History of personal computers

In what was later to be called The Mother of All Demo SRI researcher Douglas Englebart in 1968 gave a preview of what would become the staples of daily working life in the 21st century - e-mail, hypertext, word processing, video conferencing, and the mouse. The demonstration required technical support staff and a mainframe time-sharing computer that were far too costly for individual business use at the time.

By the early 1970s, people in academic or research institutions had the opportunity for single-person use of a computer system in interactive mode for extended durations, although these systems would still have been too expensive to be owned by a single person.

HP 9830 was an early desktop computer with printer

In the 1970s Hewlett Packard introduced fully BASIC programmable computers that fit entirely on top of a desk, including a keyboard, a small one-line display and printer. The Wang 2200 of 1973 had a full-size CRT and cassette tape storage. The IBM 5100 in 1975 had a small CRT display and could be programmed in BASIC and APL. These were generally expensive specialized computers sold for business or scientific uses. The introduction of the microprocessor, a single chip with all the circuitry that formerly occupied large cabinets, led to the proliferation of personal computers after 1975.

Early personal computers - generally called microcomputers - were sold often in kit form and in limited volumes, and were of interest mostly to hobbyists and technicians. Minimal programming was done with toggle switches to enter instructions, and output was provided by front panel lamps. Practical use required peripherals such as keyboards, computer terminals, disk drives, and printers. Micral N was the earliest commercial, non-kit microcomputer based on a microprocessor, the Intel 8008. It was built starting in 1972 and about 90,000 units were sold. The first true Personal Computer was the Sphere 1 computer, created in Bountiful, Utah in 1975 by computer pioneer Michael D. Wise (1949-2002). At first, Sphere 1 was sold as a kit, but was later sold as fully assembled PC. The Sphere 1 qualified as The First Personal Computer because it included a keyboard, a number pad, and a monitor. In 1976 Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak sold the Apple I computer circuit board, which was fully prepared and contained about 30 chips. The first successfully mass marketed personal computer was the Commodore PET introduced in January 1977, which bore a striking resemblance to Sphere 1 of two years earlier. It was soon followed by the TRS-80 from Radio Shack and the popular Apple II.

MARKET LEADERS :

Dell Inc.is a multinational information technology corporation based in Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest technological corporations in the world, employing more than 96,000 people worldwide.[2] Dell is listed at #38 on the Fortune 500 (2010). Fortune also lists Dell as the #5 most admired company in its industry.

Dell has grown by both organic and inorganic means since its inception—notable mergers and acquisitions including Alienware (2006) and Perot Systems (2009). As of 2009, the company sold personal computers, servers, data storage devices, network switches, software, and computer peripherals. Dell also sells HDTVs, cameras, printers, MP3 players and other electronics built by other manufacturers. The company is well known for its innovations

Founder : Michel Dell

Head Quarter: Texas, U.S

Revenue : $52.9 billion

Employees : 96,000

Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ), commonly referred to as HP, is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company was founded in a one-car garage in Palo Alto by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, and is now one of the world's largest information technology companies, operating in nearly every country. HP specializes in developing and manufacturing computing, data storage, and networking hardware, designing software and delivering services. Major product lines include personal computing devices, enterprise servers, related storage devices, as well as a diverse range of printers and other imaging products. HP markets its products to households, small- to medium-sized businesses and enterprises directly as well as via online distribution, consumer-electronics and office-supply retailers, software partners and major technology vendors.

Founder : Bill Hewlett, David Packard

Head Quarter: California, U.S

Revenue : $114.552 billion

Employees : 3, 10,000

Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL; previously Apple Computer, Inc.) is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. Apple software includes the Mac OS X operating system; the iTunes media browser; the iLife suite of multimedia and creativity software; the iWork suite of productivity software; Aperture, a professional photography package; Final Cut Studio, a suite of professional audio and film-industry software products; Logic Studio, a suite of music production tools and its iOS Mobile Operating System. As of August 2010, the company operates 301 retail stores[7] in ten countries,[8] and an online store where hardware and software products are sold.

Founder : Steve Jobs

Head Quarter: California, U.S

Revenue : $ 42.9 billion

Employees : 34,300

Lenovo Group Limited (SEHK: 0992, OTCBB: LNVGY) is a Chinese-based multinational computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures and markets desktops and notebook personal computers, workstations, servers, storage drives, IT management software, and related services. Incorporated as Legend in Hong Kong in 1988,] Lenovo's principal operations are currently located in Beijing, China, Morrisville, North Carolina in the United States, and Singapore, with research centers in those locations, as well as Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xiamen, and Chengdu in China, and Yamato in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

In 2009, Lenovo was the fourth largest vendor of personal computers in the world.[7] The company is the largest seller of PCs in China, with a 28.6% share of the China market, according to research firm IDC in July, 2009. It reported annual sales of $14.9 billion for the fiscal year ending 2008/2009 (ending March 31, 2009).

Founder : Liu Chuanzi

Head Quarter: Beijing, China

Revenue : $ 14.9 billion

Employees : 23,000

Compaq was founded in February 1982 by Rod Canion, Jim Harris and Bill Murto, three senior managers from semiconductor manufacturer Texas Instruments. Each invested $1,000 to form the company. Their first venture capital came from Ben Rosen and Sevin Rosen Funds. The original Compaq PC was first sketched out on a placemat by the founders while dining in a local Houston restaurant, House of Pies.[8]

Two key marketing executives in Compaq's early years, Jim D'Arezzo and Sparky Sparks, had come from IBM's PC Group. Other key executives responsible for the company's meteoric growth in the late 80s and early 90s were Ross A. Cooley, another former IBMer, who served for many years as SVP of GM North America; Michael Swavely, who was the company's chief marketing officer in the early years, and eventually ran the North America organization, later passing along that responsibility to Mr. Cooley, when Swavely retired. In the United States, Brendan A.

Market Strategies

Apple's Branding Strategy

Apple Inc. uses the Apple brand to compete across several highly competitive markets, including the personal computer industry with its Macintosh line of computers and related software, the consumer electronics industry with products such as the iPod, digital music distribution through its iTunes Music Store, and more recently in the smart phone market with the Apple iPhone.

Apple's product strategy is to create innovative products and services aligned with a "digital hub" strategy, whereby Apple Macintosh computer products function as the digital hub for digital devices, including the Apple iPod, personal digital assistants, cellular phones, digital video and still cameras, and other electronic devices.

The Apple Brand Personality

Apple has a branding strategy that focuses on the emotions. The Apple brand personality is about lifestyle; imagination; liberty regained; innovation; passion; hopes, dreams and aspirations; and power-to-the-people through technology. The Apple brand personality is also about simplicity and the removal of complexity from people's lives; people-driven product design; and about being a really humanistic company with a heartfelt connection with its customers.

Apple Brand Equity and Apple's Customer Franchise

The Apple brand is not just intimate with its customers, it's loved, and there is a real sense of community among users of its main product lines.

The brand equity and customer franchise which Apple embodies is extremely strong. The preference for Apple products amongst the "Mac community", for instance, not only kept the company alive for much of the 90's (when from a rational economic perspective it looked like a dead duck) but it even enables the company to sustain pricing that is at a premium to its competitors.

It is arguable that without the price-premium which the Apple brand sustains in many product areas, the company would have exited the personal computer business several years ago. Small market share PC vendors with weaker brand equity have struggled to compete with the supply chain and manufacturing economics of Dell. Apple has made big advances in becoming more efficient, particularly in logistics and operations, but would still find it difficult to make a profit at the price levels Dell transacts at.

The Apple Customer Experience

The huge promise of the Apple brand, of course presents Apple with an enormous challenge to live up to. The innovative, beautifully-designed, highly ergonomic, and technology-leading products which Apple delivers are not only designed to match the brand promise, but are fundamental to keeping it.

Apple fully understands that all aspects of the customer experience are important and that all brand touch-points must reinforce the Apple brand.

Apple is expanding and improving its distribution capabilities by opening its own retail stores in key cities around the world in up-market, quality shopping venues. Apple provides Apple Mac-expert retail floor staff staff to selected resellers' stores (such as Australian department store David Jones); it has entered into strategic alliances with other companies to co-brand or distribute Apple's products and services (for example, HP who was selling a co-branded form of iPod and pre-loading iTunes onto consumer PCs and laptops). Apple has also increased the accessibility of iPods through various resellers that do not currently carry Apple Macintosh systems (such as Harvey Norman), and has increased the reach of its online stores.

The very successful Apple retail stores give prospective customers direct experience of Apple's brand values. Apple Store visitors experience a stimulating, no-pressure environment where they can discover more about the Apple family, try out the company's products, and get practical help on Apple products at the shops' Guru Bars. Apple retail staff are helpful, informative, and let their enthusiasm show without being brash or pushy.

Dell Marketing Strategy

The Dell marketing strategy was simple and basic. Cut out the middleman and sell the product cheaper. Offer great customer service by giving the customer exactly what they want. There you have it. That is how Dell is about to become the largest company in the world selling computers. They did it by building computers made to order for the customer. By handling all the sales (retail) themselves. If you want a Dell computer you can only get it from Dell. Their marketing strategy allowed them to pass the savings onto the customer.

Online Dell Marketing Strategies

Now, the ONLINE Dell marketing strategies are nothing different either. They do exactly what everybody else has to do.

Targeting: They have to know who is buying computers and where online these people are going

Tracking: They have to track advertising results and make adjustments Relationships: They build relationships with the people they advertise with

The internet is a powerful force in the business world for selling products. What makes it so powerful?

Targeting Online Marketing Understanding who your market is and where they hang out is so much easier to find out. It becomes very easy to target your customer when you know, for example: That every person who goes to a website called NewComputerProducts.com is very likely to be interested in buying a computer or peripheral. So

your marketing plan should call for contacting that website and setting up advertising or getting them to review your computer Instant Targeted Advertising.

Tracking Marketing Strategies

Tracking your marketing strategies has never been easier. In the offline world it is very hard to determine how effective a TV, radio or newspaper ad was. But online you can track exactly every aspect and then tweak it to improve your results. Plus, advertising campaigns can be changed on the fly. Try a new headline or graphic and see the results immediately

What one amazing tool can TEST, TRACK, and TWEAK your ads and salesletters to help you maximize and boost your profits by 100's - 1,000's of %? Oh, yeah! This tool will also do it all on it's own - 100%.

New Product Marketing Strategy

New product marketing strategy must follow a few basic steps. Who is your target customer and where do they hang out are two very important questions you must know about your new product before you try any marketing strategy. Now, this article is way to short to help you with all aspects of marketing. So whether you want to have a Dell marketing strategy or have some great new product to market here is what I recommend. All the solutions, questions and answers from the experts are already at your fingertips Internet Marketing Strategy

Marketing Strategy LENOVO

Massive Olympics Marketing Blitz

Chinese IT company Lenovo opened a public relations hall inside Beijing Olympic Park on July 31. Lenovo chairman Yang Yuanqing met Chinese and foreign journalists after the opening ceremony. Four years ago, Lenovo signed a US$50 million contract with the International Olympic Committee to sponsor the Olympics -- a first for a Chinese enterprise. At that time, Lenovo's annual sales were a little less than $3 billion. Chinese people were concerned about the deal, calling it "unreasonable gambling." But Yang said, "Samsung has grown from a South Korean home appliance maker to a top-class global brand through Olympic marketing, hasn't it? Olympic marketing is a prerequisite for us to become a global brand."

Using the Beijing Olympics to gain momentum, Lenovo is greatly benefiting from enhanced global brand recognition. With strong sales and high profits over the past three years, Lenovo leapt into the Fortune Global 500 club for the first time this year.

Downtown Beijing resembles a huge marketing ground for Lenovo. So many locations in Beijing are covered with Lenovo billboards that people remark on the phenomenon. Lenovo has set up more than 1,000 outdoor billboards in major locations in the city. About 500 city buses, including 65 double-decker carriers, plastered with Lenovo billboards navigate the city’s streets.

The tactic is part of a marketing strategy intended to maximize the global TV exposure of Lenovo during the Olympics. "IdeaPad," Lenovo's notebook computer, appears on the tables of China's CCTV anchors reporting from the games.

Lenovo is also conducting PR in key global markets, such as the U.S., Europe, Australia, and India. It is also having a chance to show off its technological prowess to the world, taking charge

of all data processing, including the results of all Olympic events. This is a by-product of Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's PC division, which handled data over several Olympic Games. This year, Lenovo is using 700 server computers, 12,000 desktop PCs, 800 notebooks while managing about 600 technical personnel.

In 1984 Lenovo started as a 10-man venture inside a small lab of the Institute of Computer Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Since then, it has made one success after another. During its early days, the company imported IBM computers to sell in China. In the early 1990s, it began manufacturing its own computers. In 2000, it became Asia's largest computer manufacturer. In 2005, it bought IBM's PC business for $1.25 billion, emerging as one of the world's three largest computer manufacturers.

About 40 percent of Lenovo’s sales occur in China. According to the firm’s own analysis, a "discount China" phenomenon -- in which China-based firms spend three to four times more marketing expenses than their rivals in advanced countries -- is still a stumbling block to its advance into the global market.

Market Share Analysis

The PC industry celebrated its 35th year anniversary in 2010. From its humble beginning as hobby computer kits in the spring of 1975, the PC industry has come a long way. In 1975 less than 50,000 PCs were sold with a value of about $60M. From this limited start the PC industry has grown to unit sales of over 280M units in 2009. PC retail revenue topped $330B in 2007 and 2008, but is in a declining phase due to continued price declines and a shift to low-cost products such as netbooks. The next table shows the tremendous growth of the PC industry in the last 30+ years. And the growth of the PC industry will continue, but at much lower rates than previously-at least in terms of unit sales.

The sheer size of the PC industry limits its growth rate, but the yearly worldwide sales will grow by over 40% in the next five years—from 231M units in 2006 to nearly 335M in 2012 or a 6.3% compound annual growth rate. Worldwide number of PCs in-use surpassed 900M units in 2005 and will reach 1.47B units by year-end 2011. Worldwide cumulative PC sales topped 1B units in 2002 and will top 2B in 2007 and 3B in 2011. PCs in-use reached 241M in the U.S. in 2006 and will top 300M in 2012.

U.S. and Worldwide PC Market Growth

Table 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

U.S. PC Sales (#M) 0.04 0.76 6.6 9.5 21.4 46.0 62.0 77.1 88-90

U.S. PC Revenues ($B) 0.05 1.5 17.2 24.5 56.8 86.9 90.5 75.4 70-75

U.S. PC Installed Base (#M) 0.04 1.4 19 51 86 177 234 295 360-370

Worldwide PC Sales (#M) 0.05 1.1 11 24 58 132 207 301 400-410

Worldwide PC Revenues ($B) 0.06 3.6 29.5 71 155 251 301 300 310-320

Worldwide Installed Base (#M) 0.05 2.1 33 100 225 529 910 1,415 1,980-2,030

PC sales for the U.S. and the main regions

PC revenue was growing slower than unit growth due to considerable price declines and is now declining due to lower unit sales growth than price declines. The worldwide PC revenues were $251B in 2000, which increased to over $333B in 2007. Worldwide PC revenue will decline to $300B in 2010 and will remain in this range for the next five years.

Percentage Market Share

Year 2001-2005

Global PC Market Share by Units, Percent. 2001-2005

Rank 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

1 Dell 13.3 HP-Compaq 16.2 Dell 15.0 Dell 16.4 Dell 16.8

2 Compaq 11.1 Dell 15.2 HP 14.3 HP 14.6 HP 14.5

3 HP 7.2 IBM 6.0 IBM 5.1 IBM 5.5 Lenovo 6.9

4 IBM 6.4 NEC 3.4 Fujitsu* 3.8 Fujitsu* 3.8 Acer 4.6

5 NEC 3.8 Toshiba 3.2 Toshiba 2.9 Acer 3.4 Fujitsu* 3.8

Others

58.1

56.0

58.9

56.4

53.3

Year 2005-2009

Global PC Market Share by Units, Percent. 2006-2010.

Rank 2006 2007 2008 2009 2009Q4

1 Dell 15.9 HP 18.2 HP 18.4 HP 19.3 HP 19.8

2 HP 15.9 Dell 14.3 Dell 14.3 Acer 13.0 Acer 18.5

3 Lenovo 7.0 Acer 8.9 Acer 11.1 Dell 12.2 Dell 11.5

4 Acer 5.8 Lenovo 7.4 Lenovo 7.2 Lenovo 8.1 Lenovo 8.7

5 Toshiba 3.8 Toshiba 4.0 Toshiba 4.5 Toshiba 5.1 Toshiba 5.3

Others

51.6

47.1

44.5

42.3

41.1

Most Popular Desktops 1.

HP (Hewlett-Packard) Pavilion p6240f Mini-Tower Desktop

Core features-

2.5GHz - 8GB DDR3 SDRAM , 750GB ,Windows 7 Home Premium x64 - MPN: NY550AA

Launched in year:2009

Why it's best: The HP p6240f represents the best combination of hardware and value in a desktop PC. With its Intel Core 2 Quad processor you get four cores running at 2.5GHz, more than enough processing power for multitasking on your computer. Coupling this great processor with 8GB of RAM, you’ll be free to do tasks ranging from basic office computing to photo editing and beyond. The 15-in-1 memory card reader makes it very easy to save photos on the roomy 750GB hard drive. Upgrading components of this computer is relatively easy, though you probably won’t find a need to for a few years. If you foresee any gaming in your future, there is a free PCI Express x16 slot available for an upgraded graphics card. Windows 7 Home Premium comes preinstalled with

the Pavilion p6240f so you can experience the best and newest Microsoft operating system. This computer represents a great value and is sure to meet the needs of most home and office users.

2.

Apple imac

Core features-21.5-inch, 3.06GHz ,Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 500GB hard drive

Why it's best : The Apple iMac all-in-one desktop computer combines immaculate style with top notch hardware. Everything works smoothly right out of the box with the Mac OS X operating system. You can set up and start exploring this computer just 5 minutes after unpacking it. Packed into this sleek computer is an Intel Core 2 Duo processor with each of the two cores running at 3.06GHz, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 500GB hard drive. With these specs and Apple’s streamlined operating system, you’re sure to be able to run any application you throw at this computer – whether it be just surfing the web or editing photos. This computer is suitable for users of all ages, whether it be younger kids, college students, or the elderly. Its large 20” screen is absolutely beautiful and provides crisp graphics utilizing the

internal NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics chip. A webcam is even built into the monitor making it easy to video conference or take silly photos of yourself with the included Photo Booth program. With its blend of beautiful design and excellent components, the Apple iMac is undoubtedly a top all-in-one computer.

3.

Dell Studio XPS 8000 Mini-Tower PC

Core features- Intel i5 750 processor, ATI Radeon 4350 graphics card, . 6GB of RAM

Why it's best: The Dell Studio XPS 8000 is an attractive PC with an Intel i5 750 processor at its heart. It’s also equipped with an ATI Radeon 4350 graphics card, so you’ll be able to play and enjoy most games at decently high settings. 6GB of RAM provides more than enough memory for games and other resource intensive applications. The 640GB hard drive is quick and provides plenty of storage for applications, files, photos, and videos. It ships with Windows 7 Home Premium, which is Microsoft’s best operating system thanks to its new updated interface and improved usability. This is a solid desktop offering from Dell for anyone seeking a PC that can handle everyday tasks, multimedia applications, and gaming.

4. HP (Hewlett-Packard) Compaq Presario CQ5210F Mini-Tower Desktop

core features-2.7GHz dual core AMD Athlon X2 processor, 3GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE graphics

Why it's best: The Compaq Presario CQ5201F is an excellent budget desktop PC. Its great hardware and low price make it an obvious choice for a low cost PC. It features a 2.7GHz dual core AMD Athlon X2 processor, 3GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE graphics. These specs ensure that this computer will excel at any task the casual computer user throws at it. This computer includes the Windows 7 operating system, which offers significantly improved performance and usability over Windows Vista. From using Microsoft Office to basic photo editing, the Presario CQ5210F will be able to satisfy your needs. With its sub $400 price, this cheap desktop computer is a great deal.

Akash Jauhari

IMT Ghaziabad