Technical Advancements and Inventions during the 1980's

By Adrienne Dowland

  • ~TRS-80 Pocket Computer is Released

    ~TRS-80 Pocket Computer is Released
    Radio Shack created the first BASIC-Programmable pocket-sized computer called the TRS-80. It was marketed to the public as easy to use because it speaks "BASIC' which was, at the time, the easiest to learn, and most common used computer language. This was a useful tool for mathematics, engineering and business application. The downside was if you wanted it to permanently save your data, you had to also purchase a cassette interface.

  • ~IBM introduces it's own PC (IBM5150)

    ~IBM introduces it's own PC (IBM5150)
    IBM5150 was introduced to the public Aug of 1981. William C. Lowe played a key role in the development. The new PC changed the way we work, communicate and entertain ourselves. It could process info fast, hook up to any TV, play games, and process text. It came with color/graphics capabilities and was marketed with the idea that anyone could use it. The 5150 was not the first PC but it led to innovations in the industry in-part by choosing to build it with non-IBM components.

  • ~Apple Introduces Lisa the First Commercial Personal Computer

    ~Apple Introduces Lisa the First Commercial Personal Computer
    Lisa is the first commercial personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) and was the new paradigm for personal computing. Lisa and its GUI was inspired by earlier work at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. It was well suited for businesses because of its protected memory, which was a new concept, and excellent file organizing features.

  • ~The Birth of Microsoft Windows

    ~The Birth of Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft founder, Bill Gates and co-founder Paul Allen created the 1st Microsoft OS (operating system) Windows 1.0. It was released to the public in Nov 1985 and was designed so the user didn't need to enter any commands to operate it, just point and click in a box or "window" with a mouse. That plus other features like, multitask application abilities, and the ability to transfer data between programs made using an OS more convenient, and efficient for PC users.

  • ~Apple Unveils the NeXT Cube

    ~Apple Unveils the NeXT Cube
    The NeXT Cube was created by Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs. It was a very powerful, high-end work station designed for colleges, and students, and its object oriented multitasking ability created rapid development of software applications. The removable data cartridge also made it very convenient for students to take take all of their OS, applications, and data with them on the go.