Apple Computer promptly chimed in to launch two of its" personal computers, the Apple I and the Apple II. CP/M systems (evolving from the Altair) along with the Apple II dominated the PC market in the 1980s. .
Interestingly, neither of these two systems were IBM- or Macintosh-compatible, the two primary standards in place today. IBM made their decision to compete in the low-cost personal computer (PC) market near then end of 1980. They discovered that in order to be successful; their PC would need to feature an open design or architecture. IBM permitted additional manufactures to create hardware and software for their systems. This allowed the IBM PC market to grow at a rapid pace, increasing product variety at a lower cost. Macintosh ran the opposite direction, writing their own software and developing their own hardware. This fact alone insured IBM and IBM-compatible computers success beyond that of the Macintosh.
Today's computers, when contrasted with their predecessors, contain virtually limitless speed and functionality. In 1965, Gordon Moore made an interesting observation concerning growth trends in computers. His observation dealt specifically with computer memory but also applies to the growth of processor power and disk drive capacity. He concluded that each new chip (or hard drive) contained roughly twice as much capacity as its predecessor and each new product was released within 18-24 months of the previous one. Even those aware of Moore's observation could never have dared to imagine that the first successful IBM computer-a measly 4.77 MHz 8088-based system-would result in a whopping 2GHz of computing power. .
Processing power, memory, and disk drive capacity are not the only areas in which computers have improved. Pushed by demand, computers have become smaller and faster overnight; no longer are laptops the only type of portable computer. Palmtops and Personal Daily Assistants (PDA's) are their replacement.
