7 Computers To Remind Us Of How Much Technology Has Evolved

Are you having some tech issues? Here is a list of old-school computers to remind us of how much technology has evolved.

1. How portable computers looked at that time

According to The Smithsonian, at that time, the Visual Commuter was said to be IBM compatible, portable, affordable, and powerful. The weight of the computer was 16 pounds. At that time, it was sold at a price of $1,995.

The portable computer was released in 1983 and is the equivalent of a foldable laptop. However, at that time, the screen was only capable of showing 16 lines of text with 80 characters in one line. Thanks to the clever zoom function that your computer can show thousands of lines.

2. A computer that looked like a calculator

It was in 1982 that the Timex Sinclair 1000 was first released. At that time, personal computers were something relatively new.

Compared to today’s standard, the company seemed to be limited with a 3.25MHz CPU along with 2K RAM. However, it was extremely popular with 600,000 units sold.

3. A typewriter that looked like a grenade?

This is not a weapon. Rather, it is IBM Selectric Typewriter which was released in 1961 and became an overnight sensation.

The head of the Selectric Typewriter had the shape of a golf ball that was completely different from the basket of typebars of conventional typewriters that tended to cause jamming.

IBM said that the manufacturing facility for the Selectric typewriters had an expectation that in its first year, it would make 20,000 units. When the year 1961 ended, they received orders for 80,000 units.

4. Dial-up internet

The C64 computer or the Commodore 64 was an iconic device at that time when most users were using dial-up internet.

To use dial-up internet, users need to connect their computers to a phone line to use the internet.

CNN reported that, with the Commodore 64, personal computing was made popular in the early as well as the mid-1980s.

People used the C64s for gaming as well as office functions. The computer came with a memory of 64 kilobytes, which is equivalent to a long email today.

5. IBM Jr

Today, smartphones, devices, and computers are much lighter. After the IBM PC’s successful launch, the computer decided to launch the IBM PC Jr.

Despite its effort in replacing the competitors’ popular home computers like the C64 that we mentioned above, the Atari 800, or the Apple II, the launch of the Jr wasn’t successful.

6. A pre-90s gaming system

At one time, Atari was held in the same top position as Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft today in terms of videogames. The company was founded in 1972 in California. It is the one behind Pong as well as the Atari 2600, which were the two iconic pillars for today's videogames.

The Atari 800XL was the Atari 8-bit computer line’s third version which was manufactured in 1983. The system had a memory of 64K, VLSI chíp )PIA, Pokey, GTIA, Antic). It had a more compact design compared to previous models.

7. $3398 for ten megabytes

Hard disks, as well as computers, have drastically evolved. There was a time when you would have to pay $3398 for a 10Mb hard disk. In contrast, today, researchers are making breakthroughs in the field of quantum computing and computers are becoming advanced enough to run a debating AI.