Computer Inventions of the 1980s

By ahunterx2

  • IBM PC Model 5150

    IBM PC Model 5150
    1981 IBM PC Model 5150 - IBM The IBM PC helped standardize the personal computer market. It was small and easy to use, making it a popular and feasible choice for households. It put computers in the hands of consumers as well as businesses, and served as the foundation on which several other personal computers were built.

  • Seagate ST506

    Seagate ST506
    1981 Seagate ST506 - Shugart Technology (now Seagate) The ST506 was the first hard disk drive for microcomputers, boasting a 5 megabyte capacity – five times that of the floppy disk. It allowed for greater storage capacity, and quickly led to newer models with more storage, eventually becoming the industry standard for disk drives.

  • Osborne 1

    Osborne 1
    1981 Osborne 1 – Adam Osborne The Osborne 1 was the first mass-produced portable computer. It had a 5 inch screen, a wide array of software applications, a modem port, and a fold-down keyboard that also served as the case’s lid. While the company did not succeed long-term, the Osborne 1 had a lasting impact, paving the way for making computers more portable.

  • CD-ROM

    CD-ROM
    1982 CD-ROM – Denon Branching off from Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA), the CD-ROM was the first compact disc used for computers and stored all types of data. Extensions of CD-ROM emerged, such as CD-ROM XA (1988) and CD-I (1990), which allowed for audio, video, and computer data to be accessed simultaneously. Due to the higher storage capacity, CD-ROM and its extensions became better suited vehicles for computer software and games.

  • Microsoft Windows 1.0

    Microsoft Windows 1.0
    1985 Microsoft Windows 1.0 Microsoft released Windows 1.0 on November 20, 1985. With the rising popularity of graphical user interfaces (GUIs ), this version operated as a shell on top of DOS. It allowed for the use of both graphical Windows and DOS programs. GUIs offered a more user-friendly and visual experience, with clickable icons and windows as opposed to text-based commands in DOS. Windows 1.0 was the first in the line of the Windows operating systems used today.