40 years of the personal computer... and how the first one ended up in a pig farm in Yorkshire
It didn’t do much, because hardly anyone knew what it was for. But it betrayed one familiar trait from the start: on its first demonstration, before the boss of the retail empire that was to sell it, it crashed.
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Hide AdHere is a brief timeline of how the home computer evolved...
• 1973 - Engineers at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Centre in California demonstrate the first graphical user interface, mouse and networked PC. But it’s just an in-house experiment.
• 1975 - Bill Gates and Paul Allen found Microsoft.
• 1976 - Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak found Apple Computer, and begin selling hand-built Apple I computer boards.
• 1977 - Tandy introduces the TRS-80, Commodore launches the PET, and Apple sells its first mass-production model, the Apple II.
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Hide Ad• 1978 - Intel releases the 8086 processor, the beating heart of the first mass-market IBM PCs.
• 1979 - Texas Instruments introduces the TI-99/4 personal computer.
• 1980 - Sinclair Research introduces the ZX-80 microcomputer, and 1kB of memory.
• 1981 - The BBC microcomputer is launched, with a rapid take-up in schools. IBM introduces the IBM 5150 Personal Computer, the template for every Windows PC for years to come, with a 8088 processor, 16kB RAM, and a 5.25-inch floppy drive. Commodore introduces the VIC-20 computer with 5kB of memory.
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Hide Ad• 1982 - Commodore introduces the Commodore 64, with 64 kB of memory. Epson introduces the first notebook computer. Lotus announces the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet.
• 1984 - Apple introduces the Apple Macintosh, with 512x342 monochrome graphics, 9-inch monitor and mouse.
• 1985 - Atari introduces the 130ST and 520ST computers. Commodore introduces the Amiga 1000 computer. Microsoft produces Windows v1.0.
• 1986 - Compaq builds the first 80386 computer.
• 1989 - Apple builds the Macintosh Portable.
• 1990 - Windows v3.0 is released.
• 1991 - Apple introduces the Macintosh PowerBook series.
• 1992 - Windows v3.1 is launched - the first to gain universal acceptance, if not popularity. IBM and Motorola announce the PowerPC 601 processor.
• 1993 - Intel introduces the first Pentium processor.
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Hide Ad• 1994 - Apple introduces QuickTime 2.0 video, with support for interactive television, music, and full-screen video.
• 1995 - Netscape releases the Navigator web browser. Microsoft launches Windows 95 and the Internet Explorer browser.
• 1998 - Microsoft ships Windows 98 and becomes the world’s most valuable company.
• 1999 - Apple introduces the iBook portable.
• 2001 - Apple launches the first iPod and rolls out the Mac OS X operating system. Microsoft introduces Windows XP and the Tablet PC.
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Hide Ad• 2002 - Apple announces its new iMac computers, with a 15-inch flat-panel screen inside a dome.
• 2004 - The European Competition Commission calls Microsoft an abusive monopolist. Mozilla releases the Firefox 1.0 Web browser.
• 2005 - Apple’s iPod range now extends to the Shuffle, Mini and Nano. Intel releases the first desktop dual-core processor. Sales of portable computers in the US exceed of desktops.
• 2007 - The first smartphone - Apple’s iPhone - is launched, along with the iPod Touch.
• 2009 - Microsoft launches Windows 7
• 2010 - Apple launches its first iPad, along with the fourth-generation iPhone.
• 2015 - Microsoft launches Windows 10.