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IBM Model 5150 PC is released
IBM introduces its first personal computer. It was based on a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 microprocessor and used Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system. The base model was priced at $1,565 with 16 kB RAM, a Color Graphics Adapter, and no disk drives. The price was intended to rival other computers on the market, such as another IBM computer called the Datamaster which was priced at $10,000. The IBM 5150 became a huge success in the at-home market, and at one point IBM was selling 40,000 of them per month. -
Commodore 64 is Introduced
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64 or the CBM 64, is released by Commodore International. It was priced at $595, had 64KB of RAM (hence the name), support for multicolor sprites, and a custom chip for waveform generation which allowed the computer to create ground-breaking audio and visuals for the time. It won a Guinness World Record for being the highest-selling computer model of all time, with an estimated 12.5-17 million sold. -
Apple Lisa Computer is introduced, and flops
Apple releases a personal desktop computer called Lisa, one of the first personal computers to include a graphical user interface (GUI). It was priced at $9,995 with 5 MB of RAM. Due to the price, insufficient software, and immediate releases of a cheaper and faster Apple computer called Macintosh, only 10,000 were sold over 2 years. -
Apple Returns to the computer scene with Macintosh
Apple releases an all-in-one personal computer called Macintosh, which featured a graphical user interface, built-in screen, and mouse. While being rather expensive, around $2,495, the computers became hugely popular in the education and desktop publishing fields which pushed Apple into the second-largest PC manufacturer spot. The computer's debut advertising event was a commercial during the 1984 Super Bowl, which became just as pivotal a moment for the company as releasing the computer was. -
Macintosh Portable released
The first battery powered Macintosh by Apple, Inc is introduced with a black and white active matrix LCD screen with a hinge that covered the keyboard when closed, and a removable track ball. It featured 40 MB of data storage, weighed 16 pounds, and 10 hours of usage time on its lead-acid battery. It was introduced at $7,300 but was discontinued after 2 years due to consumers reporting it was too expensive, too heavy, and too bulky.
