The PC Turns 20 (NAPSA)—Twenty years ago, Ronald Reagan waspresident, Pac Man ruled the arcades and IBM introduced a “personal computer.” In many ways, the first IBM PC—powered by an Intel chip called the 8088—was a glorified typewriter. You could create documents, make basic spreadsheets and play simple games displayed in glowing green type on a monochrome monitor. In 1981, we were captivated by the whole experience—glowing green type andall. In 20 years, much has changed: Hard drives replaced floppy disks. Mice gave us an alternative to clunky keyboard function keys, making it possible to point and click. And the World Wide Web made the Internet a fun experience for the whole family. According to trend watchers, PCsare now in 60 percent of U.S. homes and 100 million Americans are online sending more e-mail than first-class mail. About 85 percent of teens use a computer at school. In the last 15 years, more PCs have been purchased in the United States than automobiles. Ralph Bond, consumer education managerat Intel Corporation, said the driving force behind the public’s embrace of the home PC has been the rapid evolution of the micro- The home computer has changed dramatically since IBM introducedits first PC in 1981 (left). A new computer with an Intel Pentium 4 processor (right) delivers 30,000 percent faster performance than the original IBM PC. The PC has evolved from a glorified typewriter to the centerpiece of an interactive digital universe. processor—thebrains of the PC. As microprocessors doubled in power every 18 to 24 monthssince the birth of the IBM PC, clever software and hardware designers created exciting productivity, multimedia and Internet experiences. For example, today’s powerful home PC can become a digital jukebox or a digital home movie editing machine— cool uses that seemed like science fiction 20 years ago. The microprocessors driving today’s PCs are technology marvels. Packed with 42million transistors, Intel Pentium 4 processor-based PCs deliver 30,000 percent faster performancethanthefirst personal computers introduced in 1981. All this power takes the PC into the next stage of its evolution—the Extended PC Era. In the Extended PC Era, the home PC will be asked to do even more as consumers discover that mainstream gadgets— from toys and cameras to books and personal stereos—go digital and deliver their full value when linked to a powerful home PC. Before the end of this decade, experts believe we'll have PCs with the powerto listen to our every spoken command and respond instantly. To learn more about the remarkable story of the PC and the technology that madeit all possible, visit www.intel.com/intel /intelis/museum/.
