Apple III

Apple's first attempt at a serious business machine, and one of the most expensive product failures in the company's history. Jobs overruled the engineers — insisting on a fanless design and a case too small for the components — and the result was a machine whose chips literally expanded from heat and popped out of their sockets. Over 14,000 were recalled at launch. The Apple III spent four years trying to recover its reputation and never did, but the lessons it taught Apple shaped everything that came after.