The Personal Computer

Arguably, nothing in the 20th Century has changed our lives more than Personal Computing.

Take a few minutes and think about the ways in which the PC has affected society Banking Business Education Government Police Recreation

In fact, it is hard to think of an unaffected area.

Timeline

1939- CNC (Complex Number Calculator) 1941- Konrad Zuse's Z3 computer 1941-1960- Computers get larger as they get

more complex 1960- More than 2000 computers in the USA At this time computers were mostly being used

for government and military purposes

Alan Turing

Turing was a British logician, mathematician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist.

He worked with programmable computers

Responsible for the “blank-slate” design of modern computers

He also worked with early artificial intelligence theory

Creator of the “Turing Test” designed to tell the difference between humans and computers

Integrated Circuit

The Integrated Circuit

A.K.A.: Microchip (First developed 1958) A “game-changer” Enabled computers to be much smaller, yet have

more computational power Companies such as H.P. & IBM immediately saw

the potential for the mass market Software programers did as well. (1958- First video

game: “Tennis for Two”)

The PC's Origins By 1970, H.P. Had produced a computer that

could fit on a desk 1973- Xerox Alto: PC with a GUI 1976- Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak create the

Apple I circuit board Expensive “Personal Computers” were being

produced for businesses and organizations Less powerful “Home Computers” were being

produced for recreation and home use By the early 1980's there was no difference

between Personal and Home computers.

Microchips have continued to get smaller over the past 30 years.

The smaller the chip, the smaller the device Now we have smart-phones, tablets, netbooks, and

so-on. These devices are incredibly powerful compared to

PCs from the 1980s.

“I think it is fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we'ver ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by the user.” -Bill Gates, 2004

What do you think the future holds for “personal

computing?”