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1981
In 1981 the 3 1/2" floppy was released by Sony. There were other computer company contenders at the time in addition to other sizes of floppy disks. By 1982 Hewlett Packard had a 3 1/2" floppy that was for general use. The floppy disk was how you saved your data and for transfer and backup purposes. -
1983
Apple releases the first desktop personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) called Lisa. Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh would use GUI as their user interface, drastically changing personal computing. The Lisa personal computer had 1 MB of RAM, a 12” black & white monitor, 2 5 ¼” floppy disk drives and a 5 MB hard drive and cost $9,995. -
1985
In 1985 Nintendo released its Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the United States with eighteen available games. This was the beginning of video game culture played at home. Previously, games were large machines kept in video arcades and family restaurants -
1987
In 1987 IBM PS/2 was IBM’s second generation of personal computers. The PS/2 had a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive and video graphics array (VGA). The target demographic was corporate buyers and by 1988 sold 3 million PS/2 machines. The PS/2 introduced the 6-pin interface for keyboard and mouse ports. -
1989
In 1989 Apple introduced the first battery powered, portable laptop that cost $6,500. The Macintosh Portable weighed 16 pounds and was discontinued 2 years later. At this time the laptop was constantly improving to be a lighter and more efficient way to do business on the go.