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Until the VCR, that is. While the VCR was available and usable in the 1970s it was only in the 1980s, when cheap microprocessors and low-cost manufacturing impacted their cost, that VCRs became cheap enough for consumers to easily afford.
http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/8-technologies-to-thank-the-1980s-for-635764 -
the IBM 5150 on 12 August 1981. This is not to undermine the gargantuan effect that computers like the Commodore PET and the Apple II had upon the history of personal computing, but it was IBM's long-established reputation that worked in its favour.
http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/8-technologies-to-thank-the-1980s-for-635764 -
Launched in April of 1982, the ZX Spectrum was a chic computer that you could have with either 16Kb RAM or 48kb RAM. Clive Sinclair, the brains behind the machine, created it in response to losing out to Acorn in a deal with the BBC. http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/8-technologies-to-thank-the-1980s-for-635764/2
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Commercial CD's were launched in 1982 and initially met with industry-wide skepticism - only 1,000 titles were available by the end of 1983. When the cost of CD players dropped appreciably they hit the big time.
http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/8-technologies-to-thank-the-1980s-for-635764 -
It was in 1983 that 8mm movie cameras finally met their doom. This was the year when Sony and JVC launched the first ever camera-recorders, camcorders to you and me. http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/8-technologies-to-thank-the-1980s-for-635764/2
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In the 1980s communication was, ahem, different. You wanted to phone someone? You went home or you walked to the nearest phone booth. Business and consumers were desperate for something that could make communication easier.
http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/8-technologies-to-thank-the-1980s-for-635764/2 -
Pitched mostly as a video game PC, the 8-bit home computer was backed by a strong collection of gaming software that helped the machine gain a huge international presence. The fact that Armstrad bundled the machine with all peripherals (CPU/keyboard, tape recorder, monitor) played in its favor, along with its low price tag.
http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/08/best-gadgets-of-the-80s/amstrad-cpc464 -
Talk about a pair of underrated headphones that continue to stand the test of time. These over-ears promoted one of the most comforting listening experiences thanks to a lightweight design accompanied by Koss’ signature “comfort zone”
http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/08/best-gadgets-of-the-80s/koss-portapro-headphones -
Portable televisions were big in the mid-80s and anyone who walked into RadioShack might remember stumbling upon the Pocketvision 3. A favorite amongst overnight security guards and Fortune 500 travelers
http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/08/best-gadgets-of-the-80s/pocketvision-3 -
In an era where Tom Selleck mustaches and 5 o’clock shadows ruled, only one machine could help mold such an appearance on the regular. Braun’s electric shaver boasted an innovative slider button that flipped the beard trimmer 90 degrees for precise facial cuts—a feature that's been duplicated by most of the company's major competitors.
http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/08/best-gadgets-of-the-80s/nerf-blast-a-ball -
Tech experts attribute Logitech’s first mouse as the product to break the accessories maker into the home personal computer market. After becoming its biggest-selling device at the time and establishing a revenue stream that helped the company go public, who was going to argue?
http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/08/best-gadgets-of-the-80s/logitech-c7-mouse -
Walkman was an unprecedented success and by 1986 the name had entered the Oxford English Dictionary.
People used it to listen to music while on the move and teenagers everywhere rejoiced at its ability to drown out the sound of their parent's voices. http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/8-technologies-to-thank-the-1980s-for-635764
