How Much Did the Xerox Star Cost in 1981?
By the Price Time Machine team · Updated
The Xerox Star price was $16,000 when Xerox introduced it on April 27, 1981. Adjusted for inflation, that is about $60,506 in September 2026 money, roughly 3.8 times the original price.
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Xerox Star 8010 at a glance
- US launch price
- $16,000
- In today’s money
- ≈ $60,506April 1981 to September 2026 (CPI-U, BLS)
- US release date
- April 27, 1981
- Where it was designed
- El Segundo, United StatesDeveloped by Xerox’s Systems Development Department in El Segundo, California, working with a team in Palo Alto.
- Category
- Gaming & tech
- Price source
- en.wikipedia.org
Today’s price is the US launch price adjusted for US inflation with the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, comparing the launch month with the latest published month. It updates automatically as new figures come out.
The computer that came before the Mac
The Star was the first commercial personal computer to include ideas that are now standard: a bitmapped screen, windows, icons, folders, a two-button mouse, Ethernet networking, file servers, print servers and email.
It grew out of the Xerox Alto, an experimental computer built at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) from 1972. By 1979 around 1,500 Altos were in use, but the Alto was never sold as a product.
The Xerox Star price in today’s money
Inflation means a dollar buys less today than it did in 1981. Using the US Consumer Price Index, the original Xerox Star price of $16,000 works out at about $60,506 in September 2026 money, around 3.8 times the original figure. That is what the same amount of spending power would cost now, not what the Xerox Star sells for second-hand.
Why it cost so much
The Star was designed as an office system for large companies, built around expensive laser printing. A basic system, with one Star, a second 8010 working as a server and a laser printer, cost about $75,000. Each extra workstation cost $16,000. A typical office needed at least two or three machines as well as servers.
Where was the Xerox Star developed?
It was developed by Xerox’s Systems Development Department in El Segundo, California, set up in 1977 under Don Massaro, with a second team in Palo Alto. The project was led by David Liddle, and its team grew to more than 200 people. Their mission was to design the “office of the future”.
Xerox Star facts you might not know
- Its detailed design rules were written down in a document the team called the Red Book.
- The developers used the Star’s own email and file sharing, and were even connected to ARPANET, the forerunner of the internet.
- It was programmed in a language called Mesa.
Frequently asked questions
How much did the Xerox Star cost?
Each Xerox Star 8010 workstation cost $16,000 in 1981. A basic system with a server and laser printer cost about $75,000.
How much is $16,000 from 1981 worth today?
Adjusted for US inflation, the Xerox Star’s $16,000 price is about $60,506 in September 2026 money.
When was the Xerox Star released?
Xerox introduced it on April 27, 1981.
Was the Xerox Star the first computer with a mouse and windows?
It was the first commercial personal computer to combine a mouse, windows, icons and folders. It built on the experimental Xerox Alto from 1972.
Want to compare the Xerox Star price with other launch prices? See what the Google Glass cost, browse more famous launch prices, or play this question in Price Time Machine.
Sources
Launch prices and dates are checked against the sources below. Today’s price is calculated from official US inflation data and updates automatically when new figures are published.
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