Computers: An Illustrated History

The incredible shrinking computer "Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons" Popular Mechanics forecasting the relentless march of science 1949 Remember your first computer? No doubt it now seems like a relic from the Flintstone era. From automated punch-card calculators to the first personal computers such as the Apple II and Commodore 64 to todays Sony Vaios and PowerBook G4s the computer has undergone an amazing rapid evolution in its brief history. Can you believe the computers first input device was a light pen used to select a symbol on the screen? And that computer keyboards were preceded by teletypewriters? The progress weve witnessed in our lifetimes is mind-boggling. The struggle for the best interface the greatest design and the fastest processor have resulted in computers of a size power capability and use that were unfathomable only a few decades ago. Discover the fascinating history of computers interfaces and computer design in this illustrated guide that includes pictures of nearly every computer ever made an informative text describing the computers evolution up to the present day and an A-Z index of the most influential computer firms. special horizontal format laptop-style