Before the Mac
Apple before the Macintosh — the 6502-based machines that built the company, the Lisa that first brought a mouse and windows to a desk, and the Newton handhelds of the 1990s. These are the deep cuts: mostly collector territory now, but the foundation everything else was built on.
Prices are the US launch price and exclude tax; for machines this old they are approximate and often quoted without a monitor. The Macintosh itself, and every line that grew out of it, lives on the Mac page.
Apple computers — the pre-Macintosh era
| Model | Chip | Specs | From | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple I | MOS 6502 | A bare assembled board sold to hobbyists — you added a case, keyboard and TV | $666.66 | 1976 |
| Apple II | MOS 6502 | Colour graphics, sound, expansion slots, BASIC in ROM — a personal-computer landmark | $1,298 | 1977 |
| Apple II Plus | MOS 6502 | More RAM and Applesoft BASIC built in — VisiCalc made it the must-have business machine | $1,195 | 1979 |
| Apple III | 6502A | Business machine with built-in 5.25″ drive — troubled by overheating, a rare flop | $4,340 | 1980 |
| Apple IIe | MOS 6502 | The definitive Apple II — cheaper, expandable, and made all the way to 1993 | $1,395 | 1983 |
| Apple Lisa | Motorola 68000 | First Apple with a mouse-driven GUI and windows — brilliant, expensive, a commercial failure | $9,995 | 1983 |
| Apple IIGS | 65C816 | 16-bit Apple II with colour graphics and a Mac-like sound chip and interface | $999 | 1986 |
Newton — the handheld era
| Model | Chip | Specs | From | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton MessagePad | ARM 610 | Pen-based PDA, handwriting recognition — the device that coined “PDA” | $699 | 1993 |
| eMate 300 | ARM 710 | Newton OS in a rugged clamshell with a keyboard, built for schools — green translucent shell | $799 | 1997 |
| MessagePad 2100 | StrongARM SA-110 | The last and best Newton — fast, big screen — before the line was cut in 1998 | $999 | 1997 |
Some of the figures in the charts and tables on this page were compiled with the help of AI tools and may contain errors or be out of date. They are shared in good faith for general interest only — not as professional, financial, investment or purchasing advice — and should be checked against the cited primary sources before you rely on them.