xerox Alto failed since it was too early to the market. A decade later, after the success of the Apple II, the IBM PCs (and its clones, anything DOS), or the Commodore 64, Apple was ready to revolutionize the world (Again, after the Apple II) by basically reinventing the Xerox Alto with the Apple look and feel. The idea was Lisa, and it did not go well. Let's examine why:
Apple Lisa: Let's look at the basics.
Apple Lisa started out as a project in 1978 and got released in 1983. It cost 9,995$ (or 25,970$, adjusted for inflation). If you think it is an overkill, you would not be wrong. But for a new idea, well, give it some common sense. Apple has been overkilling prices since then, honestly, they've always been this way.
Apple Lisa ran its own OS (creatively named Lisa OS), had a Motorola 68000 CPU (running on 5 MHz), had the Apple II and III as its predecessors and was followed by the Macintosh.
If you are curious, LISA is an acronym for Logically Integrated Software Architecture but everyone called it just Lisa. How did Lisa fail then?
How did Lisa fail?
Firstly, you obviously thought of that 9k price. Too much for frequent use. Also let's remember for a not so used GUI system, programs would not opt to make themselves for a system that's unused by most people, making Lisa fail again. Also, it was early again.
Ah, let me not forget. Only a few years after the failed Lisa, Steve Jobs released the legendary Macintosh which was cheaper than Lisa. It being cheaper was a step for the GUIs to take over.
Lisa just set its ground for failure very easily. Luck was not on its side.
Conclusion
Apple Lisa was a great idea that would pick up from the failed Xerox Alto and improve it under the recognized name of Apple but it was overpriced and that lead to its lack of support. Macintosh just picked up the pieces of Lisa and made them better on a better price. Macintosh was not as groundbreaking as you thought.
So, share your thoughts on what you think of Lisa as well as what you think that Lisa should have been by commenting.
Please share your thoughts!
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