Two
decades of the PC
A showcase
of the personal computer over the past 20 years: |
| 1981 |
- IBM announces
the IBM 5150 PC personal computer in New York.
- Apple
introduces its first hard drive, the 5M-byte ProFile, for $3,500.
- Novell
ships the Novell Data Management Computer, with the ability to share
its hard drive space with other computers.
- Hayes
Microcomputer Products advertises the Smartmodem 300, which becomes
the industry standard.
- College
professor James Clark found Silicon Graphics.
|
IBM 5150 PC personal computer |
| 1982 |
- Lotus
announces Lotus 1-2-3 at Comdex.
- Commodore
announces the Commodore 64 microcomputer.
- Microsoft
signs an agreement to develop applications for the Macintosh.
- Intel
introduces the 6-MHz 80286 microprocessor.
- Sun is
founded.
- IBM first
offers CP/M-86 for the IBM PC.
- IBM ships
the 200,000th IBM PC.
- Apple
becomes the first PC company to reach $1 billion in annual sales.
|
Intel 6-MHz 80286 microprocessor |
| 1983 |
- Compaq
ships a portable computer weighing 28 pounds.
- Microsoft
formally announces Microsoft Windows.
- Novell
introduces the NetWare network operating system for the IBM PC.
|
 |
| 1984 |
- Steve
Jobs of Apple introduces the Macintosh computer.
- Compaq
announces the Deskpro.
- The number
of hosts on the Internet reaches 1,000.
- Several
companies introduce 2400 baud modems at Comdex.
|
 |
| 1985 |
- Intel
introduces the 16-MHz Intel 80386 DX microprocessor.
- Microsoft
ships Microsoft Windows 1.0.
- Compaq
reports second-year revenue of $329 million.
- IBM abandons
production of the IBM PCjr.
- Microsoft
and IBM sign a joint-development agreement to work together on future
operating systems and environments.
- IBM introduces
its Token Ring network.
|
Intel 16-MHz 80386 DX microprocessor. |
| 1986 |
- IBM boosts
the speed of the IBM PC AT by replacing the CPU with a 8-MHz Intel 80286.
- Compaq
joins the Fortune 500 list faster than any company in history.
|
 |
| 1987 |
- Intel
introduces the 20-MHz 80386DX microprocessor.
- IBM introduces
the IBM Personal System/2 (PS/2) line.
- IBM introduces
its Micro Channel Architecture (MCA).
- IBM and
Microsoft announce Operating System/2 (OS/2).
|
 |
| 1989 |
- Intel
announces the 25-MHz 486 microprocessor.
- The Personal
Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) is formed.
|
Intel 25-MHz 486 microprocessor |
| 1990 |
- Motorola
announces the availability of its 32-bit 25-MHz microprocessor.
- Microsoft
introduces and ships Microsoft Windows 3.0.
- Digital
Research releases DR DOS 5.0.
- Microsoft's
sales revenue hit $1 billion for the past year.
- Acer
Incorporated buys Alto Computer Systems for $94 million.
- The IEEE
approves the 10Base-T Ethernet specification.
- IBM and
Microsoft end cooperative work on operating systems.
|
 |
| 1991 |
- MIPS
Technologies unveils the R4000 RISC processor architecture.
- IBM abandons
its printer and typewriter operation to a New York investment firm.
- Lotus
announces Lotus 1-2-3 for the Macintosh.
- Apple
announces QuickTime software for integration of dynamic media for Macintosh
computers.
- Microsoft
and others announce the Multimedia PC (MPC) standard.
- Apple,
Motorola, and IBM officially sign an accord on technology sharing for
new operating systems, chips and graphics.
- Pixar
begins work with the Walt Disney Company on a full-length computer animated
film.
|
 |
| 1992 |
- IBM and
Microsoft sign a "divorce" document.
- Digital
unveils the 150-MHz Alpha 21064 64-bit microprocessor.
- Novell
buys Unix Systems Laboratories from AT&T, gaining all rights to
the Unix source code.
- Novell
purchases Digital Research, Inc. for $80 million.
|
|
| 1993 |
- Apple
ships the 10 millionth Macintosh computer.
- Digital
announces the 200-MHz Alpha 21064 processor.
- Intel
introduces the Pentium processor.
- Sun,
Novell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and the Santa Cruz Operation announce that
they will work together toward a unified Unix operating system standard.
- Compaq,
Intel, Microsoft and Phoenix Technologies define the Plug-and-Play specification
for PCs.
- Microsoft
formally launches Windows NT 3.1.
|
 |
| 1994 |
- Digital
formally introduces its next-generation Alpha AXP processors.
- The International
Telecommunication Union ratifies the 28.8K bit/sec V.34 modem standard.
- U.S.
Robotics ships the Courier v.34 28.8K bit/sec modems. List price: $329
internal, $349 external.
- IBM introduces
the Aptiva line. They are built to replace the PS/1 line and are aimed
at the home PC market.
- IBM formally
launches OS/2 Warp Version 3.
|
|
| 1995 |
- Compaq
reaches worldwide No. 1 PC marketshare position.
- Apple
signs a licensing agreement with three companies, allowing them to produce
Macintosh -ompatible computers.
- Microsoft
releases Windows 95.
|
|
| 1996 |
- Advanced
Micro Devices and NexGen complete their merger, with AMD paying $623
million for NexGen.
- Intel
announces the immediate availability of the 66/166-MHz Pentium processor.
- Corel
purchases WordPerfect, Quattro Pro and the PerfectOffice application
suite from Novell for $180 million.
- Intel
renames the P7 processor Merced.
- The Santa
Cruz Operation releases SCO UnixWare 2.1.
- Silicon
Graphics buys Cray Research, at a cost of about $765 million.
- Microsoft
unveils Windows CE operating system for hand-held PCs.
- Apple
buys Steve Jobs' NeXT Software company for about $425 million in cash
and Apple stock.
|
Intel 66/166-MHz Pentium processor. |
| 1997 |
- Steve
Jobs announces investment of $150 million from Microsoft
|
 |
| 1998 |
- Compaq
buys Digital for $9.6 billion.
- Microsoft
ships Windows 98.
|
|
| 1999 |
- Pentium
III processor announced.
|
|
| 2001 |
- Intel
introduces Pentium 4 processors with speeds up to 1.7GHz.
|
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