In 1981, Sinclair released a computer at a price of $100. This small computer, also known as the ZX81, ran on BASIC with just 2KB of RAM and 3.25 MHz processor. However, it made a perfect entry point for aspiring hobbyists who couldn’t spend a thousand dollars on a PC. With this price, the Timex Sinclair 1000 sold over 600,000 units in the United States and became one of the most popular computers of its time.

Tandy TRS-80 was launched in 1977. It offered its first model with 4K of RAM, a 1.77 MHz processor and a 12-inch monitor for $600. Later models of TRS-80 called TRS-100, greatly increased the computer’s capabilities, adding floppy support, extra ports, and more memory. The operating system called TRS-DOS (disk operating system) was the most popular computer OS predating MS-DOS. Tandy sold more than 200,000 units.

When the computer revolution had taken over the United States and Europe by companies like IBM, Commodore, Sinclair and Apple, Japan had its own hardware setups. The MSX was a unique computer which stood for Microsoft Extended Basic actually applied to a number of similar systems created by Japanese companies like Toshiba and Sony. MSX was the most popular machine in Japan those days.

If MSX was the most popular computer in Japan then NEC’s PC-98 was a big success in itself. NEC PC-98 was released in 1982. It ran on a 5 MHz Intel 8086 CPU, had two display controllers, and a base 128KB of RAM. The PC-98 was a powerful computer for its time, and NEC ruled the Japanese market with roughly a 50 percent market share.

iMac got instant popularity when Apple began advertising it on the name of its uniqueness. When they released the iMac in 1998, they advertised its colorful body by criticizing the beige color of drab PCs.It’s a simple, all-in-one design that incorporates all of the computer’s components into the monitor housing. Easy to move, easy to set up.

The Commodore Amiga was released in 1987. It was released following the grand success of computers like the Commodore 64 and Apple II. It was newer, faster, better. The Amiga 500 made the jump from an 8-bit CPU up to 32 bits and 7 MHz of speed. The computer shipped with 512KB of RAM, support for up to 4096 colors, and an internal 3.5-inch floppy drive — just for a launch price of $700.

Apple II was released in 1977, the same year Sinclair released the $100 Timex Sinclair 1000. However, this second computer from Apple was a great success even though it cost $1300. It was built on the design of the Apple I by retaining a simple 1MHz processor and 4KB of RAM and adding a case and keyboard.ZXSpectrum

ZX Spectrum was a huge success in the UK and eventually it was the most popular computer of its time. It was launched in 1982. The design was similar: A small, affordable (£ 125 in the U.K.) system that incorporated a keyboard into its body. But the Spectrum was a much better computer than its predecessor, thanks to 16KB of RAM and a real hardware keyboard.

IBM PC can be said as the first generation PC which is still trending in the market. The Intel-based, Windows-running computers that have dominated the market since the 1990s were born from the IBM PC.

Within a few years, all x86 computers — those using Intel’s processors — were compatible with the IBM PC and virtually identical to IBM’s design. They all ran MS-DOS, and the x86 PC field went on to become the de facto standard.

The Commodore 64 is the single most popular computer system ever sold. Released in 1982, the Commodore 64 had a 1MHz CPU but it came with two big draws:

What made it stand out from the race of PCs was its reasonable cost of $595, 64KB of RAM and that could be plugged into a TV, making it a hybrid computer/video game console.

If you also know the most popular computer of its time which made a difference and you would like to share about that, you can put your views in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to mention your first machine’s specification.

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