Apple released the Lisa computer in 1983 as one of the first desktop computers with a graphical user interface, or GUI. Although the Lisa was technologically great, commercially it was not a success. The high price point of $9,995 was so prohibitive that only about 10,000 Apple Lisa's were sold in the first two years.

Here are some of the technological advancements over other computers from the same era:

• Graphical User Interface
• Hard drive support
• 1MByte RAM, expandable to 2MB
• Protected Memory OS

There were some downsides to some of the technical implementations as well. The Lisa OS was complex, and the protected memory was implemented without a memory manager, making the CPU work overtime. This caused the Lisa GUI to feel sluggish and it had an impact on hard drive performance as well

The Apple Lisa was quickly followed by the Apple Macintosh, which, despite it's lesser technical qualifications, was a resounding commercial success.

The 6502 is an 8-bit MicroProcessor designed by MOS Technology. The team was led by Chuck Peddle and had also worked on the Motorola 6800. The 6502 is a simplified, but faster and cheaper design than the 6800.

The 6502 was introduced in 1975 and was the cheapest microprocessor on the market. Together with the Zilog Z80, the 6502 helped start the home computer revolution of the 1980s. The 6502 was used in a wide range of devices: the Atari 2600, the 8-bit Atari home computers, the Apple II, the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Commodore 64, the BBC Micro and many others. All used the 6502 or a variation of it.

The 6502 is a 1MHz design, while the 6502A is designed for 2MHz. The 6502A is 100% compatible with the original 6502.

Commodore soon bought MOS Technology, but conitnued to sell the microprocessor to competitors and licensed the design to other manufacturers.