The Micro Computer

The Micro Computer….

The term Microcomputer is attributed to the Microprocessor at the heart of the machine and the fact that theses machine the smallest in the smallest in the computing scale,
There have been many names for the micro computer such as desktop or personal computer generally relating to the size of the unit involved and the fact that it is intended to meet the needs of one individual.
The first microprocessor was the Intel 4004 back in 1971 it was a 4 bit Processor which led to the first generation of micro computers the Mits Altair being one of the main models of the era.
In 1977 the second generation processor arrived producing 8 bit processing power it was at this point the Apple II and the IBM pc's were introduced and became the major forces of computing in the early 80’s.
With the introduction of the next generation of computers came the term home computers as they were aimed at the home computer user.
A range of successful computers such as the Commodore 64, Sinclair spectrum were the computers of choice in the home owing to the drop in price of processing technology and thus they became affordable to the home user.
The technology has increased in regular intervals since then, from 16 bit to 32 bit and presently the step to 64 bit has been made in the home.
Intel are still at the forefront of the processing technology but through the 90’s and early 2000’s they have been under immense pressure from another company AMD,and this company is presently at the fore of the new 64 bit technologies.
The power of the micro computer has become immense in terms of processing from the early day's of computing as some of the earliest super computers or mainframes could be outdone by a present day micro computer.
What is evident today is that from the early days of computing a major change is that now there aren’t many homes that are without some form of microcomputer in there home or at their workplace making computers a worldwide phenomenon.