History Of The PC

4 Pages 944 Words

The History of The Personal Computer


The personal computer, better known as the PC, is a tool that has revolutionalized the way business’ and individuals interact, communicate, and live their everyday lives. It allows people to write and hold instant conversations over hundreds of miles of separation. The PC has allowed people to get data, order products, and download files from the comfort of one’s own home with the ease of a single mouse click. However, computers have not always been this way. The PC traces it’s origins back to the mainframes and minicomputers in the 1950’s and 1960’s, but it wasn’t until the 1970’s that there were breakthrough developments in the development of the PC.
It was on December 23, 1947, that John Bardee at Bell Laboratories developed the transistor. However, it wasn’t released to the United States market until 1956 and this is the point the revolution took place because it allowed the computer manufacturers to make smaller computers due to the smaller size of the transistor over the size of the bulky vacuum tubes that were previously used. This triggered the release of many new computer systems including the IBM 701, which was the first computer that was small enough to be shipped in several pieces and assembled at the destination. Then in 1964, IBM spent $1 billion dollars in research to release the System/360 series of computers, which was the first computer system to be compatible with each other.
These new developments in the computer world left businesses and students buzzing with excitement. Those that were able to get their hands on one and use it were viewed as very privileged. Every time a new computer accomplishment was made, it left people in awe. Still, up till 1972, computers were only available to schools, businesses, and wealthy people who could afford them. It was in 1972 when Intel came out with the 8008 chip and it was able to process 8-bits of dat...