IBM introduced their first PC in 1981 and quickly took over the corporate marketplace. Apple attempted to make inroads into corporations with the Lisa in 1982, but the closed architecture (little ability to add features from other vendors) and other factors caused Apple to eventually drop the Lisa in favor of their Macintosh line, first introduced in 1984.

As the 1980's closed, versions of past computers based on ever more powerful microprocessors (the Intel 80386 and Motorola 68030) gave the user the power of older minicomputers (and some mainframes) at their desk.

In the 1990's we've seen even more power, user interfaces migrating to the graphical from character and computer shrinking in size. As this is being written [1994], Apple is introducing the first computers with built-in voice activation logic.

The revolution continues...

Future