Radio Shack ceases production of the TRS-80 Model I, and recalls units
from the US market, due to failure to meet new FCC radio-frequency interference
regulations.
The International Winter Consumer Electronics Show is held in Las Vegas,
Nevada.
Casio demonstrates the FX-9000P, with a 5 inch CRT, keyboard, keypad, removable
memory modules, and 256x128 graphics.
Commodore announces the VIC-20, with full-size 61-key plus four function
key keyboard, 5KB RAM expandable to 32KB, 6502A CPU, 22 character by 23
line text display, and color graphics, for US$300. During its life, production
peaks at 9,000 units per day.
Mike Markkula takes over as president and chief executive officer at Apple
Computer. Steve Jobs remains as chairman of the board.
April
Tim Patterson quits Seattle Computer Products, and joins Microsoft.
The sixth West Coast Computer Faire is held, in San Francisco, California.
Adam Osborne, of Osborne Computer Corporation, introduces the Osborne 1
Personal Business Computer at the West Coast Computer Faire. It features
a Z80A CPU, 5-inch display, 64KB RAM, keyboard, keypad, modem, and two
5.25-inch 100KB disk drives for US$1795. Weight: 24 pounds. It also includes
US$1500 worth of software, including CP/M, BASIC, WordStar, and SuperCalc.
Osborne anticipated selling 10,000 in total, but sales quickly reached
10,000 in a single month. (nearly US$2000 worth of software)
The National Computer Conference is held in Chicago, with attendance of
73,000.
Xerox unveils the Star 8010, at the
National Computer Conference. Many features that were developed on the
Alto are incorported. At a starting price of US$16-17,000, the computer
is not a commercial success.
Atari announces the 8KB Atari 400 is being discontinued.
Microsoft reorganizes into Microsoft
Incorporated, with Bill Gates as President and Chairman, and Paul Allen
as Executive Vice President.
Microsoft persuades IBM to introduce its microcompute with a minimum of
64KB RAM. IBM had planned to only include 16KB.
July
Xerox announces the Xerox
820. During its development, it was code-named The Worm. It uses the Z80
CPU, CP/M, and BASIC. The price with a dual disk drive and display is US$3000.
Microsoft buys all rights to DOS
from Seattle Computer Products, and the name MS-DOS is adopted.
IBM introduces its first desktop computer,
the Datamaster. It uses a 16-bit 8086, and is a dedicated data processing
machine.
IBM announces the IBM
5150 PC Personal Computer, featuring a 4.77-MHz Intel
8088 CPU, 64KB RAM, 40KB ROM, one 5.25-inch floppy drive, and PC-DOS 1.0
(Microsoft's MS-DOS), for US$3000.
A fully loaded version with color graphics cost US$6000. The plunge of
IBM into the microcomputer market legitimized
the industry for the rest of the world. This also established the preeminence
of the Intel 8086-family and the Microsoft
MS-DOS operating system.
IBM announces the CGA graphics card for
the PC, giving 640x200 resolution with 16 colors.
Quote from Tandy president John Roach, regarding IBM's entry into the microcomputer
field: "I don't think it's that significant".
Apple Computer runs a full-page ad in
the Wall Street Journal with a headline that reads "Welcome IBM.
Seriously.".
Vector Graphic makes its first public stock offering of US$13 million.
September
Microsoft begins work on a graphical
user interface for MS-DOS, initially called Interface Manager, because
it would effectively hide the interface between programs and devices like
printers and video cards.
Osborne Computer Company has its first US$1 million sales month.
Apple Computer introduces its first
hard drive, the 5MB ProFile, for US$3500.
IBM begins shipping the IBM
PC, ahead of schedule, something unheard of in the microcomputer industry.
College professor James Clark found Silicon
Graphics, Incorporated.
(month unknown)
Hayes Microcomputers Products' employee, Dale Heatherington, develops the
+++ escape sequence for modems.
(month unknown)
APF introduces the Imagination Machine II at the 1981 Winter Consumer Electronics
Show. It features a 6800 CPU, 27KB RAM, two 5.25 inch disk drives, built-in
cassette drive, 53-key keyboard, and 32x16 character display caability
for US$1600.
(month unknown)
Vector Graphic Inc. unveils the first personal computer with a built-in
hard disk drive, for US$7950.
(month unknown)
Tandy Corporation sues Personal Microcomputers Inc. for copyright infringement
on the design of the TRS-80.
(month unknown)
At COMDEX, Tecmar introduces 20 add-on peripherals for the IBM
PC, the first such third-party developer.
(month unknown)
Texas Instruments announces that it is
getting out of the magnetic bubble memory market.
(month unknown)
Apple Computer prohibits mail-order
sales of Apple computers, claiming there is no provision for customer education
or services.
1982
January
The US Justice Department throws out the antitrust lawsuit filed against
IBM 13 years ago.
The 1982 Winter Consumer Electronics Show is held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Commodore introduces the Commodore Ultimax, for US$150.
Kazuhiko Nishi, Mocrosoft's representative in Japan, shows Bill Gates a
drawing of a prototype for a portable computer, using a new liquid crystal
display developed by Hitachi. Gates and Nishi begin designing the detais
of the computer, which Kyocera Corporation in Japan had agreed to manufactur.
Commodore announces the Commodore 64 (6510, 64KB RAM, 20KB ROM with Microsoft
BASIC, custom sound, color graphics, for US$600) for US$595. During 1983,
the price drops to US$200. It becomes the best selling computer of all
time, with estimated sales of 17-22 million units. It is the first personal
computer with an integrated sound synthesizer chip.
Astrovision introduces the ZGrass-32 personal computer add-on to the Astro
Professional Arcade, for US$600. It uses a Z-80 CPU.
Toshiba America previews its first
personal computer, the Model T-100. It uses a Z-80A, a flat panel LCD display,
and supports up to 32KB RAM and 32KB ROM in cartridges.
In the first 10 months of sale, 250,000 Sinclair ZX81 microcomputers have
been delivered.
Sharp introduces the Sharp PC-1500 Hand Held Personal Computer. It comes
with 16KB ROM, and 3.5KB RAM. Price for computer is US$300. Price for tiny
color graphics printer that attaches to the side, US$250.
Atari begins shipping all Atari 800 units with GTIA graphics chips, allowing
three more graphics modes than previously.
Radio Shack introduces the TRS-80 Model 16. It uses a 16-bit Motorola
MC68000.
Radio Shack introduces the PC-2 Pocket Computer for US$280. It has a 26-character
display, with upper and lower case characters. It is expandable to 16KB.
Davong Systems Incorporated is formed.
February
IBM split its Personal Computer development
team into three groups: one to work on the PC XT, one to develop the PCjr,
and one to start work on the PC AT.
Intel introduces the 80286 microprocessor.
It uses a 16-bit data bus, 134,000 transistors, and offers protected mode
operation. Initial price is US$360. It can access 16 MB of memory.
Kazuhiko Nishi shows a prototype portable computer to Tandy/Radio Shack.
Tandy makes a committment to market the computer.
IBM first offers CP/M-86 for the IBM PC.
May
Future Computing Inc. quote: "CP/M 2.2 is extremely important, and the
Z80 chip will live forever because of it."
Vector Graphic hires Frederick Snow as new president and CEO.
Microsoft releases MS-DOS 1.1 to
IBM, for the IBM PC. It supports 320KB double-sided floppy disk drives.
Microsoft also releases MS-DOS 1.25,
similar to 1.1 but for IBM-compatible computers.
Timex Computer Corp. and Sinclair Research Ltd. announce an agreement for
Timex to market a 2KB version of the ZX-81 as the Timex/Sinclair 1000.
Sony Electronics demonstrates its
3.5 inch microfloppy disk system.
The first IBM PC clone, the MPC, is released
by Columbia Data Products.
Epson America, Inc.
announces the HX-20, a notebook-sized computer. It weighs only 3 pounds,
and is reported to run on internal batteries for up to 50 hours. It includes
16KB RAM, 32KB ROM, a full-size keyboard, built-in printer, and 20x4 character
LCD screen.
Cromemco Inc. announces the C-10 personal computer. It uses a 4-MHz Z-80A,
64KB RAM, and 80x25 screen, for US$1000.
Wang Labratories Ltd. introduces the Wang Professional Computer, for US$2700.
Commodore Business Machines Inc. introduces the Commodore Max Machine.
It has 16-color 40x25 screen capability, for US$180.
Commodore Business Machines Inc. introduces the BX256 16-bit multiprocessor
professional microcomputer. It includes 256KB RAM, an Intel
8088 for CP/M-86, 80-column screen, and built-in dual disk drives, for
US$3000.
Commodore Business Machines Inc. introduces the B128 microcomputer. It
features 128KB RAM, and a 80-column screen, for US$1700.
Commodore Business Machines Inc. introduces the P128 microcomputer. It
features 128KB RAM, TV connector, 40x25 16-color display, and 320x200 graphics,
for US$1000.
Lobo Drives International introduces the MAX-80 personal computer. It features
a 5-MHz Z-80, 64KB RAM, serial/parallel ports, and keyboard, for US$800.
Altos Computer Systems announces the ACS8600.
Toshiba America introducess its Toshiba
T100 personal computer.
Digital Equipment announces the dual-processor
Rainbow 100. It incorporates both Zilog
Z-80 and Intel 8088 microprocessors,
allowing it to run CP/M as well as CP/M-86 or MS-DOS.
July
Bill Gates hires James Towne, a manager from Tektronix, as first president
of Microsoft.
Boston's Computer Museum, devoted to documenting and displaying the evolution
of computer technology, is incorporated.
(late) General Consumer Electronics introduces the Vectrex, the first home
gaming system with a built-in 9-inch monochrome vector monitor. Price:
US$200.
An insurance company contracts with programmer Wilton Jones to create a
PC word processing program that mimicks Wang word processing. That program
becomes MultiMate.
(month unknown)
Astrovision renames the Bally Computer System as the Astrocade.
(month unknown)
Vector Graphic introduces the Vector 4 system, leaving them with US$3 million
in stock of the Vector 3 system.
(month unknown)
Franklin Computer Corp. unveils the Franklin Ace 1000, the first legal
(at the time) Apple II clone. It uses a 1.022 MHz 6502 CPU, and comes with
64KB RAM.
Mouse Systems introduces the first commercial mouse for the IBM
PC.
In 1982, Kaypro jumped on the personal computer bandwagon and rose quickly
to become a darling of the industry with sales hitting $120 million. Kaypro
was founded in 1952 as Non-Linear Systems, the first manufacturer of digital
voltmeters.
The Winter Consumer Electronics Show is held, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Texas Instruments introduces the TI 99/2, using the TI-9995 16-bit microprocessor,
4.2KB RAM, 24KB ROM, 16-color graphics.
Apple Computer unveils the Lisa computer,
with 1MB RAM, 2MB ROM, 5MB hard drive. It is slow, but innovative. Its
initial price is US$10,000. The Lisa is based on the Xerox
Star System, and cost Apple Computer
US$50 million to develop. It is the first personal computer with a graphical
user interface (GUI). The software for it cost Apple
Computer US$100 million to develop.
Ziff-Davis begins publishing A+ magazine for Apple
Computer products.
February
Microsoft establishes a sibsidiary
company in West Germany.
March
Radio Shack announces its TRS-80 Model 100 laptop computer. Its light weight
and built-in software and modem make it popular with journalists and businessmen.
IBM announces the IBM
PC XT. It adds a 10 MB hard drive, three more expansion slots, and a serial
interface. With 128KB RAM and a 360KB floppy drive, it costs US$5000.
Microsoft France opens its first office, in Paris, France.
Radio Shack introduces the TRS-80 Model 4, with 4-MHz Zilog Z80A microprocessor,
64KB RAM, two 5.25-inch floppy drives, keyboard, and 12-inch B/W monitor,
for US$2000.
Microsoft introduces its first mouse,
"The Microsoft Mouse", including
card and software, for US$200.
Gavalin introduces a full-function portable computer.
June
Microsoft quote: "We have a long-term
relationship with IBM and have solid plans
involving PC-DOS."
Intel quote: "Accessing memory using
a segmented architecture holds many advantages over the earlier linear-addressing
method."
Mattel announces the scrapping of plans for the Intellivision III.
Mattel announces the Entertainment Computer System.
Coleco announces the Adam, a Z80-based computer with SmartWriter daisy
wheel printer, 80KB RAM (64KB user RAM, 16KB video RAM), 3 sound channels,
16 color graphics, 4 MC6801 microprocessors controlling operation of peripherals,
and 512KB tape-cartridge device, for US$600.
Jon Shirley replaces James Towne as president of Microsoft.
A US federal appeals court judge rules that Franklin Computers did violate
Apple Computer copyrights on computer
programs and the Apple Computer operating
system in ROM.
September
Osborne Computer Corp. files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
IBM announces the IBM
3270 PC, an 8088-based system, for US$4290.
IBM announces the IBM
PC-XT Model 370, with 8088 CPU, 768K RAM, 360K drive, and 10 MB hard drive
for US$9000.
Quote from Spinnaker Software chairman William Bowman: "We're just sitting
here trying to put our PCjrs in a pile and burn them. And the damn things
won't burn. That's the only thing IBM did right with it - they made it
flameproof.".
Tandy/Radio Shack announces the "transportable" TRS-80 Model 4P, for US$1800.
It features a 4-MHz Zilog Z80A CPU, 64KB RAM, two 5.25-inch floppy drives,
and 9-inch B/W screen.
In an obscure television market somewhere on the Great Plains, Apple
Computer runs its "1984" Macintosh ad, solely to make the ad eligible
for awards during 1984.
(month unknown)
(early) Nelma Data Corporation introduces the Persona microcomputer. It
features a 4-MHz Z80A, CP/M 2.3, 64KB RAM, dual single-sided 5.25-inch
floppy drives, for $3000.
(month unknown)
(summer) Starcom releases Dragon's Lair to arcade centers. It is the first
laser-disc based arcade game.
(month unknown)
(end) Atari ceases production of the Atari 5200.
(month unknown)
Hewlett-Packard begins design work on Precision
Architecture.
(month unknown)
Commodore introduces the SX-64, the first color portable. Weight is 10.5
kg. It incorporates a 5 inch color monitor and one 5.25 inch floppy drive.
