Computers ... in the house? Family of the Future (1978)
In the American magazine Doylestown Intelligencer March 18, 1978 published an article about the future of home computers. The author touched upon their future opportunities, mentioned the number of manufacturers at that time and provided comments from the manager of Tandy Corporation, a company that was at the forefront of this industry in the United States. Illustrations and comments to them are given by me.
Weekday evening, the near future.
The family had just finished lunch and set about the usual evening business. The children went to the video systems in their room to do their homework. Today, they have tasks for BASIC 1 and 2 levels.
')
Mom puts the plates in the dishwasher and programs the central processor to wash dishes and immediately, without departing from it, regulates the climate in the house. At the same time, the father goes to the store to buy the necessary additional 2 kilobytes of memory.
Wait a minute!
2 KB of memory? Video systems? BASIC 1 and 2 levels? What kind of rubbish?
This is the family of the future - fully equipped with its own personal computer.
The world, which, as many thought, can only exist in a dream or in the pages of science fiction books, a world that others, such as George Orwell, so feared, are already here.
Apple's first production computer, the Apple II, went on sale in 1977. The model had an integrated keyboard, color graphics, sound, a plastic case and eight expansion slots.
Computers — ingenious devices that helped a man land on the moon, revolutionized science, medicine, and business — caused fear or confusion among millions of ordinary people. Now they penetrate our homes.
The breakthrough happened last year, when several companies began to advertise home computers - usually consisting of a keyboard panel, a television screen and a cassette player.
Tandy Corporation began selling the TRS-80 series of desktops through Radio Shack. These were the first home computers cheaper than $ 600. There was no confidence in the success: in the first batch there were only 3,000 pieces, but in just a month they were sold 10,000, for the year - 55,000
Such machines now cost only slightly more expensive than high-quality stereo systems, and they require only a little more effort to teach management than reading instructions. Home computer models can store recipes, solve math problems, record phone calls when the owner is not at home.
But this is only the beginning, as experts in the computer business say. Someday cars will do everything - from laundry to income tax refunds.
Donald French, merchandising manager at Tandy Corporation, says that his company's market research has shown “very good” potential for growth in home computer sales.
It is worth noting that large computer companies are still not working in the home computer market; instead, they have focused on using them in business.
The IBM 5100 Portable was released in 1975. It was built on the basis of IBM's 1.9 MHz processor, had a 5-inch display, up to 64 kilobytes of RAM and a 200-kilobyte tape-based drive. The car cost from 8,975 to 19,975 dollars - it was positioned as a computer for scientists.
French says that other firms may start selling home computers when their manufacturing costs drop.
According to industry sources, there are half a dozen companies that sell desktop computers for home use. And many people in the industry predict that computers will become an important symbol of family status.
The recent computer convention in San Jose, California, attracted 14,000 people, and another such event is scheduled later this year in Philadelphia.
To show how a home computer can help save energy, a man in Illinois builds a house on solar energy, which is controlled by a computer that is available for use at home.
But this is only a small part of what can happen in the coming years.
French says that he, along with other industry professionals, is confident that the home computer will be a revolution in our lives, freeing us even more time for rest and other activities.
But not R2D2 we hear in the background?
Computers in homes?
Weekday evening, the near future.
The family had just finished lunch and set about the usual evening business. The children went to the video systems in their room to do their homework. Today, they have tasks for BASIC 1 and 2 levels.
')
Mom puts the plates in the dishwasher and programs the central processor to wash dishes and immediately, without departing from it, regulates the climate in the house. At the same time, the father goes to the store to buy the necessary additional 2 kilobytes of memory.
Wait a minute!
2 KB of memory? Video systems? BASIC 1 and 2 levels? What kind of rubbish?
This is the family of the future - fully equipped with its own personal computer.
The world, which, as many thought, can only exist in a dream or in the pages of science fiction books, a world that others, such as George Orwell, so feared, are already here.
Apple's first production computer, the Apple II, went on sale in 1977. The model had an integrated keyboard, color graphics, sound, a plastic case and eight expansion slots.
Computers — ingenious devices that helped a man land on the moon, revolutionized science, medicine, and business — caused fear or confusion among millions of ordinary people. Now they penetrate our homes.
The breakthrough happened last year, when several companies began to advertise home computers - usually consisting of a keyboard panel, a television screen and a cassette player.
Tandy Corporation began selling the TRS-80 series of desktops through Radio Shack. These were the first home computers cheaper than $ 600. There was no confidence in the success: in the first batch there were only 3,000 pieces, but in just a month they were sold 10,000, for the year - 55,000
Such machines now cost only slightly more expensive than high-quality stereo systems, and they require only a little more effort to teach management than reading instructions. Home computer models can store recipes, solve math problems, record phone calls when the owner is not at home.
But this is only the beginning, as experts in the computer business say. Someday cars will do everything - from laundry to income tax refunds.
Donald French, merchandising manager at Tandy Corporation, says that his company's market research has shown “very good” potential for growth in home computer sales.
It is worth noting that large computer companies are still not working in the home computer market; instead, they have focused on using them in business.
The IBM 5100 Portable was released in 1975. It was built on the basis of IBM's 1.9 MHz processor, had a 5-inch display, up to 64 kilobytes of RAM and a 200-kilobyte tape-based drive. The car cost from 8,975 to 19,975 dollars - it was positioned as a computer for scientists.
French says that other firms may start selling home computers when their manufacturing costs drop.
According to industry sources, there are half a dozen companies that sell desktop computers for home use. And many people in the industry predict that computers will become an important symbol of family status.
The recent computer convention in San Jose, California, attracted 14,000 people, and another such event is scheduled later this year in Philadelphia.
To show how a home computer can help save energy, a man in Illinois builds a house on solar energy, which is controlled by a computer that is available for use at home.
But this is only a small part of what can happen in the coming years.
French says that he, along with other industry professionals, is confident that the home computer will be a revolution in our lives, freeing us even more time for rest and other activities.
But not R2D2 we hear in the background?
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/369087/
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