| While today’s PCs are much more advanced in terms of looks, computing power and almost everything else, the golden oldies will never be forgotten. In fact, one of the oldest PCs is not only a revolutionary device, it is also the most popular. While technology is all about the future, it has always taken the past into account, very seriously. Keeping that in mind, let’s take a look at 10 of the most popular computers that have ever been sold! |  |
Timex Sinclair 1000: This computer was released 33 years ago (in 1981) at a price of $99.95. It was also known as the ZX81 and ran on BASIC along with 2 KB of RAM and a 3.25 MHz processor. Although the computer was obviously slow, the $100price tag made it more than reasonable. It became an instant hit amongst people who couldn’t afford to spend $1000 on a PC and sold over 600,000 units in the US.
Tandy TRS-80: This computer sold by Radio Shack, under its own brand name, was launched in 1977. The TES-80 has4K of RAM and was powered by a 1.77 MHz processor along with a 12-inch monitor that came at an addition of $600. It ran on the TRS-DOS, which was a popular operating system before Microsoft came along with MS-DOS. It didn’t sell as much as the Sinclair, but it still went over the 200,000 units mark .
MSX: Even in the 1980s Japan had hardware giants to it name. This computer was created by companies like Sony and Toshiba. Interestingly, MSX should actually stand for Microsoft Extended Basic or Machines with Software Exchangeability and the computers were made by the Japanese companies. Of course, Microsoft did have a hand in it, the project was lead by Kazuhiko Nishi, who was the vice president of Microsoft Japan at the time. Designed as a hardware standard, the MSX ran onMicrosoft BASIC and was released in 1983. While the computer did sell over five million units, it never became a global hardware standard. Metal Gear, one of the best known video games ever, was first released on the MSX.
NEC PC-98: This was a very powerful computer of its time. The PC-98 was powered by a 5 MHz Intel 8086 CPU along with 128 KB of RAM. It was released in 1982 and accounted for about 50 per cent of themarket share in the Japanese market. Along with its updates the device sold over 15 million units in its lifetime, which was more than a decade.
iMac: If you’re a true geek, not much needs to be said about Apple’s iMac. It is the computer that changed Apple’s future after it was released in 1998. This candy coloured device was the beginning of the ‘i’ devices by Apple, almost all of which have seen trememdous success. It was the first Mac PC in years that took a big bite out of Microsoft’s share in the PC market in the 1990s. The company had spent $100 million in the marketing of the iMac.
Commodore Amiga 500: This PC was released back in 1987 and was an upgrade to the Commodore 64. It improved the CPU to a 32-bit variant from the earlier 8-bit. It clocked in a speed of 8 MHz. The device had 512 KB of RAM and could support up to 4,096 colours. It was launched at a price of $700 and also had a 3.5-inch internal floppy drive.
The device was quite speedy because of coprocessors that were dedicated to various activities and took the load off the CPU. The Amiga 500 allowed various graphics and animation tasks, which were earlier impossible on consumer PCs and was also a popular platform for gaming at the time. It sold approximately six million units back in the 1980s, when it was launched. This is a commendable number for any personal computer that was launched at the time. The Amiga 500 is amongst one of the best remembered PCs from the years past.
Apple II: We started this list with 1977, when the Sinclair was released. But there was another very famous PC released at the time. This was the Apple II, which was priced at $1,300. A 1 MHz processor and 4KB of RAM and eight expansion slots made this device almost perfect for a hobbyist at the time.
Moreover, the spreadsheet software VisiCalc, was a major attraction for corporations and the $1000 price tag wasn’t much for them either. It had a big role to play in taking Apple to the Fortune 500 list and sold over a million units and had a huge impact on the overall PC industry.
ZX Spectrum: Five years after the Timex Sinclair was launched, another PC with a similar design was launched in the UK. The ZX Spectrum was launched in 1982 and was priced at only £125. The device came with a keyboard in its body and 16 KB of RAM. This PC sold over 5 million units all over the world during its lifetime. It was the computer that brought the PC to homes in the UK.
IBM PC: This is one of the most iconic computers in history. Even today, most Windows based Intel powered computers are basically IBM PCs. While today’s PCs are much more advanced in every sense, the IBM PC was originally launched with a 4 MHz Intel 8088 processor along with 16 KB of RAM. The IBM PC soon became the standard around which all other PCs were being made. It was priced at $1,600 and if it wasn’t for the fact that so many clones had popped up, it would definitely be the most popular PC ever.
Commodore 64: The Commodore 64 is the most popular PC to have ever been sold. Powered by a 1 MHz CPU and 64 KB of RAM, this device was released in 1982 with a price tag of $595, which was pretty affordable. The device could also be plugged into TVs, which made it an effective gaming console as well. Moreover, it had better graphical capabilities than even the Apple II and when coupled with the price, it became a sure winner. At first it sold, then people bought some more and then more throughout the 1980s. It went on to be produced till 1994 and had sold more units than any PC ever sold before or after it. An exact number is not available, but the device sold anything between 15 million to 30 million units in its lifetime.
