Lisa · The Garage Era · 1983
Apple Lisa
The Lisa brought the mouse-driven GUI (inspired by Xerox PARC) to market a year before the Mac. At nearly $10,000 it flopped; its ideas survived, the machine did not.
First Apple computer with a GUI, mouse and protected-memory multitasking.
Apple Lisa 2 (1984)
Apple Lisa: key facts
When was the Apple Lisa released?
The Apple Lisa arrived in January 1983. Apple discontinued it in August 1986.
How much did the Apple Lisa cost?
The Apple Lisa launched at $9,995 in 1983, about $31,584 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What specs stand out?
Key specs: Motorola 68000 at 5 MHz, 1 MB RAM, 5 MB storage, 12" monochrome, 720×364 display.
Why does the Apple Lisa matter?
First Apple computer with a GUI, mouse and protected-memory multitasking.
Full specifications
| CPU | Motorola 68000 · 5 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 1 MB (up to 2 MB) |
| Storage | 5 MB |
| Display | 12" monochrome, 720×364 |
| GPU | Bitmapped framebuffer |
| Ports | Twiggy floppies, ProFile HDD, serial |
| Weight | 22 kg |
| Dimensions | All-in-one |
| Operating system | Lisa Office System |
| Released | January 1983 |
| Discontinued | August 1986 |
| Launch price | $9,995 |
How the Apple Lisa compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 16,400× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 5 MHz, the clock is roughly 640× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro, and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
All of this storage could hold roughly one modern phone photo.
Launched at $9,995 in 1983, about $31,584 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Method note: clock comparisons use frequency only; price conversions use US CPI.
Sources
Specs checked against Apple technical specifications archive, EveryMac, Mactracker, Wikimedia Commons image credits.
Did you know?
Unsold Lisas were buried in a Utah landfill in 1989 for a tax write-off.
Related Lisa models
Open the Apple Lisa in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-08-11