From a simple sketch in the 1940s, the idea of the personal computer has become a reality.
Most of us would find the personal computer an indisposable resource in our professional and personal lives. As early as 1962, John William Mauchly suggested to The New York Times that "There is no reason to suppose the average boy or girl cannot be master of a personal computer." After decades of development, computer technology has the ability to manage multiple programs and juggle operations simultaneously.
1940s
During World War II, the American government assigned contracts to the University of Pennsylvania for the development of a general-purpose electronic computer. The University's Moore School of Electrical Engineering designed the ENIAC and EDVAC, the first two general-purpose computers between 1944 and 1947. John William Mauchly, an American physicist and one of the early developers of the personal computer, published the "First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC," which sparked interest in the personal computer. He also held classes at the University of Pennsylvania on the "Theory and Techniques for Design of Electronic Digital Computers," in 1946 and 1947.
1960s
In 1965, Gordon E. Moore, the co-founder of the Intel Corporation, proposed that, due to the rapid pace of innovation in the tech industry, every two years integrated circuits have doubled in their capacity, in "Electronics Magazine." This proposition is known as "Moore's law." Throughout this decade, the Kenbak Corporation's Kendak-1 and the Computer Terminal Corporation's Datapoint 2200 were being designed separately as early models of the personal computer. Both were finally introduced to the market in 1970.
1970s
The 1970s was marked by the tremendous growth in the computing power of microprocessors. In the 1970s, the microprocessor brought together all the capabilities of a computer's central processing unit into a single single integrated circuit. In November 1971, the Intel 4004, the world's first microprocessor, was advertised in "Electronic News." In 1972, the first 8-bit microprocessor, the Intel 8008 was introduced. In 1973, the National Semiconductor IMP-16, the first 16-bit microprocessor, was on the market. Then, in 1979, the 32-bit implementation had been created.
1980s
The innovations between the 1940s and 1970s allowed for what seemed like an explosion in the availability and affordability of personal computers in the 1980s. Atari introduced the 400/800 models, which combined visually appealing graphics with a sturdy physical design, in 1979. In that same year, Texas Instruments released the TI-99, and, in 1982, Commodore International introduced the Commodore 64, the highest-selling computer in history. In the early part of the decade, these three corporations began a price war, fighting for a larger market share of computer purchases. Unfortunately, though sales went up, profits were minimal and the market contracted due to the few applications that a computer could provide before the advent of the World Wide Web. Texas Instruments left the field in 1984, and the other two corporations saw sales decline after 1985.
1990s
On Christmas 1990, Sir Tim Berners-Lee had drawn together the resources to launch the World Wide Web. By August of the next year, the Web could be accessed by other personal computers, with early web pages detailing the function and history of the World Wide Web to that point. Beginning in the 1990s, computers began featuring CD-ROM capability as a standard feature. "Ripping" audio files and file-sharing across the Internet became a major function of computers, resulting in the rise of networks like Napster and Gnutella.
2000s
Computer ownership steadily rose in the first decade of the 21st century, reaching 1 billion by 2002. "Smartphones," such as the Blackberry and the iPhone, were available as early as 1992 by IBM, but the technology and design took a large step forward in the new century. These smartphones combines the function of a personal digital assistant, web browser, media player and traditional phone in a portable design.
Tags: personal computer, World Wide, John William, John William Mauchly, Texas Instruments, University Pennsylvania
