Apple Disposed of 2,700 Computers in a Landfill Back in 1989
The Apple Lisa, unveiled in 1983, was Apple's first foray into the world of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and mouse-driven interaction. Priced at a staggering $9,995, it was a quarter of the cost of the Lisa's predecessor, the Lisa 2, but far beyond the reach of average consumers and small businesses.
The Lisa computer, powered by the Motorola 68000 CPU with a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit architecture and a fast 5 MHz clock speed, featured a monochrome monitor with a resolution of 720 x 364 and rectangular pixels. Despite its technological advancements, the Lisa was plagued with technical issues, including sluggish performance and frequent system crashes due to overheating.
Steve Jobs, the mind behind the Lisa, was removed from the project in 1981 and later redirected his efforts towards the Macintosh, a more affordable alternative that would quickly overshadow the Lisa. The Macintosh, released in 1984, boasted a more forward-looking 3.25-inch floppy drive and a more affordable price-point, immediately outselling the Lisa.
The Lisa's commercial failure was compounded by Apple's inability to sell the remaining stock. Thousands of unsold Lisas were eventually purchased by entrepreneur Bob Cook, who intended to refurbish and resell them, even investing in upgrading the hardware and operating system. However, in 1989, Apple demanded the return of these units and had thousands of fully functional computers crushed and buried in a landfill, a decision intended to protect the company's brand and maintain control over its product ecosystem.
The news of the disposal shocked the public, given the high price of computers at the time. In contrast, the Macintosh, with its more affordable price and improved performance, found significant market success, becoming a staple in homes and offices around the world.
In the end, the Apple Lisa serves as a cautionary tale of the perils of high prices, technical issues, and internal competition in the rapidly evolving world of technology.
References
- Apple Lisa
- The Untold Story of Apple's Lisa
- The Lisa Computer
- Apple Lisa: The Computer That Failed
- Apple Lisa: The Computer That Time Forgot
The Lisa computer, despite its technological advancements and Apple's initial investment, failed commercially due to high prices, technical issues, and fierce internal competition within the company. This failure pales in comparison to the success of the Macintosh, Apple's more affordable alternative, which revolutionized the market with its improved performance and competitive pricing. The story of the Apple Lisa serves as a reminder of the potential pitfalls in the world of technology, where high costs and technical difficulties can often lead to market failures, even for groundbreaking gadgets.
