Some of the most popular computers in
the computer history have left a mark behind as one of the most
memorable machines the world ever saw. Some of these PCs made a history
but could survive the history. Read more and know which computers were
the kings of past era.
Then personal computers were released almost half a century ago, the
customers did not have a choice like they do have now. There
were limited choices and on top of that, a customer had to decide the
kind of software that would run on that PC for next a few upcoming
years. So, just a few PCs were favorite among the computer users.
Here is a list of 10 Most Popular Computer In Computer History:
In
1981, Sinclair released a computer at a price of $100. This small
computer, also known as the ZX81, ran on BASIC with just 2KB of RAM and
3.25 MHz processor. However, it made a perfect entry point for aspiring
hobbyists who couldn’t spend a thousand dollars on a PC. With this
price, the Timex Sinclair 1000 sold over 600,000 units in the United
States and became one of the most popular computers of its time.
Tandy TRS-80 was launched in
1977. It offered its first model with 4K of RAM, a 1.77 MHz processor
and a 12-inch monitor for $600. Later models of TRS-80 called TRS-100,
greatly increased the computer’s capabilities, adding floppy support,
extra ports, and more memory. The operating system called TRS-DOS (disk
operating system) was the most popular computer OS predating MS-DOS.
Tandy sold more than 200,000 units.
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When the computer revolution had taken
over the United States and Europe by companies like IBM, Commodore,
Sinclair and Apple, Japan had its own hardware setups. The MSX was a
unique computer which stood for Microsoft Extended Basic actually
applied to a number of similar systems created by Japanese companies
like Toshiba and Sony. MSX was the most popular machine in Japan those
days.
If MSX was the most
popular computer in Japan then NEC’s PC-98 was a big success in itself.
NEC PC-98 was released in 1982. It ran on a 5 MHz Intel 8086 CPU, had
two display controllers, and a base 128KB of RAM. The PC-98 was a
powerful computer for its time, and NEC ruled the Japanese market with
roughly a 50 percent market share.
iMac (One of the most popular computers)
iMac
got instant popularity when Apple began advertising it on the name of
its uniqueness. When they released the iMac in 1998, they advertised its
colorful body by criticizing the beige color of drab
PCs.It’s
a simple, all-in-one design that incorporates all of the computer’s
components into the monitor housing. Easy to move, easy to set up.
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The
Commodore Amiga was released in 1987. It was released following the
grand success of computers like the Commodore 64 and Apple II. It was
newer, faster, better. The Amiga 500 made the jump from an 8-bit CPU up
to 32 bits and 7 MHz of speed. The computer shipped with 512KB of RAM,
support for up to 4096 colors, and an internal 3.5-inch floppy drive —
just for a launch price of $700.
Apple II (One of the most popular computers)
Apple
II was released in 1977, the same year Sinclair released the $100 Timex
Sinclair 1000. However, this second computer from Apple was a great
success even though it cost $1300. It was built on the design of the
Apple I by retaining a simple 1MHz processor and 4KB of RAM and adding a
case and
keyboard.ZX Spectrum
ZX
Spectrum was a huge success in the UK and eventually it was the most
popular computer of its time. It was launched in 1982. The design was
similar: A small, affordable (£ 125 in the U.K.) system that
incorporated a keyboard into its body. But the Spectrum was a much
better computer than its predecessor, thanks to 16KB of RAM and a real
hardware keyboard.
IBM PC: (One of the most popular computers)
IBM
PC can be said as the first generation PC which is still trending in
the market. The Intel-based, Windows-running computers that have
dominated the market since the 1990s were born from the IBM PC.
Within
a few years, all x86 computers — those using Intel’s processors — were
compatible with the IBM PC and virtually identical to IBM’s design. They
all ran MS-DOS, and the x86 PC field went on to become the de facto
standard.
The Commodore 64
is the single most popular computer system ever sold. Released in 1982,
the Commodore 64 had a 1MHz CPU but it came with two big draws:
- A powerful, programmable sound chip and,
- powerful graphics for a 1982 computer.
What
made it stand out from the race of PCs was its reasonable cost of $595,
64KB of RAM and that could be plugged into a TV, making it a hybrid
computer/video game console.
If you also know the most popular
computer of its time which made a difference and you would like to share
about that, you can put your views in the comments below. Also, don’t
forget to mention your first machine’s specification
source:
fossbytes
