Apple Lisa 2/Macintosh XL

• Got a Lisa? Join LisaList.

Overview

Details

• announced 1984.01 at $3,500 to $5,500; discontinued 1985.04
• requires Lisa OS or MacWorks Mac emulator
• CPU: 5 MHz 68000
• ROM: 16 KB
• RAM: 512 KB, expandable to 2 MB
• 12" b&w screen, 720 x 360 rectangular pixels
• keyboard attached via coiled telephone-like cable
• mouse attached via DB-9 connector
• two DB-9 serial ports
• parallel printer port (used by internal hard drive on Lisa 2/10)
• three expansion slots
• floppy: 3.5" 400KB drive
• sound: beeps
• size (HxWxD): 15.2" x 18.7" x 13.8"
• weight: 48 lb.
• Gestalt ID: 2
• upgrade path: none

Online Resources

• Lisa's DNA is all over modern computing, Ray Arachelian, Apple Seeds, 2007.06.06. Those who label Apple's Lisa a failure are ignoring the computer's legacy that shows up in every personal computer sold today.
• Using Apple's Lisa for real work, Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living, 2007.04.02. The Lisa Office System has some advantages of modern computers for word processing and other production work.
• Bringing my Apple Lisa back to life, Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living, 2007.03.26. The floppy drive wasn't working the keyboard was rough. Some homebrew fixes got everything working again.
• Lisa emulator released, allows OS X and Windows users to experience Apple's Lisa, Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living, 2007.02.27. Nearly a decade in the making, the Lisa Emulator Project now has a working Lisa emulator for Windows PCs and OS X Macs.
• Interview with Ray Arachelian, creator of the Lisa emulator, Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living, 2007.03.13. Ray Arachelian spent most of a decade creating the world's first working Lisa emulator. Why he did it and some of the obstacles he had to overcome.
• Retro computing: First impressions of a newly acquired Apple Lisa, Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living, 2006.02.14. Saved from the trash and given a new home, this old Lisa is a slow, friendly computer.
• Which system software is best for my vintage Mac?, Tyler Sable, Classic Restorations, 2005.11.22. Which system software works best depends to a great extent on just which Mac you have and how much RAM is installed.
• A history of Apple's Lisa, 1979-1986, Tom Hormby, Orchard, 2005.10.05. Originally envisioned as a business computer to replace the Apple II, the Lisa brought the mouse and GUI to the computer market - only to be felled by the less costly Macintosh.
• The Lisa legacy, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2003.01.20. On the Lisa's 20th anniversary, we should remember how Apple's innovation paved the way for all future computers.
• The innovative Lisa, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 2001.05.31. Perhaps the most innovative computer before the Macintosh, Lisa paved the way for a GUI future.
• Tales from Tessler: History of the Lisa Computer, Larry Tesler, 2000.11.28
• What ever happened to Lisa?, John C. Dvorak, Computer Shopper (republished by Jags House)
• Apple's Twiggy Disks, Eric, Retro Computing, 1996-99
• The Apple Lisa 2/5, Justin Mayrand, 1996
• 20 Spectacular Failures, Byte, 1995.11. One paragraph on the Lisa - and one on the ill-fated Apple ///.
• Heart of the Apple Lisa, Jordin Kare, 1995
• The Legacy of the Lisa, David T. Craig, 1993.02.16
• Lisa Emulator Project. A work in progress.
• Apple Lisa, Obsolete Computer Museum
• Apple Lisa Tribute, Simon White
• Apple Lisa 1 and 2 XL, DigiBarn Computer Museum
• Apple Lisa: The First Affordable GUI, Apple Museum
• Macintosh XL: Technical Specifications, Apple

<go to Lisa index or LEM home page>

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Video Cards
Email Lists

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Have a question?
Ask an expert!

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.