Personal Computer

The earliest electronic computers were not personal. They were very expensive, large and they required a lots of specialists to keep them running. One of the first of these “impersonal“ computers, ENIAC, was built to do ballistics calculations for the U.S. military. It cost $500,000, weighed 30 tons and took up nearly 2,000 square feet of floor space. New more streamlined computers required better technologies. The most significant invention that made the personal computers possible was the microprocessor. Before microprocessors were invented, computers needed a separate integrated-circuit chip for each one of their functions. Microprocessors were the size of a thumbnail and they could run the computer’s programs, remember information and manage data all by themselves. Nowadays, we use term personal computer for a compact computer that uses a microprocessor.

It is designed for individual use in the office, at home or school, for such applications as word processing, data management, financial analysis, or computer games. We distinguish different types of PCs – stationary (Desktop computer) and portable (Laptop, Tablet, etc.) The PC industry is still growing and the number of personal computers in use worldwide is over two billions.