History of Computer by Vihaan Potnis

1939-HP is started

31potnisv — 2025-09-02 15:49:07 UTC

David Packard and Bill Hewlett started Hewlett-Packard in a California garage. Their first product was the HP 200A Audio Oscillator.

1948-The First Program to Run on a Computer

31potnisv — 2025-09-03 15:22:52 UTC

University of Manchester researchers Frederic Williams, Tom Kilburn, and Geoff Toothill develop the Small-Scale Experimental Machine, better known as the Manchester "Baby." The Baby was built to test a new memory tech made by Williams and Kilburn -- soon known as the Williams Tube – which was the first high-speed electronic random access memory for computers. Their first program, consisting of seventeen instructions and written by Kilburn, ran on June 21st, 1948.

1954-IBM 650 Magnetic Drum Calculator Made

31potnisv — 2025-09-03 15:27:55 UTC

IBM establishes the 650 as its first mass-produced computer, with the company selling 450 in just one year. Spinning at 12,500 rpm, the 650´s magnetic data-storage drum allowed much faster access to stored information than other drum-based machines. The Model 650 was also highly popular in universities, where a generation of students first learned programming.

1961-Minutemen 1 Missile Guidance Computer Developer

31potnisv — 2025-09-04 15:37:01 UTC

Minuteman missiles use transistorized computers to continuously find out their position in the air. The computer had to be rugged and fast, with advanced circuit design and reliable packaging able to face the forces of missile launches. The military’s high standards for its transistors pushed manufacturers to improve its quality.

1977-Apple II Introduced

31potnisv — 2025-09-04 15:47:26 UTC

Apple-II finds popularity far beyond the particular community which made up Apple's user community until then. When connected to a color television set, the Apple II produced brilliant graphics for the time. Millions of Apple IIs were sold for 16 years, making it one of the longest-lived lines of pc's. Apple gave away thousands of Apple IIs to schools, giving a new generation their first access to pc's.

1984- Apple launches the Macintosh

31potnisv — 2025-09-05 15:08:13 UTC

Apple introduces the Macintosh with a television commercial during the 1984 Super Bowl. The Macintosh was the first successful mouse-driven computer with a graphical user interface and was based on the Motorola 68000 microprocessor. Its price was $2,500. Applications that came as part of the package included MacPaint, which made use of the mouse, and MacWrite.

1993-Apple ships the first newton

31potnisv — 2025-09-05 15:14:31 UTC

Apple enters the handheld computer market with the Newton.The Newton featured many of the features that would define handheld computers in the following decades. The handwriting recognition software was much maligned for inaccuracy. The Newton line never did as well as hoped and was discontinued in 1998.

2000- First Camera Phone is Made

31potnisv — 2025-09-05 15:16:29 UTC

Japan's SoftBank introduces the first camera phone, a Sharp-manufactured digital phone with a camera. The J-Phone line would quickly expand, releasing a flip-phone version just a month later. Cameras would become a significant part of most phones within a year, and several countries have even passed laws regulating their use.

2010-Apple Retina Display

31potnisv — 2025-09-05 15:20:04 UTC

Apple has placed emphasis on high-resolution graphics and display technologies. In 2012, Apple introduced the Retina display for the MacBook Pro laptop and iPad tablet. With a screen resolution of up to 400 pixels-per-inch, Retina displays approached the limit of pixel visibility to the human eye. The display also used In Plane Switching technology. The Retina display became standard on most of the iPad, iPhone, MacBook, and Apple Watch product lines.