Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
43 An IBM PC being used in
an office, mid-1980s.
the world's most successful PC manufacturer. Among these were the
Apple III, and Apple founder Steve Jobs' own personal project,
the 'Lisa'. Jobs, who had been part of an Apple visit to PARC, decided
that the innovations that PARC scientists had developed would be
ideal for his ambitions for the Lisa. Realizing that Xerox itself
had little intention of marketing these ideas effectively, Jobs, in a
sleight of hand, negotiated a licensing agreement that allowed Apple
to use the PARC interface on their computers. Lisa, the first
Apple computer to incorporate the PARC-style interface (though re-
engineered and developed by Apple engineers) was warmly received
on its release in
, but was a slow and expensive machine. The
next year Apple released another computer, using the PARC-style
interface yet again, but both cheaper and faster. This was the
Macintosh (illus.
1983
), developed in parallel with the Lisa, and
announced in a now-legendary advertising spot during the
44
1984
Superbowl. The Apple Macintosh, with its bit-mapped graphics,
graphical user interface, ease of interaction and stylish look defined
the shape of the personal computer. Almost immediately after the
release of the Macintosh, Microsoft produced a new operating
