Microcomputer - Wikipedia Microcomputers became popular in the 1970s and 1980s with the advent of increasingly powerful microprocessors such as the MOS Technology 6502, Zilog Z80, and Intel 8088 The predecessors to these computers, mainframes and minicomputers, were comparatively much larger and more expensive
The Microcomputer Revolution - Clemson University Introduced by Texas Instruments and Westinghouse in the early 1960s, came into real commercial use in 1964 with Fairchild Semiconductors 702 linear IC The first desktop electronic calculators were introduced about 1963
The World of Microcomputer (1971-Today) - KnowledgeSthali Microcomputers emerged in the 1970s and gained popularity with the introduction of the Altair 8800 and the Apple II They were a significant departure from the larger and more expensive mainframe and minicomputer systems of that time
The Evolution of Personal Computers: A Global History and Impact Building on this, personal microcomputers quickly appeared as hobbyist kits In late 1974 MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) announced the Altair 8800, powered by the Intel 8080 chip The Altair is often called the first commercially successful personal computer
Microcomputers – The Second Wave: Toward A Mass Market In 1977, three new microcomputers appeared on the scene that broke free from the industry’s hobbyist roots: the Apple II, the Commodore PET, and the Tandy Radio Shack TRS-80 Much later, in the 1990s, journalists and historians began reverently referring to this group as “the Trinity ”
The Invention That Revolutionized Microcomputers - CompleteEra TL;DR: The IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC) was the breakthrough invention that turned microcomputers from niche devices into mainstream tools Its open architecture, IBM PC DOS, and IBM PC AT laid the foundation for the modern computing era
50 Years Ago, CP M Started the Microcomputer Revolution His creation, “Control Program for Microcomputers” or CP M, was a revelation It standardized the way programs interacted with the hardware, allowing developers to create software that could run on multiple machines
The Microprocessor -- 1971 | History of Computer Communications On November 5, 1971, Intel Corporation, a three-year-old start-up, announced the world’s first “micro-programmable computer on a chip” – the 4004 microprocessor Claiming it would usher in “a new era of integrated electronics,” it was advertising hyperbole as master understatement
Microcomputers: From Hobbyist to Consumer The Apple II and the Commodore PET were both introduced at the first West Coast Computer Faire, which opened on April 16, 1977 The TRS-80 was announced on August 3, 1977 Here are pictures of these three computers, from early advertisements for them
The History of the Microcomputer - Invention and Evolution These two Micro Computer Systems (MCS) were aimed at two very different markets One would eventually lead to the under $1 controller, the other would be the engine for a versatile personal computer (PC) By analogy it was like creating the “motorbike” and the “station wagon” at the same time