APPLE COMPUTERS

In 1975, Steve Wozniak was working for Hewlett Packard (calculator manufacturers) by day and playing computer hobbyist by night, tinkering with the early computer kits like the Altair. "All the little computer kits that were being touted to hobbyists in 1975 were square or rectangular boxes with non understandable switches on them..." claimed Wozniak. Wozniak realized that the prices of some computer parts (e.g. microprocessors and memory chips) had gotten so low that he could buy them with maybe a month's salary. Wozniak decided that, with some help from fellow hobbyist Steve Jobs, they could build their own computer.

On April Fool's Day, 1976, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs released the Apple I computer and started Apple Computers. The Apple I was the first single circuit board computer. It came with a video interface, 8k of RAM and a keyboard. The system incorporated some economical components, including the 6502 processor (only $25 dollars - designed by Rockwell and produced by MOS Technologies) and dynamic RAM.

In 1977, Apple Computers was incorporated and the Apple II computer model was released. The first West Coast Computer Faire was held in San Francisco the same year, and attendees saw the public debut of the Apple II (available for $1298). The Apple II was also based on the 6502 processor, but it had colour graphics (a first for a personal computer), and used an audio cassette drive for storage. Its original configuration came with 4 kb of RAM, but a year later this was increased to 48 kb of RAM and the cassette drive was replaced by a floppy disk drive.

The Commodore PET

The Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor or maybe rumored to be named after the "pet rock" fad) was designed by Chuck Peddle. It was first presented at the January, 1977, Winter Consumer Electronics Show and later at the West Coast Computer Faire. The Pet Computer also ran on the 6502 chip, but it cost only $795, half the price of the Apple II. It included 4 kb of RAM, monochrome graphics and an audio cassette drive for data storage. Included was a version of BASIC in 14k of ROM. Microsoft developed its first 6502-based BASIC for the PET and then sold the source code to Apple for AppleBASIC. The keyboard, cassette drive and small monochrome display all fit within the same self contained unit.

Note: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak at one point in time showed the Apple I prototype to Commodore, who agreed to buy Apple. Steve Jobs then decided not to sell to Commodore, who bought MOS Technology instead and then designed the PET. The Commodore PET was seen at the time to be a chief rival of the Apple.

In 1977, Radio Shack introduced its TRS-80 microcomputer, also nicknamed the "Trash-80". It was based on the Zilog Z80 processor (an 8-bit microprocessor whose instruction set is a superset of the Intel 8080) and came with 4 kb of RAM and 4 kb of ROM with BASIC. An optional expansion box enabled memory expansion, and audio cassettes were used for data storage, similar to the PET and the first Apples. Over 10,000 TRS-80s were sold during the first month of production. The later TRS-80 Model II came complete with a disk drive for program and data storage. At that time, only Apple and Radio Shack had machines with disk drives. With the introduction of the disk drive, applications for the personal computer proliferated as distribution of software became easier.

APPLE FIRST COMPUTER

The Lisa - The Personal Computer

In 1978, Apple Computers started on a business system to complement their successful Apple II/III line of home computers. The new project was code named Lisa, unofficially after the daughter of one of its designers and officially standing for Local Integrated Software Architecture. Steve Jobs was completely dedicated to new project, implementing feature after feature and delaying the release of Lisa, until he was finally removed as project manager by then Apple president Mark Markkula. The Lisa was finally released in January 1983.

The Lisa was the first personal computer to use a GUI. Other innovative features for the personal market included a drop-down menu bar, windows, multiple tasking, a hierarchal file system, the ability to copy and paste, icons, folders and a mouse. It cost Apple $50 million to develop the Lisa and $100 million to write the software, and only 10,000 units were ever sold. One year later the Lisa 2 was released with a 3.5" drive instead of the two 5.25" and a price tag slashed in half from the original $9,995. In 1985, the Lisa 2 was renamed the Macintosh XL and bundled with MacWorks system software. Finally in 1986, the Lisa, Lisa 2 and Macintosh XL line was scrapped altogether, literally ending up as landfill, despite Steve Jobs saying, "We're prepared to live with Lisa for the next ten years."

Specifications	The Lisa/Lisa 2/Mac XL
CPU:	MC68000
CPU speed:	5 Mhz
FPU:	None
Motherboard RAM:	minimum 512 k - maximum 2MB
ROM:	16k
Serial Ports:	2 RS-323
Parallel Ports:	1 Lisa - 0 Lisa 2/MacXL
Floppy Drive:	2 internal 871k 5.25" 1 internal 400k Sony 3.5" Lisa 2/MacXL
Hard Drive:	5 MB internal;
Monitor:	Built-In 12" - 720 x 360 pixels
Power Supply:	150 Watts
Weight:	48 lbs.
Dimensions:	15.2" H x 18.7" W x 13.8" D
System Software:	LisaOS/MacWorks
Production:	January 1983 to August 1986
Initial Cost:	$9,995

The high cost and delays in its release date helped to create the Lisa's demise, but where the Lisa failed the Macintosh succeeded. Continue reading about Apple's history with our next chapter on the Macintosh.

A month after the Lisa line was cut; Steve Jobs quit his job at Apple. However, do not worry about what happened to Jobs. He then turned his attention to the NeXT computer.