{"id":31358,"date":"2025-07-23T14:10:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T14:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/31358\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T14:10:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T14:10:07","slug":"a-man-bought-7000-apple-computers-to-resell-later-but-apple-took-them-off-his-hands-and-had-them-crushed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/31358\/","title":{"rendered":"A Man Bought 7,000 Apple Computers to Resell Later, but Apple Took Them off His Hands and Had Them Crushed"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1989, Apple made one of the most perplexing decisions in its history: it ordered the destruction of over 7,000 Apple Lisa computers, burying them in a landfill in Logan, Utah. This mysterious chapter, first brought to light by The Verge<\/a>, offers an intriguing look at a pivotal moment in Apple\u2019s past, where innovation met failure, and corporate decisions erased history. But what led Apple to wipe out these groundbreaking machines, and what does it reveal about the company\u2019s early struggles?<\/p>\n

Apple Lisa\u2019s Rise and Fall<\/p>\n

The Apple Lisa, introduced in 1983, was ahead of its time. It was one of the first personal computers to feature a graphical user interface (GUI), the same interface that would later define modern computing. For its day, the Lisa was a glimpse into the future, offering users the ability to interact with their computers through a mouse, icons, and windows, much like we do today. Despite this innovation, the Lisa was doomed from the start.<\/p>\n

At nearly $10,000, its price tag was astronomical, and the machine suffered from technical problems that made it less reliable than its competitors. On top of that, it was overshadowed by the release of the more affordable Macintosh in 1984. Apple struggled with the decision of what to do with the thousands of unsold Lisas. That\u2019s when Bob Cook, an entrepreneur specializing in salvaging unsold tech inventory, stepped in with a bold plan.<\/p>\n

Bob Cook and His Vision for the Lisa<\/p>\n

Bob Cook<\/a>\u2019s company, Sun Remarketing, had previously helped Apple move surplus units of the Apple III, another commercial failure. So when Cook saw an opportunity to acquire the remaining Apple Lisa units, he struck a deal with Apple to buy up to 7,000 machines. His plan was to refurbish and upgrade the Lisas, giving them a second life. Cook invested over $200,000 into research and development, improving both the hardware and the operating system.<\/p>\n

Cook\u2019s modifications, which included enhanced features, led to the creation of the Lisa Professional\u2014an upgraded version of the original. As Cook began to sell these machines, it seemed the Lisa might have found its place in the market after all. However, Apple\u2019s next move would put an abrupt end to this revival.<\/p>\n

\"BobBob Cook at home with documents from the Lisa era. Photo by Becca Farsace \/ The Verge<\/p>\n

Apple\u2019s Destruction of the Lisas<\/p>\n

In September 1989, just as Cook\u2019s refurbished Lisas were gaining traction, Apple demanded the immediate return of all remaining units. There was no clear explanation, but Cook complied, and within weeks, Apple arranged for the machines to be transported to a landfill in Logan, Utah. Thousands of fully functional computers were crushed and buried, permanently erasing them from existence.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Logan Landfill, home of the last Lisas. Image Credit: The Verge<\/p>\n

Apple never publicly explained why it took this drastic action. Some have speculated that it was an effort to protect the company\u2019s brand. The fear was that these modified units could harm Apple\u2019s reputation if they failed or underperformed in the market. Others argue that it was an attempt to exert more control over its ecosystem, ensuring that all of Apple\u2019s products remained proprietary and under corporate control.<\/p>\n

The Legacy of the Lisa: A Contradiction in Apple\u2019s History<\/p>\n

Fast forward to today, and Apple is widely regarded as a leader in sustainability, with products like the Mac Mini M4 crafted from recycled materials. Yet, this environmental commitment stands in stark contrast to the actions of the 1980s. At the time, Apple\u2019s decision to destroy perfectly functional computers, rather than refurbish or recycle them, feels remarkably wasteful.<\/p>\n

The burial of the Lisa in the Logan landfill remains one of the most mysterious episodes in the tech giant\u2019s history. Despite the secrecy surrounding the decision, the story of the Lisa reflects a key turning point in Apple\u2019s evolution\u2014from a company struggling to find its footing to the tech powerhouse it is today. Though the machines were buried and erased from sight, their legacy continues to intrigue and inspire those interested in the history of personal computing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In 1989, Apple made one of the most perplexing decisions in its history: it ordered the destruction of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31359,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[191,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-31358","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-computing","8":"tag-computing","9":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}