A Few Computer Tech Milestones

A Few Computer Industry Milestones to Consider.

This list is heavily slanted toward Apple products, as they have driven the market in many ways.

Most of the links below go to Wikipedia pages.  A few do not.

The dates given mostly refer the actual market release of the product.

• 1976-Apr-11
• Apple I
• 1979-June
• Apple II Plus
• 1981-Aug-12
• IBM PC model 5150
• CPU = Intel 8088 @ 4.77 MHz
• 16-bit architecture
• RAM = 16 KB ~ 256 KB
• 1983-January
• Apple IIe
• CPU = MOS Technology 6502 @ 1 MHz to 2 MHz
• 8-bit architecture
• RAM = 64 KB (up to 1 MB)
• 1984-January
• Macintosh Computer
• Mac OS - "System 1" - GUI
• CPU = Motorola 68000 @ 7.8336 MHz
• 16/32-bit CISC architecture
• RAM = 128 KB
• 1985-Nov-20
• Windows 1.0 - GUI
• 16-bit architecture
• 1989
• CD-ROM - Optical Data Disk Standard
• Compact Disc - Read Only Memory
• Capacity = 194 MB (8 cm), 650–900 MB (12 cm)
• Read = 150 KB/s (1×), 10,800 KB/s (72×)
• 1990-May-22
• Windows 3.0
• 1991
• Linux OS
• Free and Open-Source Software
• A Unix-like OS
• 1992
• PowerPC CPU
• A product of the Apple-IBM-Motorola (AIM) alliance.
• RISC Design
• 32-bit/64-bit architecture (32 → 64)
• 1995
• DVD - Optical Data Disk Standard
• Digital Video / Versatile Disk
• Capacity Start = 4.7 GB (single-sided, single-layer – common)
• Read = 10.5 Mbit/s (1×)
• 1995-August
• Windows 95
• CPU = Intel 80386 @ 12 to 40 MHz
• 32-bit architecture
• 1997
• USB 1.0
• Universal Serial Bus
• 1.5 Mbit/s to 12 Mbit/s data rates
• USB Connector Types
• 1997-January
• Mac OS 7.6
• A major transition in the Mac OS.
• First branding of the "Mac OS" name, dropping the use of "System x".
• 1997-August
• Apple Partners with Microsoft
• See my blog post:
• The Historic Apple & Microsoft Deal of 1997
• 1998-June
• Windows 98
• First truly stable release of the Microsoft "Multitasking" OS.
• 1998-Sep-4
• Google
• Mission Statement:
• "To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful,"
• 2000-Mar-10
• Dot-Com Bubble Burst
• This date was the NASDAQ peak.
• The actual bubble was April-1997 - June-2003.
• Dot-Com Bubble Summary (Google Search)
• Article at MoneyCrashers.com
• NY Times - Opinion
• 2000-April
• USB 2.0
• 480 Mbit/s data rate
• USB Connector Types
• 2001-March
• Mac OS-X (10, pronounced "ex")
• 2001-October
• iPod
• 2002-December
• HDMI - Digital Audio/Video/Data Connector
• High-Definition Multimedia Interface
• HDMI Connectors
• 2005-January
• Mac Mini
• An extremely compact replacement for large "Desktop Boxes".
• Small Form Factor style Motherboard
• 2006-January
• Apple begins switch to Intel CPU's
• MacBook Pro ... and
• iMac ... "Core Duo" Line
• An "All-in-One" style computer.
• 2006-June
• Blu-ray - Optical Data Disk Standard
• Capacity = 25 GB (per-layer)
• 50 GB (dual-layer) is the video industry standard.
• HD (High Definition) Video
• 1080p resolution (1920×1080 pixels)
• HDTV
• 2007-January
• "Apple Inc." brand created
• Renamed from "Apple Computer, Inc.", originally incorporated on 3-Jan-1977.
• 2007-June
• iPhone
• 2008
• USB 3.0
• 5 Gbit/s (625 MB/s) data rate
• USB Connector Types
• 2008-September
• Android OS
• Primarily by: Google
• Popular Smartphone and Tablet Computer OS
• Based on the Linux Kernel
• 2009-August
• Mac OS X v10.6 ... "Snow Leopard"
• Intel-only
• Ends support for the PowerPC architecture.
• 2009-October
• Unibody iMac
• 16:9 aspect ratio screen in 21.5" and 27" models.
• With the Intel CPU you can run both the Mac OS and Windows on this system!
• Not the 1st iMac to do this, but this was a front-runner marketing-wise.
• 2009-October
• Windows 7
• 2010
• iPad
• 2011-February
• Thunderbolt (interface)
• Dual-protocol I/O
• 10 Gbit/s per channel (20 Gbit/s total) data rate
• Mini DisplayPort
• Designer = Intel
• a.k.a. "Light Peak"... mostly used by Apple Inc.
• 2013-January
• USB 3.1
• 10 Gbit/s data rate
• USB Connector Types
• 2013-August
• Thunderbolt 2
• 20 Gbit/s aggregated channels (20 Gbit/s in total) data rate
• Mini DisplayPort
• 2015-16 ... due for release
• Thunderbolt 3
• 40 Gbit/s (5 GB/s) data rate
• USB Type-C

You may want to also consider viewing:

• Timeline of Apple Inc. Products
• List of iOS Devices
• Predecessors to the IBM PC
• History of the Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• History of Personal Computers
• The Soul of a New Machine - by: Tracy Kidder (Book)
• Pirates of Silicon Valley - 1999 (Movie)
• Some Additional Suggestions

Notes:

Software Advances drive the Hardware Market.

Mac OS and Windows 95 were both huge leaps forward in the GUI OS market, capitalizing on the 32-bit CPU chips (IC) of the time.  These OS releases would also set the stage for the rapid growth of the Personal Computing Industry Boom of the 1990's.

USB... Universal Serial Bus ... Greatly improved connectivity of "Peripheral Devices" such as printers, cameras, keyboards, etc....  Replaces serial and parallel ports.

Google has become a major force in the industry.  Developing both Software and Hardware products in a very innovative fashion.  They are a leader in "Cloud-Based" technologies.

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