10 Most Popular Computer in History – Personal Computer or PC, is a thing which has now become part of our lives everyday, most professions and fields of work that was involved people today can not be separated from the use of machines this one, and not limited to hobby into play game, look for the money until the criminal actions / cyber crime, computer arguably has become a staple for most people, to the point that too many negative syndrome arising from excessive computer use. Almost all layers of society today already know and have electronic machines this one.
But when the PC market is still not whole corn, still very small, and of course the price is very expensive, it all looked very different from today. Our computer is everything. At the end of the 1970s and 1980’an, buying a computer is a very large investment, reaching the value of thousands of dollars and also determine what kind of software we will run for 7 years. Here are 10 of the most popular computer in world history.
1.Commodore 64
Commodore 64 is a popular standalone computer systems ever made. Released in 1982, the Commodore 64 had a 1MHz processor on its CPU and 2 other features, powerful sound and graphics chip that is good for the computer era 1982. Even better, the Commodore 64 price is still affordable, USD 595 and has 64KB RAM. Commodore could also be connected to the TV, making it look like a combination of computer and video game consoles.
When released in 1982, Commodore graphics capabilities crushing defeat other computers like the Apple II. Thanks to the price as well, these computers sold very well and continues to sell. As computers become more and more expensive to produce, Commodore lowers its price, keeping it until 1980’an popular and continue to be produced until 1994.
Modem from Commodore also made a Commodore 64 is a powerful computer to operate online and like most systems using the BASIC programming language. This computer is a very popular platform. At the end of his life, the Commodore 64 has sold more than any computer before or since. Commodore 64 sold with a remarkable number, 17 million units until the end of his time.
2.IBM PC
Non-Mac computers today, is basically the IBM PC. Intel-based computers with the Windows operating system that has dominated the market since 1990’an born of the IBM PC was released in 1981 with a 4.77MHz Intel 8088 processor and 16KB RAM. IBM Model 5150 is not the last venture companies to enter the personal computer market. They released their expensive computer in 1975. The system is not the fastest, but it has been equipped with 16-bit Intel processor rather than 8-bit processor that is widely used most computers at the time. Although using the new chip, the processor 8088 uses an 8-bit bus, making it compatible with the addition of memory.
IBM PC valuable USD.1.600 for standard configuration, which is quite affordable for a powerful computer. Her system is quite popular and the programs created specifically to provide benefits to the IBM PC and maximize the performance of other companies processor 8088. So clicking clone of the IBM BIOS and make klonengan IBM PC. Within a few years, all x86-based computers that use Intel processors, they are all compatible with IBM PC and virtually identical to the design of IBM. Everything is running MS-DOS operating system and land x86 computer into a de facto standard. There is only one reason why IBM PC did not become the most popular computer ever made, because there are too many companies that make their own versions.
3.ZX Spectrum
Other computer companies such as Sinclair reap success in the US along its Timex Sinclair 1000, the largest contribution to the industry is the ZX Spectrum, launched a few years after 1982. The design is similar, except that the computer is quite small, (at a price of 125 euros in the UK), the system highly reliable operation with the unification of the keyboard into the casing. Spectrum is a computer powerful than its predecessor, thanks to its 16KB RAM and keyboard. ZX Spectrum range managed to reap success worldwide, selling more than 5 million units during its time. But this computer is also a computer that brings the PC to every home in the UK. It was the first computer that many people can have. Spectrum generate hundreds or even thousands of careers, for IT experts and video games in the UK, all started with the ZX Spectrum.
4.Apple II
In 1977, the same year when Sinclair released Timex Sinclair 1000, Apple released the Apple II. Apple computer that has a price a little more expensive than sinclair for price initially, about USD.1.300. Apple II reap tremendous success, built based on the design of the Apple I, which maintain a 1MHz processor and RAM 4KB and with the addition of casing and keyboard.
Eight expansion slots on the motherboard of the computer Apple II makes this very easy to do customization for PC enthusiasts, and the operating system can be set up to 48KB RAM. But software is what really separates the Apple II. Steve Wozniak designed the addition of 5 ¼ inch floppy drive, the Disk II was relatively low production costs, thanks to a new program to read and write on a diskette. More importantly, the processing program table (spreadsheet) VisiCalc make this computer into a powerful tool for companies that are willing to pay more than USD.1000 per unit.
Apple II is one of the best-selling computer sold on the market for five years, sold more than 1 million units, and put Apple on the Fortune 500 list Apple introduced the Macintosh in 1983 and managed to sell 1 million units in 1987. While the name Macintosh experience barriers Apple II made a spectacular change in the computer industry.
5.Commodore Amiga
Amiga 500, released in 1987, followed by the success of the computer such as the Commodore 64 and Apple II. This is a new type of computer, faster and better. Amiga 500 made the breakthrough from 8-bit to 32 bits and the CPU at 7 MHz. The computer comes with 512KB RAM, capable of supporting up to 4096 colors and internal 3.5-inch floppy drive. Bagitu not bad for the price of USD700 release.
Amiga is a computer with a performance that “speedingâ€, thanks to the design and feature multiple processor designed to handle the tasks associated with audio and video. The CPU does not have to process all alone. Commodore released the Amiga many types for more than a decade, but the type 500 is the most popular. Amiga is a software platform that is popular for games and programs for video and audio processing. Thanks to its co-processor components, Amiga powerful enough to perform tasks in the field of graphics and animation which previously was impossible for the consumer PC. Overall, the Amiga series sold about 6 million units, a figure which is fantastic for a computer that was launched in the 1980s.
6.iMAC
iMac, must already know a lot about this one computer, the iMac is an exception in the case of modern computers where no one else is quite unique type or popular enough to compete in the 70’s and 80’s era computer, of course, this is the goal of Apple which are actually. When they released the iMac in 1998, they show a colorful appearance with the intention to criticize the color of PCs in general are only gray or black. Currently, Apple has switched from candy colors for the iMac, but the features and everything about the iMac remains unchanged. Simple, all-in-one design that incorporates all components of the computer into a monitor, easily removable and portable, easy to use.
iMac is the beginning of a new era at Apple, the success of its products with the name prefix “i†like the iPod and iPhone. iMac never achieve success in terms of product sales. Apple reached a golden age a few years later along with the MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops, but it is the first Mac products for many years trying to break the dominance of the PC market by Microsoft in the 1990s.
iMac also makes Apple touted as the company plagiarists. In 1999, Apple was sued by a number of companies due to trace the appearance of iMac computers, they will promote the value of marketing campaigns to reach USD 100 million. Given their success with each product released since the iMac, the campaign seems a highly prospective investment.
7.NEC PC-98
While MSX popular with common hardware on a standard, PC-98 belonging to NEC reap tremendous success in its own way. Released in 1982, the PC-98 has a 5 MHz Intel 8086 processor on the CPU, plus has two display controllers and 128KB RAM. PC-98 is a powerful computer at the time, and NEC dominate the computer market in Japan by 50% of the overall market.
When the year 1980’an computer market dominated by computers from IBM, NEC’s unique architecture still dominate Japan. PC-98 sold more than 15 million units for more than a decade. However, NEC is a Japanese computer company that pioneered in the 1980s, made the PC-98 is a computer of the eastern part of which can be equated with computers from IBM.
8.MSX
While the US and European markets dominated by companies such as IBM, Sinclair and Apple, Japan has its own hardware giant in the ’80s. MSX is a unique computer, because the name can mean stands for Microsoft Extended Basic or Machines with Software Exchangeability are actually related to the number of operating systems are almost the same made by Japanese companies such as Toshiba and Sony.
MSX is designed as a standard hardware initiated by Vice President of Microsoft Japan Kazuhiko Nishi. This computer uses Microsoft BASIC and the price is not as expensive as other computers in the era 1980’an. Since the launch of MSX in 1983, has sold more than 5 million units. MSX never became the world standard hardware, but the computer is very popular and reap a huge success in Japan (as is known to fans of the game, Metal Gear was first released on MSX before Nintendo).
9. Tandy TRS-80
Once upon a time, it soldcomputersunder its very own brand. And they were hugely successful. In the 1970s, when cassette tapes, and not floppy disks, were the go-to storage medium for computers, Tandy put out a personal computer called the TRS-80. Thanks to the TRS-80, the Tandy name was as big as IBM or Apple or Commodore in the PC market of the 1980s.
The TRS-80 launched in 1977, before the home computer market had really exploded. Tandy offered its first model with 4K of RAM, a 1.77 MHz processor and a 12-inch monitor for $600. Later models and a $300 Expansion Interface greatly increased the computer’s capabilities, adding floppy support, extra ports and more memory [source:Â Goldklang].
Tandy’s TRS-DOS (disk operating system) was a popular OS predating MS-DOS. Microsoft’s early operating system bore some similarities to TRS-DOS — no surprise, since Tandy sold more than 200,000 units and followed the TRS-80’s success with more popular systems such as the 1980 Color Computer, or CoCo
10.Timex Sinclair 1000
In 1981, Sinclair released a computer whose price includes still arguably “Crazy†30 years later namely: USD99.95. Timex Sinclair 1000 or also known as the ZX81, has a small size with a BASIC system, only 2KB of RAM, its 3:25 MHz processor. Although including slow / slow for standard 1981’an era, but the price is almost 100 dollars it makes this computer to get a positive assessment of its own, especially for the hobbyist and do not want to spend a thousand dollars for a PC.
Thanks to the price, Timex Sinclair 1000 sold more than 600,000 units in the US. Timex Sinclair 1000 performance is of course very slow, because the computer only has 4 chip, and rely on the CPU for all other tasks and other data processing devices no matter what the external monitor connected to it. Changing the setting to “FAST†mode it can increase the speed of calculation would however cause poor screen refresh rate. Fortunately, this computer supports a lot of expansion such as floppy drives and adding RAM, which can boost performance.
