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{{ElementInfobox | type = Terminology }} A '''personal computer''' ('''PC'''), is a [[computer]] that uses a [[central processing unit]] (CPU) microprocessor and is designed for use by one person at a time. This is in contrast to bulky [[mainframe]] computers which are designed for use by many users at a time. There are two types of personal computers, desktops and [[laptop]]s. Technically, most [[video game console]]s and [[arcade game]] machines are also computers. However, a personal computer differs from a console in that it offers a full keyboard/mouse setup, in addition to a few other customization aspects that most consoles do not offer. And it differs from arcade games in that [[arcade system board]]s are dedicated game machines, whereas personal computers are general-purpose machines that can be used for practical as well as entertainment purposes. ==History== {{See also|Computer|Central processing unit|List of home computers by video hardware}} Several revolutionary inventions would later pave the way to the modern personal computer, most importantly the [[Central processing unit|microprocessor]], a single-chip [[Central processing unit|CPU]]. In the 1960s, the development of electronic [[calculator]]s and [[Wikipedia:Wristwatch|wristwatches]] helped make [[Wikipedia:Integrated circuit|integrated circuit]] chips economical and practical. In the late 1960s, [[Wikipedia:Calculator|calculator]] and wristwatch chips began to show that small computers (compared to large mainframes) might be possible with [[Wikipedia:Large-scale integration|large-scale integration]] (LSI). This culminated in the invention of the microprocessor. The concept of the single-chip microprocessor originated from [https://computer.fandom.com/wiki/Sharp_Corporation Sharp] engineer [https://computer.fandom.com/wiki/Tadashi_Sasaki Tadashi Sasaki], who in 1968 proposed the idea to Japanese [[calculator]] manufacturer [https://computer.fandom.com/wiki/Busicom Busicom] and American manufacturer [[Intel]], which both soon collaborated to produce the first microprocessor.<ref>http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Oral-History:Tadashi_Sasaki</ref> By 1970, Intel engineer Federico Faggin and Busicom engineer [https://computer.fandom.com/wiki/Masatoshi_Shima Masatoshi Shima] had completed their design of the world's first microprocessor, the 4-bit [https://computer.fandom.com/wiki/Intel_4004 Intel 4004].<ref>[https://web-beta.archive.org/web/20081219113410/www.ieee.org/portal/cms_docs_iportals/iportals/aboutus/history_center/oral_history/pdfs/Shima197.pdf Masatoshi Shima]</ref><ref>http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/busicom_141-pf_and_intel_4004.html</ref><ref>http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=4776530</ref> Faggin and Shima later went on to design the [[wikipedia:Intel 8080|Intel 8080]], the first truly general-purpose microprocessor, released in 1974. The invention of the microprocessor helped in creating a more powerful central processing unit than the ones used in computers at the time and shrunk it so computers could be smaller. The microprocessor was the major invention that gave birth to the microcomputer, or the personal computer as it is known today. ===Desktops=== In April 1972, [https://computer.fandom.com/wiki/Sord_Computer_Corporation Sord Computer Corporation] (now [[wikipedia:Toshiba|Toshiba Personal Computer System Corporation]]) developed the SMP80/08,<ref name="ipsj">http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0086.html</ref> the world's first microcomputer.<ref name="katz">Michael Katz, Robert Levering, Milton Moskowitz (1985), ''Computer Entrepreneur'', page 469, [[wikipedia:Penguin Group|Penguin Group]]</ref> It used the Intel 8008 microprocessor, which it was developed in tandem with. Soon after the Intel 8080 was introduced in April 1974, Sord introduced the SMP80/x series, the first microcomputers to use the 8080,<ref name="ipsj"/> in April 1974.<ref name="katz"/> The SMP80/x series were the first microcomputers with an [[operating system]],<ref>Michael Katz, Robert Levering, Milton Moskowitz (1985), ''Computer Entrepreneur'', page 463, Penguin Group</ref> and marked a major leap toward the popularization of microcomputers.<ref name="ipsj"/> 1975 saw the release of the Altair 8800, which also used the Intel 8080 as the CPU. Since the 8800 computer's main language was binary code and only had an output of flashing lights, the computer was unusable by the common person. A similar microcomputer was released by [[NEC]] in 1976, the [[wikipedia:TK-80|TK-80]], which used the Intel 8080A, a variant of the Intel 8080. The PC as we know it today came into being in a garage by [http://www.giantbomb.com/steve-jobs/3040-9951/ Steve Jobs] and Steve Wozniak, founders of [[Apple]] Computer. At the time, commercial computer manufacturers thought that the notion of a computer for the average person was absurd. The Steves turned the computer industry on its head with the idea of a usable, friendly computer, which home users could not only afford, but actually get utility from in a timely and intuitive manner. The [[Apple II]], released in 1977, was the first home personal computer that came equipped with a monitor. In 1977, [https://computer.fandom.com/wiki/Sord_Computer_Corporation Sord] released the M200 Smart Home Computer, one of the first home personal computers. It was a desktop computer that combined a [[wikipedia:Zilog Z80|Zilog Z80]] CPU, keyboard, CRT display, floppy disk drive and MF-[[DOS]] operating system into an integrated unit.<ref>http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0087.html</ref> In 1977, [[Panafacom]] (a conglomerate of [[wikipedia:Fujitsu|Fujitsu]], [[wikipedia:Fuji Electric|Fuji Electric]] and [[wikipedia:Panasonic|Matsushita]]) released the Lkit-16, the first 16-bit microcomputer.<ref>http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/heritage/PANAFACOM_Lkit-16.html</ref> Its CPU was the Panafacom MN1610, the first 16-bit microprocessor, introduced in 1975.<ref>http://www.cpu-museum.com/161x_e.htm</ref><ref>http://www.pfu.fujitsu.com/en/profile/history.html</ref> Most personal computers in the pre-Windows era used the [[BASIC]] programming language as its chief operating system, although games written for the computers also used [[assembly]] language. The [[IBM]] PC and its early line of compatibles were known to use [[MS-DOS]] as its operating system. Some of the earliest 16-bit personal computers include the 1981 releases, [[wikipedia:Mitsubishi|Mitsubishi]] MULTI16 and IBM PC. The latter established the IBM compatible PC standard, which eventually became the dominant PC standard in the 1990s. Other leading manufacturers in the 1980s included [[Commodore International Corporation|Commodore]] and [[Atari]] in Western markets, and [[NEC]], Sharp and Fujitsu in Eastern markets. Due to the [[Video Game Crash of 1983]], many computer manufacturers focused on the business aspects of these machines, leaving gaming as an afterthought. In 1982, [[Sony]] introduced the [[Floppy disk|3.5" floppy disk]] format, with its [[wikipedia:Sony SMC-70|Sony SMC-70]] computer. 3.5" floppy disks would become the standard storage medium for personal computers up until the 1990s. There were a number of computers that were known for their gaming libraries. The leading 8-bit gaming computer platforms in the 1980s included the Apple II in North America, the [[Commodore 64]] and [[Atari 8-Bit]] in the West, the [[ZX Spectrum]] and [[wikipedia:BBC Micro|BBC Micro]] in the UK, the [[MSX]] and [[MSX2]] in Japan and Europe, the high-resolution [[NEC PC-88]] in Japan, and the high-colour [[wikipedia:FM-7|FM-7]] and [https://www.giantbomb.com/sharp-x1/3045-113/ Sharp X1] in Japan. The leading 16/32-bit gaming computers in the late 1980s to early 1990s were the [https://www.giantbomb.com/nec-pc-9801/3045-112/ NEC PC-98] in Japan, the [[Amiga]] and [[Atari ST]] in the West, the MS-DOS Compatible computers worldwide, and the more powerful (near [[Arcade game|arcade]] quality) [[Sharp X68000]] and [[FM Towns]] computers in Japan. The best-selling computer models of the 20th century were the Commodore 64 (17 million units sold worldwide) and NEC PC-98 (over 18 million units sold in Japan). In July 1986, [[SEGA]] announced the world's first home computer equipped with AI ([[artificial intelligence]]), intended for household and consumer markets.<ref>https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=tJcSAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Sega+Enterprises+announced+in+july%22&dq=%22Sega+Enterprises+announced+in+july%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=peX2VM_iCYj1ao2rgCA&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA</ref><ref>https://www.google.co.uk/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=%22Sega+Enterprises+announced+in+july%22</ref> ===Laptops=== {{Main|Laptop}} Yukio Yokozawa, an employee for [[wikipedia:Suwa Seikosha|Suwa Seikosha]], a branch of Japanese company [[wikipedia:Seiko|Seiko]] (now [[wikipedia:Seiko Epson|Seiko Epson]]), invented the first laptop/notebook computer in July 1980, receiving a patent for the invention.<ref>[https://patents.google.com/patent/FR2487094A1/en FR2487094A1 patent: Notebook computer system small]</ref> Seiko's notebook computer, known as the [[wikipedia:HC-20|HC-20]] in Japan, was announced in 1981.<ref>[http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0081.html 【Shinshu Seiki / Suwa Seikosha】 HC-20], [[wikipedia:Information Processing Society of Japan|Information Processing Society of Japan]]</ref> In North America, [[wikipedia:Epson|Epson]] introduced it as the [[wikipedia:Epson HX-20|Epson HX-20]] in 1981.<ref name="hx20">[http://oldcomputers.net/hx-20.html Epson HX-20], Old Computers</ref> ==See also== * [[Operating system]], which limits which games a PC will support ** [[Microsoft Windows]], a popular PC operating system * [[Hard drive]], storage media used in PCs * [[Floppy disk]], storage media used in older PCs ==References== {{Reflist}}
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