Computers and the idea of having machines do calculations have been around since the early 1940s during WW2. However, these computing devices were only available to the military and to a few Universities. This was partly due to the fact that one single computer filled an entire room. Another factor was that the cost to build and maintain a computer simply did not outweigh the limited benefits owning a computer at this time had. The 80s were the first time where computers were first appealing to individuals because they were a lot smaller. The main drawback with home computers is the lack of memory. This meant that the home computers couldn’t do the more complex calculations that businesses or scientific institutions did. However, they made up for this with better graphics and sound. This meant that their use was mainly for writing on on documents or programing.
One main reason that this happened was because the components required to make the computers were getting smaller. This is due to an observation called Moore’s law. The idea of Moore’s law is that every 18 to 24 months, the size of the technology to do a given task is reduced by half. This observation was made in the 70s but is what made the size of each microchip the necessary size to fit in a small enough housing in the 80s.
Overall, this change in physical computing size and end consumer allowed us to have the type of pocket computers we have today. During the 80s, Apple made its first major desktop or home computer. This and other original PCs like the Commodore 64 or the ZX-Spectrum showed computer manufacturers that there is a market for personal computers and that reliable working technology can be made at an increasingly smaller size.
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Nick, you're very right about the popularization of personal computers during the '80s. The Commodore 64 (C64) that you mentioned became an iconic PC because it was widely available to so many Americans. The C64 was cheaper than competitors' products like Apple and Atari, and it could also be found in a wider range of retail stores instead of just specialty electronics stores.
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