Before the Macintosh became one of Apple's defining products, the company had another computer that failed in the market.
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that → become → market
In September 1989, Apple took an unusual step with thousands of unsold Lisa computers.
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Apple → take → computers
About 2,700 machines were buried at a landfill in Logan, Utah, bringing an end to the story of one of the company's most ambitious but unsuccessful computers.
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machines → bury → computers
The Lisa had been launched in 1983 as Apple's first attempt at a modern computer built around a graphical interface.
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Lisa → launch → interface
According to The Verge, it had a mouse, windows, icons and menus, features that later became standard on desktop computers.
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that → accord → computers
The Lisa had them a year before the Macintosh was released.
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Macintosh → have → them
But the computer struggled in the market.
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computer → struggle → market
It carried a price tag of about $10,000 and had hardware problems.
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It → carry → problems
It was also overshadowed by the cheaper Macintosh that Apple was preparing to introduce.
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Apple → overshadow → that
Even after being discounted, upgraded and renamed the Macintosh XL, the Lisa lasted only about two years before Apple dropped it in 1985.
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Apple → discount → 1985
After being discontinued, thousands of Lisa machines were still left over.
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thousands → discontinue → machines
A computer salesman named Bob Cook saw an opportunity in the unwanted stock.
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salesman → name → stock
He had been selling older computers at discounted prices and had previously taken about 3,500 Apple III computers from Apple in 1985.
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He → sell → 1985
A year later, he took on the last 7,000 Lisas.
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he → take → Lisas
A Lisa, dumped and destroyed (Picture: Hackaday)
Attempt to save Lisa failed
Cook was an Apple reseller who believed older computers could still find buyers.
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computers → dump → buyers
“Computers were supposed to be leading edge, so nobody was thinking about selling the trailing edge of high technology,” Cook told The Verge.
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Cook → suppose → Verge
Rather than simply selling Lisa, Cook worked on improving the machines so they could compete with newer Mac models.
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they → sell → models
He estimated that he spent $200,000 on research and development, upgrading the hardware and operating system.
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he → estimate → hardware
Cook gave the upgraded computer a new name.
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Cook → give → name
So we called it the ‘Lisa Professional,’” he said.
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he → call → it
But the effort eventually came to an end, and the remaining Lisas faced a very different fate.
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Lisas → come → fate
Soonafter, Apple buried about 2,700 unsold Lisa computers at the Logan landfill in September 1989.
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Apple → bury → September
Landfill workers drove bulldozers over the computers before they were buried.
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they → drive → computers
Brochure showing Lisa 1 screen and Twiggy floppy drives (Picture source: Medium.com)
Lisa failed, but changed computing
The Lisa's failure was closely linked to its price and its timing.
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failure → show → price
Its hardware problems also worked against it, while the Macintosh offered a cheaper alternative.
Yet the Lisa had introduced ideas that would become central to personal computing.
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that → work → computing
Veteran technology journalist Steven Levy described its ease of use in an interview with The Verge.
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Levy → describe → Verge
“The Lisa was the first computer out there that you didn’t have to struggle with a big computer manual or even hire a consultant to use,” Levy said.
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Levy → have → consultant
“You could understand it out of the box and start using it.”
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You → understand → it
The Lisa therefore occupied an unusual place in Apple's history.
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Lisa → occupy → history
It failed to become a successful mass-market product, but its graphical approach helped shape the kind of computers consumers would later expect.
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consumers → fail → computers
The Computer History Museum says Lisa had 1MB RAM, a 12-inch black-and-white display, two 5.25-inch floppy drives and a 5MB hard drive.
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Lisa → say → RAM
An archived 1983 technical article says the project representedmore than 200 person-years of work and $50 million in development.
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project → say → development
Lisa project started in 1978, several years before its launch.
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project → start → launch
Steve Jobs initially led the project but was removed from it in 1982.
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Jobs → lead → 1982
After that, he moved his attention to the Macintosh project.
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he → move → project
The Aporia
