The Five Most Expensive Apple Computers In History
If you go to the Apple Store today, the most expensive device you can buy is a Mac Pro with a pair of 2.93 GHz 6-Core Intel
Xeon processors. The base configuration for this model will set you
back $6199. That’s a lot of money, but in historical terms it’s
downright cheap. In the past, Apple has sold much more expensive
computers, especially when the price of previous models are adjusted for
inflation. Here are the five most expensive Apple computers in history
(inflation-adjusted prices are in 2010 dollars).
Year: 1983
Sticker price: $9995
Inflation-adjusted price: $21,600
The Lisa is not only the most expensive computer in Apple’s history in nominal terms, it’s also the most expensive computer in real, inflation-adjusted terms. The Lisa was Apple’s first stab at a graphical user interface. Its high price prevented widespread adoption, but many of the key innovations pioneered in the Lisa became the basis for the Macintosh, released the following year at a much more accessible price of $2495. ($5200 in today’s terms) Apple dramatically cut the price for the successor, the Lisa 2, to $3495 and later rebranded it the Macintosh XL to capitalize on the more popular Macintosh brand.
Sticker price: $9000
Inflation-adjusted price: $14,900
After the success of the relatively low-cost Macintosh, and moderately-priced successors like the Macintosh Plus, Apple released the Macintosh II in 1987. It was the first Mac to feature a color screen, and the first Mac that separated the display from the CPU. There were numerous models of the Mac II and its successor the Mac Quadra released between 1987 and 1993, but probably the most expensive was the Macintosh IIfx. Sources differ on its exact price, but it cost at least $9000—more than $14,900 in today’s dollars. That would get you a blazing-fast 40 MHz processor and room for up to 128 MB of memory.
Sticker price: $4340
Inflation-adjusted price: $11,400
The Apple II transformed Apple from a tiny startup to a leading firm in the rapidly growing PC industry. So expectations were high for Apple’s next act. Unfortunately, the Apple III’s high sticker price, design problems, and limited backwards compatibility with Apple II software hampered its success. It was discontinued in favor of more popular Apple II models at the low end and the Macintosh at the high end.
Year: 1989
Sticker price: $6500
Inflation-adjusted price: $11,300
The Macintosh Portable was Apple’s first attempt to create what we would now call a laptop. For $6500 you got a 640 by 400 pixel black and white display, a 16 MHz processor, and room for up to 8 MB of memory. It was a clumsy device, weighing 15.8 pounds, and sold poorly. It was also the first laptop used in space.
Year: 1997
Sticker price: $7499
Inflation-adjusted price: $10,140
The 20th Anniversary Mac was an early project of Jonathan Ive, who would later play a key role in designing the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. It looked strikingly different than other computers on the market at the time. Its performance was good but not spectacular for its day: a 250 MHz processor and an 800 by 600 pixel color display. Priced at $7499 and marketed as a status symbol, it sold poorly. After Steve Jobs returned to the company, he cut its price to $1995 to get the remaining inventory out the door.
1. The Apple Lisa
Sticker price: $9995
Inflation-adjusted price: $21,600
The Lisa is not only the most expensive computer in Apple’s history in nominal terms, it’s also the most expensive computer in real, inflation-adjusted terms. The Lisa was Apple’s first stab at a graphical user interface. Its high price prevented widespread adoption, but many of the key innovations pioneered in the Lisa became the basis for the Macintosh, released the following year at a much more accessible price of $2495. ($5200 in today’s terms) Apple dramatically cut the price for the successor, the Lisa 2, to $3495 and later rebranded it the Macintosh XL to capitalize on the more popular Macintosh brand.
2. The Macintosh IIfx
Year: 1990Sticker price: $9000
Inflation-adjusted price: $14,900
After the success of the relatively low-cost Macintosh, and moderately-priced successors like the Macintosh Plus, Apple released the Macintosh II in 1987. It was the first Mac to feature a color screen, and the first Mac that separated the display from the CPU. There were numerous models of the Mac II and its successor the Mac Quadra released between 1987 and 1993, but probably the most expensive was the Macintosh IIfx. Sources differ on its exact price, but it cost at least $9000—more than $14,900 in today’s dollars. That would get you a blazing-fast 40 MHz processor and room for up to 128 MB of memory.
3. The Apple III
Year: 1980Sticker price: $4340
Inflation-adjusted price: $11,400
The Apple II transformed Apple from a tiny startup to a leading firm in the rapidly growing PC industry. So expectations were high for Apple’s next act. Unfortunately, the Apple III’s high sticker price, design problems, and limited backwards compatibility with Apple II software hampered its success. It was discontinued in favor of more popular Apple II models at the low end and the Macintosh at the high end.
4. The Macintosh Portable
Sticker price: $6500
Inflation-adjusted price: $11,300
The Macintosh Portable was Apple’s first attempt to create what we would now call a laptop. For $6500 you got a 640 by 400 pixel black and white display, a 16 MHz processor, and room for up to 8 MB of memory. It was a clumsy device, weighing 15.8 pounds, and sold poorly. It was also the first laptop used in space.
5. The 20th Anniversary Macintosh
Sticker price: $7499
Inflation-adjusted price: $10,140
The 20th Anniversary Mac was an early project of Jonathan Ive, who would later play a key role in designing the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. It looked strikingly different than other computers on the market at the time. Its performance was good but not spectacular for its day: a 250 MHz processor and an 800 by 600 pixel color display. Priced at $7499 and marketed as a status symbol, it sold poorly. After Steve Jobs returned to the company, he cut its price to $1995 to get the remaining inventory out the door.
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