Inventions & Discoveries · Communication and computing
Personal computer
A personal computer is a computer designed to be operated directly by one user, rather than shared by many through time-sharing like a minicomputer or mainframe. It was made possible by the integrated circuit and the microprocessor, the first single-chip one being the Intel 4004 of 1971; the Micral N, built from 1972, was the earliest commercial, non-kit microcomputer based on a microprocessor. The Altair 8800 of 1974 was the first commercially successful personal computer, the Commodore PET, Apple II and TRS-80 brought ready-assembled machines to a mass market in 1977, and the IBM Personal Computer of 1981 set the standard its compatibles followed.
On the inventions tree
- First known
- 1972
NoteWhich machine was the first personal computer is disputed: PC Magazine called IBM's SCAMP prototype of 1973 the world's first personal computer, the MCM/70 of 1973 is described as the first personal desktop microcomputer, and many consider the Altair 8800 of 1974 the first true one.
See also
Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Personal computer. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/personal-computer
- MLA
- “Personal computer.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/personal-computer. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Personal computer.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/personal-computer.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Personal computer’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/personal-computer (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻