Before the Macintosh computer was released in 1984, which Apple computer model introduced such features as the mouse, and the technology of point and click on visual icons?

While the 1984 Macintosh is famously credited with popularizing the graphical user interface, it was not the first Apple product to feature one. That distinction belongs to a pioneering but less-remembered model from 1983. The Apple Lisa was the first commercially available personal computer to integrate a mouse-driven system where users could point, click, and interact with on-screen icons, windows, and pull-down menus—concepts that are now fundamental to modern computing.

The inspiration for these features came after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and a team of engineers visited Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in 1979. There, they saw the experimental Xerox Alto computer, which already utilized a bitmapped display and a mouse. Apple's genius was in refining these complex, academic ideas and packaging them into a product intended for the commercial market. The Lisa was an ambitious attempt to bring this futuristic "desktop metaphor" to life for businesses and professionals.

Despite its groundbreaking technology, the Lisa was ultimately a commercial failure, largely due to its staggering price tag of nearly $10,000 (over $30,000 in today's money). Just one year later, Apple launched the Macintosh, which offered a similar user-friendly experience at a much more accessible price. The Lisa was quickly overshadowed, but its legacy is undeniable. It served as a crucial, if expensive, stepping stone that paved the way for the Macintosh to change the world.