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History of the Personal Computer

By jordanlbuckner1

  • The first personal computer: The Altair

    The first personal computer: The Altair
    History of the AltairThe Altair was the first personal computer so come out. It could be boughht unassembled for $395 or pre-assembled for $498, not injusted for inflation. There was no screen, no keyboard, and it wasn't easy to use. It could be used to create programs. Bill Gates and Paul Allen were one of the first to have an Altair.

  • Apple 1 Released

    Apple 1 Released
    History of Apple IThe Apple 1 came soon after the Altair. It was created by two men: Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. Wozniak had previously worked for Hewlett-Packard while Jobs had a job with Atari. This computer was created by the two in Wozniak's garage. They then formed the Apple Computer Company in 1976.

  • Apple II Released

    Apple II Released
    Apple II HistoryThe Apple II was much more sophisticated than the first model. It featured a monitor with a color screen with sound. There were also game paddles and 4 KB of RAM. The OS was stored in ROM, so it was saved when the computer turned off. There was also a floppy disk port.

  • Invention of the Internet

    Invention of the Internet
    internet The internet started from an early government-funded "internet working project" named ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network). History credits this invention to Vincent Cerf and Robert Khan. They were the leaders of creating the communication standards for the internet, called TCP/IP protocol (Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol).

  • Release of Apple Lisa

    Release of Apple Lisa
    Apple Lisa infoThe Apple Lisa was an extremely expensive personal computer released in the early 80s. 100,000 were sold over a two year time span. LISA stood for "Local Integrated Software Architecture", and it was the first commercially available computer to use a graphical user interface (GUI). It was relatively slow and too expensive to become very successful. The computer featured a mouse and "point and click" commands.

  • Gates Announces Windows

    Gates Announces Windows
    Windows historyWindows provided a GUI for the user and was relatively easy to use. It was a new OS that was named for its "windows" within the monitor. Though it was announced in November, it took a while before the product was available. It came with a word processor, calculator, notepad, card file and clock. This computer system was aimed to be used for personal computers that would be easy to use by a typical person.

  • IBM PC Junior

    IBM PC Junior
    IBM PC Junior
    The IBM PC Junior was IBM's attempt to capture the market of home use computers. The idea was better than the actual product, so it ended up not doing well. The memory and speed had been compromised in order to cut down on costs. Hardware was incompatible and the keyboard was uncomfortable and disadvatageous.

  • HTML Invented

    HTML Invented
    HTMLTim Berners-Lee, a physicist and contractor at CERN, invented HTML or hypertext markup language. This language is universal to computers and brought about the start of the internet. Berners-Lee did not know the scale that his invention would take on, but his invention forever changed the use of computers.

  • WiFi Invented

    WiFi Invented
    Wifi
    WiFi was initially created for cashier systems by Vic Hayes, who was working for AT&T and NCR Corporation. The products for WiFi were originall called WaveLAN. The system requires access points and clients in order to work, and spurred the popularity of wireless products.

  • Release of the iPhone

    Release of the iPhone
    iPhone The release of the iPhone changed the world and gave people mobile access to the internet at more affordable prices than computers. These phones are the product of all of these inventions and discoveries. It uses touchscreen for input along with a few buttons, and is very user-friendly with its graphical user interface.