Other types of application software soon developed for personal computers. The tidepredicting machine, invented by scotchirish mathematician, physicist, and engineer sir william thomson in 1872, was considered the first modern analog computer. But we are going to focus on a happier question here. The machine was furthered by consumers who bought a 1970s. Nonibm personal computers were available as early as the mid1970s, first as. Early personal computers generally called microcomputers were sold often in electronic kit form and in limited numbers, and were of. The history of the personal computer as a massmarket consumer electronic device began with the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s. If you know the answer to this question, please register to join our limited beta program and start the. Many innovative programs were created for johnniac, including the. Who wer the inventors of the personal computer answers. Modern electronic technology created the kenbaki with a price that even.
The complete history of when the first computer was invented, including all types of computers back to. After the development of the microprocessor, individual personal computers were low enough in cost that they eventually became affordable. But as far back as 1968, sti researcher douglas englebart inventor of the mouse had demonstrated the use of a mouse, video and typing on computers. Before 1970, computers were big machines requiring thousands of separate transistors. Cofounders steve jobs and steve wozniak, both college dropouts, wanted to develop the worlds first userfriendly personal computer. History of computers a brief timeline of their evolution. The personal computer has revolutionized the way that people work, play and communicate with one another.
Who were the inventors of the personal computer answers. Postwar innovations eniac and other early computers proved to many universities and corporations that the machines were worth the tremendous investment of money, space and. He owns three out of the nine patents which were used by international business machines ibm to produce the personal computer pc. How steve wozniak became the genius who invented the personal. Mark dean, an engineer, was instrumental in the invention of the modern personal computer. In the early 1980s, the age of the personal computer had arrived and computerphobia was suddenly everywhere. Four years later, his older brother, james thomson, came up with a concept for a computer that solved mathematical problems known as differential.
The man who made the worlds first personal computer bbc news. The computer relied on a series of switches for inputting data and output data by turning on and off a series of lights. Computers timeline of computer history computer history museum. A more interactive form of computer use developed commercially by the middle 1960s. Investigate the history of the personal computer and what early models were like. When the definitive history of the personal computer is written, familiar. Computer the personal computer revolution britannica. Before microprocessors were invented, computers needed a separate integrated circuit chip for each one of their functions. They were operated by specialized technicians, who often dressed in white lab coats and were commonly referred to as a computer priesthood.
That was also the year zilog created the z80 processor and mos. In a sense, the pc was pioneered by everybody who played spacewar, and by programmers who made time sharing systems their on line homes. Apples lisa is the first personal computer with a gui. They were enormous and hugely expensive, and they required a.
Their work ended up revolutionizing the computer industry and changing the face of consumer technology. I didnt think there were jobs in computers but i would love them as a pastime. Personal computer history doesnt begin with ibm or microsoft, although. Get the facts about personal computers and how this machine has changed through the years. The computer age the earliest electronic computers were not personal in any way. In 1975, ed roberts coined the term personal computer when he introduced the altair 8800.
Before microprocessors were invented, computers needed a separate integratedcircuit chip for each one of their functions. In the history of the personal computer, this event has come to be known as the mother of all demos. But because personal computers were much less expensive than mainframe. Meet black inventor who contributed to the invention of. It was a machine that first went on sale in 1971 and is considered to have. Before it became one of the wealthiest companies in the world, apple inc. He set up a task force that developed the proposal for the first ibm pc. The history of the personal computer as a massmarket consumer electronic device began with. But during the 70s, computers were available only in electronic shops. Sufferers experienced a range of resistances, fears, anxieties, and hostilities. During this early era of computing, there were a few notable achievements. A personal computer is one intended for interactive individual use, as opposed to a mainframe computer where the end users requests are filtered through operating staff, or a timesharing system in which one large processor is shared by many individuals.