Xerox Star

computer workstation

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July 15, 2026

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The Xerox Star, released in 1981, was a pioneering personal computer that introduced several groundbreaking features. Developed at Xerox Corporation's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), it was the first commercial computer to feature a mouse-driven graphical user interface (GUI). This interface replaced text-based commands with on-screen icons and windows, making computers more user-friendly.123

Despite its advanced technology, including built-in Ethernet networking, the Xerox Star was not commercially successful, selling fewer than 2,000 units. Its high price, over $16,000, contributed to its failure, especially as more affordable personal computers from companies like Apple and IBM entered the market. However, the innovations pioneered by the Xerox Star, such as the GUI and the mouse, significantly influenced subsequent personal computer designs by other companies.231

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graphical user interface
PARC
…a computer workstation called the Xerox Star, which was introduced in 1981. Though the process was expensive, the Star (and its prototype predecessor, the Alto) used a technique called “bit mapping” in which everything on the computer screen was, in effect, a picture. Bit mapping not only welcomed the use…
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…a computer workstation called the Xerox Star, which was introduced in 1981. Though the process was expensive, the Star (and its prototype predecessor, the Alto) used a technique called “bit mapping” in which everything on the computer screen was, in effect, a picture. Bit mapping not only welcomed the use…
Read More

PARC
Early PARC innovations
…time its commercial successor, the Xerox Star, was released in 1981, at over $16,000 per machine, it was too late. Not only had new computer companies—such as Apple Computer, Inc. (now Apple Inc.), Commodore Business Machines, Ltd., and Tandy Corporation—already released more affordable machines, but even the giant International Business…
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…time its commercial successor, the Xerox Star, was released in 1981, at over $16,000 per machine, it was too late. Not only had new computer companies—such as Apple Computer, Inc. (now Apple Inc.), Commodore Business Machines, Ltd., and Tandy Corporation—already released more affordable machines, but even the giant International Business…
Read More