Whatever Happened to the Computer of Tomorrow, Anyway? The Xerox Alto Story

Xerox PARC pioneered the personal computer in the nineteen seventies—introducing the desktop interface, the mouse, the keyboard, networked email, and the laser printer. But Xerox never commercialized the Alto. Per Hackaday, the board feared a paperless office would destroy their hugely profitable copier business, with its endless stream of toner and consumables. So they shelved it. That hesitation opened the door for Steve Jobs to take those ideas to the Apple Lisa and Macintosh—a reminder that sometimes the companies that invent the future can't bring themselves to cannibalize the present.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton