-
Z1
Designed and built by Konrad Zuse, many consider this the first computer. Though the exact date is not clear, it was completed in 1938 and was the first freely programmable computer in the world. Despite being unreliable in use, it had almost all the parts of a modern computer. Punched tape and punch tape reader served as the output and input devices. http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa050298.htm -
ENIAC
The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) took the next step in computer history. With speeds a thousand times faster than other electromechanical machines of its times, the ENIAC was a giant leap in computing power and technology. Filling up 1800 square feet and having 17,468 vacuum tubes, this enormous machine was sponsored by the American military during World War II to calculate artillery-firing tables. http://inventors.about.com/od/estartinventions/a/Eniac.htm -
Transistor
Transistors took a major evolutionary step in the history of computers. They replaced the need for vacuum tubes, which saved an incredible amount of space and power, but still retained all the previous capabilities. The transistor was the first device designed to act as both a transmitter, converting sound waves into electronic waves, and a resistor, controlling electronic current. Thus, the name transistor is a combination of the words transmitter and resistor. http://inventors.about.com/od/ts -
UNIVAC I
The UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) was the first commercial computer produced in the United States. Developed by the same creators as the ENIAC, the UNIVAC used 5,200 vacuum tubes and weighed 29,000 pounds. It was first sold to the U.S. Census Bureau and correctly predicted Dwight D, Eisenhower as the winner of the 1952 presidential election. http://www.thocp.net/hardware/univac.htm -
ARPAnet
The ARPAnet (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) was the first form of the internet that eventually led to the internet that exists today. Funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency, an agency within the United States Department of Defense, the ARPAnet was initially intended for the private exchange of information for the military. The first exchange of communication over this network was between a computer at UCLA and a computer at Stanford. http://inventors.about.com/library/weekl -
Ethernet
Developed by Robert Metcalfe, the ethernet was the first local area network. It used hardware to connect and send information between two computers within the same room or building. Information could be sent up to 10 megabytes per second. http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa111598.htm -
IBM 5100
One of the first portable computers designed for consumers, the IBM 5100 was first designed at the IBM Palo Alto Scientific Center in 1973 and later released in 1975. The cheapest version of the IBM 5100 was approximately $9,000. The system included a five-inch cathode ray tube display, tape drive, processor, several hundred kilobytes of read only memory, and up to 64 KB of random access memory. http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/pc/pc_2.html -
MS-DOS
MS-DOS, Microsoft Disk Operating System, was a major leap in the evolution of operating systems. It was originally created out of a request from IBM to Microsoft for an operating system to put on IBM's line of personal computers. Microsoft actually bought a pre-existing operating system, the QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System), from Seattle Computer Products. http://inventors.about.com/od/computersoftware/a/Putting-Microsoft-On-The-Map.htm -
Windows 1.0
A major improvement from MS-DOS, Windows 1.0 is the next operating system developed and released by Microsoft. It provides the user with a GUI, or graphical user interface, eliminating the mandatory need for users to type in command lines. Named for the screens or "windows" that the user clicks through, Windows 1.0 had drop-down menus, scroll bars, icons, and dialog boxes that made programs easier to learn and use. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/history -
WWW and HTTP
The most direct precursor to the modern version of the internet was developed by Tim Berners Lee, an English man who studied at Oxford. He is credited with creating HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol), the language computers would use to communicate hypertext documents over the internet; URL (universal resource locator), the addresses documents would have over the internet; and WWW (WorldWideWeb), the client to retrieve and view hypertext documents. http://www.ibiblio.org/pioneers/lee.html -
Wi-Fi
The first form of Wi-Fi was developed to facilitate communication between cashier systems. Wi-Fi allowed systems to communicate wirelessly. Vic Hayes, known as the "father of the Wi-Fi is credited with developing the IEEE 802.11 standard, the method with which allows wireless system to communicate. http://www.wilcorpinc.com/wifi_history.htm -
First MP3 Player
The world's first mass produced digital audio player was the MPMan, made by South Korean company Saehan. It debuted in Asia in March of 1998. In Japan two models of the MPMan was sold, a 32 MB version and a 64 MB version. In North America, the MPMan was known as the Eiger MPMan F10 and Eiger MPMan F20. http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6450_7-5622055-1.html -
Apple iPhone
The Apple iPhone was an incredible step forward in mobile phones. Although there were other similar devices already on the market for consumers, the iPhone effectively presented itself as more futuristic and user friendly. With a 3.5-inch multitouch screen display, the iPhone ran on Apple's iPhoneOS 3 and was a media player and essentially one of the first smartphones. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_(original) -
Apple iPad
A revolutionary leap in technology, the Apple iPad was one of the first multi-touch tablets released to consumers. The first generation of Apple iPads were wi-fi and bluetooth enabled. The touchscreen display was a 1,024 x 768 liquid crystal display measuring 9.7 inches in diagonal length. Apple sold more than 15 million first-generation iPads before the release of the second-generation iPad. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad -
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, another upgrade in Android's line of operating systems, was announced on June 27th, 2012. Android's previous operating systems have run on numerous devices across a wide range of companies. It is a competing operating system to Apple's iOS. Jelly Bean, an incremental update with the primary goal of improving functionality and performance, first ran on Asus's Nexus 7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history#Android_4.1.x_Jelly_Bean
