1983 – Microsoft releases the 2-button mouse. It was designed for Microsoft Word 1.0. The first mouse would fail, but the second version in 1985 would solidify the mouse on PC’s. Of course, Microsoft launched Microsoft Word v. 1.0for $229.
Full Day in Tech History podcast show notes for May 2
2001 – The reason why I decided to highlight this event is to make you aware that Tablets are not a new thing. Computer companies have been trying to perfect the tablet for many years. in 2001, for example, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates introduces the Tablet PC initiative. Using a Crusoe processor and the XP OS, he shows off a touch screen with Microsoft Notebook handwriting recognition software. This 3 pound revolution weighed only 3 lbs and would cost the average consumer $2,000 – 3,500.
1983 -IBM announces the IBM Personal Computer XT (eXtended Technology). It features a Intel 8088 processor, 10MB hard drive, 128 kB RAM, 40Kb ROM and double-sided 360 kB floppy drive. For $4995, it’s all yours. The machine was also called IBM Machine Type number 5160.The XT could support up to 256 kb on the motherboard. You could get expansion cards to raise to 640 kb. The 8088 processor ran at 4.77 MHz. It weighed 32 lbs (desktop only) and was 19.5 inches wide by 16 inches deep and 5.5 inches high.
The IBM PC XT was the successor to the IBM PC. It was developed until April 1987.
2009 – Satoshi Nakamoto introduced the virtual currency Bitcoin. Using Cryptocurrencies along with public-key encryption, the currency is recorded on the transaction log.
1983 – Instead of naming a person of the year for 1982, Time magazine decides to give the dubious honor to the Personal computer. It was interesting that it happened so early in the computers’ existence. Nonetheless, the computer was praised for it’s symbol to 1982. Now think of how that has changed in the last 28 years.
TIME‘s Man of the Year started in 1927, to put Charles Lindbergh on the cover. Lindbergh refused an article based on his trans-Atlantic flight and Time wanted to find a way to put him on the cover.