Evolution of Hardware (1940s-now)

By danguillecourtessa

  • First Supercomputer (int'l)

    First Supercomputer (int'l)
    The first supercomputer was the Zuse Z1 with a peak speed of 1 OPS. It was built in Konrad Zuse, Berlin, Germany.
  • Period: to

    Timespan of Hardware's Evolution

  • First Supercomputer (nat'l)

    First Supercomputer (nat'l)
    The first supercomputer built in America was the UPenn ENIAC and was built by the Department of War in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, USA. The peak speed was 5 kOPS.

  • First RAM

    First RAM
    The first (writable) random access memory was Magnetic Core Memory (also the Ferrite-Core Memory). It was invented by An Wang (Harvard) and Jay Forrester (MIT). RAM used magnetic properties store information. Unlike today’s RAM, core memory could keep information even after the power was off.

  • First Trackball

    First Trackball
    Invented by Tom Cranston and Fred Longstaff for DATAR, a computerized battlefield system. The information system used a five-pin bowling ball.

  • First Hard Disk Drive

    First Hard Disk Drive
    The IBM Model 350 Disk File was the first hard disk drive and was part of the IBM 305 RAMAC computer. It had 50 24-inch discs that could store 4.4 MB of data. The Model spun at 1200 rpm, had a data transfer rate of 8,800 characters per second.

  • First Mouse Prototype

    First Mouse Prototype
    Invented by Douglas Engelbart (Stanford). The mouse used two wheels at a 90 degree angle. The first mouse ball was not invented until 1972.

  • First Laser Printer

    First Laser Printer
    The laser printer was invented by Gary Starkweather at XEROX. The first commercial laser printer was not until IBM 1976 when IBM released the computer model 3800.

  • First Portable Computer

    First Portable Computer
    The first portable computer was the IBM 5100 and it weighed approximately 55 lb. External power was necessary to operate the computer system. The computer system included ROM and RAM, a five-inch CRT display, keyboard and a tape drive, and a built-in BASIC and/or APL. The IBM 5100 cost anywhere from $8,975 to $19,975.

  • First Apple

    First Apple
    The first Apple PCs (Apple I) were designed and hand-built by Steve Wozniak. The Apple I went on sale for $666.66. About 200 units were produced. The Apple I had a motherboard with a processor, a total of 8KB of RAM, and a display interface. In order for the computer to work, the buyer would need a power supply, a keyboard and a display.

  • First Laptop

    First Laptop
    The first laptop was the Grid Compass 1100. It was designed by Bill Moggridge. The computer was put on the market in 1982. It featured a 320×200 screen, an Intel 8086 processor, 340 KB of magnetic bubble memory and a 1200 bps modem. It weighed approximately 11 lb and cost $8-10,000.

  • First PC (IBM)

    First PC (IBM)
    The first Personal Computer was the IBM 5150. The IBM was created by a team of 12, headed by Don Estridge and Larry Potter. During development, IBM used off-the-shelf parts. The IBM had an Intel 8088 processor, 64 KB of RAM, a floppy disk drive, a CGA or monochrome video card, and Microsoft BASIC.

  • First Gameboy

    First Gameboy
    It is the first handheld console in the Game Boy line, and was created by Gunpei Yokoi (Nintendo). It was originally released in Japan then in North America and later in Europe.

  • First Xbox

    The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released oin North America, then Japan, Australia, and Europe.

  • First Wii

    First Wii
    The Wii was released by Nintendo. It is a gaming system.