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The history of the personal computer as mass-market consumer electronic devices effectively began in 1977 with the introduction of microcomputers, although some mainframe and minicomputers had been applied as single-user systems much earlier.
The personal computer industry truly began in 1977, with the introduction of three preassembled mass-produced personal computers: the Apple Computer, Inc. (now Apple Inc.), Apple II, the Tandy Radio Shack TRS-80, and the Commodore Business Machines Personal Electronic Transactor (PET).
Today’s personal computers are drastically different from the massive, hulking machines that emerged out of World War II—and the difference isn’t only in their size.
The personal computer was introduced in 1975, a development that made the computer accessible to individuals. Up to that time computers had been very large and expensive, operated mainly by big companies. The first modern computers were created in the 1950s and have a long theoretical and technical background.
The LINC is an early and important example of a ‘personal computer,’ that is, a computer designed for only one user. It was designed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory engineer Wesley Clark.
More than 500 million personal computers were in use in 2002 and one billion personal computers had been sold worldwide from the mid-1970s up to this time. Of the latter figure, 75% were professional or work related, while the rest were sold for personal or home use.
The dream of a personal computer dates back to the early days of computing in the 1950s and 60s. Pioneering computer scientists like Alan Kay envisioned a day when everyone would have their own interactive computer as a personal tool for learning, creativity, and productivity.
This narrative explores the rich tapestry of the history of computers, delving into the birth and evolution of personal computing. From the earliest days of colossal mainframes in the 1940s and 1950s, computers were behemoth machines reserved for scientific research and military applications.
The true personal computer revolution began in the mid-1970s with the emergence of "microcomputers". Advances in microchip technology had finally made it possible to build complete computers at a price point accessible to consumers.
Instead, the new generation of microcomputers or personal computers emerged from the minds and passions of electronics hobbyists and entrepreneurs. In the San Francisco Bay area, the advances of the semiconductor industry were gaining recognition and stimulating a grassroots computer movement.
The Personal Computer, a marvel of modern technology, has journeyed from a revolutionary concept to an integral part of human civilization. Its impact on work, leisure, and education has been transformative, fundamentally changing how we interact with the world and each other.
When IBM introduced its Personal Computer (PC) in 1981, a slow shift in perception began in which the personal computer changed from being viewed as a toy to a business tool. Today most personal computers have much greater computational power than even the most powerful mainframes of only a few decades earlier.
In 1979, two M.I.T. computer-science alumni and a Harvard Business School graduate launched a new piece of computer software for the Apple II machine, an early home computer.
Today, computers are almost unrecognizable from designs of the 19th century, such as Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine — or even from the huge computers of the 20th century that occupied...
In fact, the first personal computer was invented in 1971, the same year as the microprocessor. Then, the first laptop, the Osborne-1 was created a decade later in 1981. Apple and IBM joined the personal computer industry shortly thereafter, popularizing the home PC.
The expression “personal computer” appeared 12 years later in The New York Times when the computer scientist John W. Mauchly (1907-1980) shared his vision of the computer’s future: “There is no reason to suppose the average boy or girl cannot be master of a personal computer.”
Part 1: (1947 - 1974) Foundations: Leading up to Intel's 4004, the first commercial microprocessor. Part 2: (1974 - 1980) Bootstrapping a New Industry: Intel, Motorola's virtual duopoly ends. Part...
Computer - History, Technology, Innovation: A computer might be described with deceptive simplicity as “an apparatus that performs routine calculations automatically.” Such a definition would owe its deceptiveness to a naive and narrow view of calculation as a strictly mathematical process.
Explore CHM’s informative and engaging timelines to learn something new about key events, people, documents, and artifacts in the history of computing.
The x86 was originally conceived by an all-but-forgotten engineer, Austin O. “Gus” Roche, who was obsessed with making a personal computer. For another thing, Intel got involved reluctantly,...
The Lisa was one of the first personal computers with a graphical user interface (GUI) that was sold commercially. It ran on the Motorola 68000 CPU and used both dual floppy disk drives and a 5 MB hard drive for storage.
At the time (around the middle of the 20th century) when a few people knew the word “computer”, and the most of them thought that the “computer” meant a person who solved equations, there were people, who dreamed for a personal computer.
The G15 was arguably the first personal computer; over 400 were sold worldwide. DEUCE and the G15 remained in use until about 1970. Another computer deriving from Turing's ACE design, the MOSAIC, played a role in Britain's air defences during the Cold War period; other derivatives include the Packard-Bell PB250 (1961).