Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

The Alto was a pioneering personal computer developed at Xerox Corporation's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in 1973. It introduced a revolutionary graphical user interface (GUI), which used icons and a mouse to interact with programs displayed in windows. This design significantly influenced later personal computers like Apple's Macintosh and Microsoft Windows. Although the Alto was never commercially released due to its high cost, its innovations laid the groundwork for modern computing interfaces. The development of the Alto was a crucial step in making computers more accessible and user-friendly.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.