Apple Lisa-1 (1983)
Apple Lisa-1 material in Achim Baqué’s vintage computer collection.
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One of my Apple Lisa 1
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Another of my Apple Lisa 1
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Another of my Apple Lisa 1
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Another of my Apple Lisa 1
I have several Apple Lisa-1 in my collection and already traded another three for other rare vintage computer items.
Many claim that the Apple Lisa-1 is extremely rare. It is rare, but there are still hundreds around. This computer only seems to be rare because there is no registry and the owners usually do not want the computer listed anywhere. This leads to the erroneous assumption that the Lisa 1 is rarer than an Apple-1.
The Apple Lisa 1 is one of the groundbreaking computers in the history of personal computing. Released by Apple in 1983, the Lisa was one of the first commercial computers to offer a graphical user interface, a mouse, and advanced features that shaped how we use computers today.
Named after Steve Jobs’s daughter, the Lisa was designed for business users who needed a powerful yet user-friendly computer. At its heart was the idea that people could interact with a computer visually, using windows, icons, and a mouse instead of only typing commands. This approach inspired the way we still use computers and smartphones today.
The Lisa 1 featured a Motorola 68000 processor, a high-resolution display, and two built-in 5.25-inch floppy disk drives. It also introduced an innovative software suite with tools for word processing, spreadsheets, and project management. The Lisa’s design made it easier for office workers to handle complex tasks without needing special technical skills.
Although the Lisa 1 was ahead of its time, it was also very expensive and faced technical challenges that limited its commercial success. Only about ten thousand units were sold. However, the Lisa’s ideas lived on and heavily influenced the creation of the more affordable and famous Macintosh, which brought the graphical user interface to a wider audience.
Today, the Apple Lisa 1 is a rare and very important computer for collectors and museums. It marks an important moment when personal computing took a big step forward toward the modern desktops, laptops, and mobile devices we use every day.
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If you own or know of historically important computers, documentation, software, manuals, parts, photographs, provenance information or related artefacts, please contact me. Messages, photographs and provenance details are treated confidentially.