EOTO: Presentation Week

 

The last two weeks in class have been very interesting! Every person presented on a technology that exists and taught the class a little bit about the history of it. I really enjoyed these weeks, because I learned a lot about my favorite technologies. 

    The technology that I was really fascinated by was Spotify. I am a huge Spotify fan and I will forever think that it is better than Apple Music or any other music streaming platform. What I didn't know before the brief presentation in class was that it was actually several other things before it was Spotify. There were many different prototypes before Spotify was born. That was a common theme with all of the technologies presented, which I thought was really interesting. Every single great technology that people use everyday is the result of numerous tries. Another interesting thing about this presentation was finding out that Spotify was founded in 2006. It was a slow growth process for the company, but now it is thriving and doing so great. Overall, I enjoyed listening to this brief presentation on Spotify, because I learned a lot in a short period of time. 

EOTO: Personal Computer and Personal Computing

 

     Personal computers. We all use them and they have become a crucial part of our lives. Whether we keep our lives stored on a Mac or a PC, these devices have play an important part on how we go about out life. Today I will be telling you guys a little but about the history and timeline of personal computers. 

The First Personal Computer

The first personal computer was introduced in 1975 and it was called the Altair 8800. It only had toggle switches and binary lights for input and output. It was the first computer to sell in large numbers. They sold over 5,000 computers in the first year. It retailed for $395. If you wanted it to be assembled for you it was $498. Bill Gates and Paul Allen saw the success of the Altair 8800 and formed the company Microsoft.

Pictured above is the Altair 8800

Apple

In 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created Apple’s only kit computer and in 1977 they launched the Apple 2, which was a color computer with expansion slots and floppy drive support. The Apple 2 was one of the world's first successful mass produced microcomputer.

Pictured Above is the Apple 2

VisiCalc Revolutionizes Personal Computing

In 1978 the first electronic spreadsheet entitled VisiCalc was made. This technology was revolutionary for the world of personal computers, because it turned them into a useful business tool. Before the creation of this software, personal computing was seen as merely a game machine or a replacement for the electronic typewriter.

Pictured above is an example of VisiCalc software

First Portable Computer

In early 1981, Adam Osborne introduced the world's first portable computer. The Osborne 1 was about this size of a suitcase and had a tiny 5″ display. The computer weighed 10kg.The whole package sold for $1,899.

Pictured Above is an Osborne 1

First Laptop Computer

The first laptop computer also arrived in 1981. It was called the Epson HX-20.  The HX-20 was about 8.5″ by 11″ and maybe 1.5-2″ thick and used a microcassette to store data. It displayed 4 lines of 20 characters on an LCD screen above the keyboard.

Pictured Above is the Epson HX-20

Most Significant Event of 1981

The most significant event of 1981 for the personal computing industry was the introduction of the IBM PC on August 12. This caused Microsoft to get IBM to agree that PCs would not be an IBM exclusive. This paved the way for the clone industry.

Pictured Above is the IBM PC of 1981

Year of the Computer

   Time magazine called 1982 “The Year of the Computer” as the industry grew up. By 1983, the industry estimated that 10 million PCs were in use in the United States alone.

Pictured Above is the cover of TIME magazine in 1983

Apple's Biggest Failure 

In 1983 Apple introduced the Lisa which was a huge failure. Each computer sold for $10,000 and Apple lost a total of $50 Million.

Pictured Above is an Apple Lisa

Apple Macintosh

The failure of the Apple Lisa paved the way for the Apple Macintosh which came out in 1984. It was much more affordable at $2,500. This is where the timeline of personal computers end. Ever since the Macintosh, the use of personal computers has developed greatly. As of February 2019, 74% of Americans owned one.

Pictured Above is an Apple Macintosh