Wikinventia — Atlas of discoveries and inventions · Global Age

Mass-market personal computer — Apple, Tandy, Commodore

~1977 AD · Transmission: Global
ComputingInventionNorth American

In 1977 three consumer-oriented personal computers appeared almost simultaneously: the Apple II, Tandy/Radio Shack's TRS-80, and the Commodore PET. It was the year personal computing stopped being a hobbyist kit and became an accessible consumer product. The IBM PC (1981) and the Apple Macintosh (1984) would expand the market massively. The personal computer moved computing from institutions, governments, and large corporations toward individuals, homes, schools, and small organizations, democratizing access to computing in a way comparable to what Gutenberg's press did for the written text.

Historical regionUnited States / global
Primary sourceApple II (June 1977), TRS-80 (August 1977), Commodore PET (1977). IBM PC (1981). Apple Macintosh with graphical interface (1984).
Secondary sourceFreiberger, P. & Swaine, M. — Fire in the Valley: The Birth of the Personal Computer (McGraw-Hill, 2000)
Original languageEnglish
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