The Kenbak-1 is generally regarded as the world’s first personal computer. Only 50 were ever built, and they cost $750 in 197. It had just 256 bytes of RAM, and while there was no true microprocessor, its processing speed was the equivalent of 1 megahertz. In comparison, the recent HP Pavilion All-in-One has 16 gigabytes of RAM and 20 gigahertz of processing speed. PC specs have certainly come a long way in the past 50 years.
This timeline visualizes over twenty of the most popular personal computers of the past 50 years, and highlights how processing speeds and memory have increased over the decades.
[Click here for full size version]
