There was a Mac-like PC before the Mac. 1983 was a tough year for Apple. How difficult was it to sell a PC for almost $10,000 back then? Very. Today, you could buy 8 iMacs for the same money as Apple’s original Lisa.

Ted Friedman on the year up to 1984:

Apple was in danger. Their competitors in the emerging PC industry had been joined by IBM. Purchasers who’d chosen Apple out of necessity were relieved to be able to turn now to Big Blue. Apple’s first attempt at a next-generation product that could re-establish the company’s pre-eminence was the Lisa. A $10,000 computer designed for the business market, it was a flop.

The Mac was nearly a flop and sluggish sales probably cost Steve Jobs his job back in 1985. What a difference a few decades can make.