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Kenbak-1
This is the first personal computer that relies on the switches for input and lights for output from its 256-byte memory.Only 50 machines were ever built using Bud Industries enclosures as its housing per the Oral History of John Blankenbaker. The system first sold for US$750. Today only 14 machines are believed to exist worldwide, in the hands of various collectors. -
SCAMP
Under the direction of engineer Dr. Paul Friedl, the Special Computer APL Machine Portable (SCAMP) personal computer prototype is developed at IBM's Los Gatos and Palo Alto, California laboratories.This system was designed to run the APL programming language in a compact, briefcase-like enclosure which comprised a keyboard, CRT display, and cassette tape storage.From concept to finished system, SCAMP took only six months to develop. -
Micral
The Micral is one of the earliest commercial, non-kit personal computers. Designer Thi Truong developed the computer while Philippe Kahn wrote the software. Truong, founder and president of the French company R2E, created the Micral as a replacement for minicomputers in situations that did not require high performance, such as process control and highway toll collection. Selling for $1,750, the Micral never penetrated the U.S. market. In 1979, Truong sold R2E to Bull. -
IBM 5100
The first laptop,the IBM 5100 is the first portable computer.The computer weighed 55 pounds and had 64KB of RAM. -
MITS Altair 8800 kit
For its January issue, hobbyist magazine Popular Electronics runs a cover story of a new computer kit – the Altair 8800. MITS co-founder Ed Roberts invented the Altair 8800 — which sold for $297, or $395 with a case — and coined the term “personal computer”. The machine came with 256 bytes of memory and an open 100-line bus structure that evolved into the “S-100” standard widely used in hobbyist and personal computers of this era. -
The Osborne 1
The Osborne 1, the first commercially available portable personal computer, is launched with a 5” monitor. The computer weighed 23.5 pounds and cost $1,800. -
IBM Personal Computer
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform.It was created by a team of engineers and designers under the direction of Philip Don Estridge of the IBM Entry Systems Division in Boca Raton, Florida. -
Compaq Portable
Compaq Portable, the first IBM-PC compatible portable computer that sold for more than $3,500 and weighed 28lbs.Compaq sold 53,000 units in the first year with a total of $111 million in revenue, the second year revenue hit $329 million, third year revenue was at $503.9 million.The Compaq Portable has almost the same hardware as an IBM PC,except in a luggable case, with Compaq's BIOS instead of IBM's. All Portables shipped with 128k of RAM and 1-2 double-sided double-density 360 KB disk drives. -
Apple Lisa
Apple Lisa Inspired by the Xeros Star USA was the 1st PC with a graphical UI. Development of the Lisa began in 1978,and it underwent many changes during the development period before shipping at US$9,995 with a five-megabyte hard drive. The Lisa was challenged by a relatively high price, insufficient software library, unreliable Apple FileWare ("Twiggy") floppy disks, and the immediate release of the cheaper and faster Macintosh — yielding lifelong sales of only 10,000 units in two years. -
PowerBook
Apple launches its PowerBook series, the first portable personal computer to have room for a palm rest and a trackball that most closely resembles those found in today’s laptops.The PowerBook was replaced by the MacBook Pro in 2006 as part of Apple's transition to Intel processors. -
iMac G3
The iMac G3 is a series of Macintosh personal computers designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Computer, Inc.The marketing and sales success of the iMac G3 contributed to Apple's turnaround from financial ruin in the late 1990s and revitalized the Apple brand as design-oriented and simple. It was, nevertheless, criticized for abandoning then-current technological standards like the floppy drive and the Apple Desktop Bus connector in favor of the emerging USB standard. -
iMac G5
The iMac G5 is an all-in-one personal computer that was designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. It is the final iMac to use a PowerPC processor, making it the last model that could natively run Mac OS 9 (Classic) applications. -
MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro is a line of Macintosh portable computers introduced in January 2006, by Apple Inc. The first-generation MacBook Pro used the design of the PowerBook G4, but replaced PowerPC G4 chips with Intel Core processors, added a webcam, and introduced the MagSafe power connector. The 15-inch model was introduced in January 2006; the 17-inch model in April. Later revisions added Core 2 Duo processors and LED-backlit displays. -
Asus Eee PC 700
The first netbook to hit the market was tiny (7-in. screen), inexpensive ($399) and light (only 2 lb.). It was perfect for word processing and casual Web browsing, but you had to bring along your own DVD player — the Eee PC 700, as with all other netbooks, lacks an optical drive.
