A STUDY OF THE GROWTH AND EVOLUTION OF PERSONAL COMPUTER DEVICES THROUGHOUT THE PC AGE

Abstract

Both of my parents have worked in the computer industry most of their lives so I probably have them to thank for my interest in computers. I have always been lucky enough to have had the benefit of numerous computerised devices and functions – for me the Internet has always been there, as have mobile communications – and yet I knew nothing about how they came about. This study aims to address this by looking at the development and evolution of a range of devices which we are all now very familiar with. As I gathered available literature on this subject I became aware that most of these focused on a single device or aspect of computing and made only casual references to outside factors which influenced their development. As a result, a major objective of this study was to bring together the progression of specific device groups and what I have called “Other Relevant IT Developments” to form a more complete picture of what influenced what. The main body of this study is presented in 3 chapters. Chapter 5 provides a historical narrative of my two main device groupings – PCs & Laptops and Mobile Phones & Tablets – along with a section on Other IT Developments. Chapter 6 consists of an analysis of the facts presented in Chapter 5, whereas Chapter 7 summarises the current use of devices using secondary and my own primary research data.