Example research essay topic: Personal Computers Apple Ii - 627 words

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Computers are an essential part of each and every day in our modern life. They entertain, educate, assist in daily tasks and in many instances, fascinate us with their capabilities. They can be found almost everywhere. Computers are the basis for PDAs, which are used by many busy people to schedule their work and life appointments; air traffic control systems, that direct airplanes in their movement; satellites, that keep us in communication with the rest of the world; information systems which aid manufacturing, and in the systems which aid in health care. I believe that personal computer nowadays can be considered as the greatest development of the previous century, since it allows people to communicate and share all types of information regardless of distance. Computers small and inexpensive enough to be purchased by individuals for use in their homes first became feasible in the 1970 s, when large-scale integration made it possible to construct a sufficiently powerful microprocessor on a single semiconductor chip.

A small firm named MITS made the first personal computer, the Altair. This computer, which used the Intel Corporations 8080 microprocessor, was developed in 1974. Though the Altair was popular among computer hobbyists, its commercial appeal was limited, since purchasers had to assemble the machine from a kit. The personal computer industry truly began in 1977, when Apple Computer, Inc. , founded by Steven P. Jobs and Stephen G. Wozniak, introduced the Apple II, one of the first pre-assembled, mass-produced personal computers.

Radio Shack and Commodore Business Machines also introduced personal computers that year. These machines used 8 -bit microprocessors (which process information in groups of 8 bits, or binary digits, at a time) and possessed rather limited memory capacity the ability to address a given quantity of data held in memory storage. But because personal computers were much less expensive than mainframes, they could be purchased by individuals, small and medium-sized businesses, and primary and secondary schools. The Apple II received a great boost in popularity when it became the host machine for Visi Calc, the first electronic spreadsheet (computerized accounting program). Other types of application software soon developed for personal computers.

The IBM Corporation, the worlds dominant computer maker, did not enter the new market until 1981, when it introduced the IBM Personal Computer, or IBM PC. The IBM PC was only slightly faster than rival machines, but it had about 10 times their memory capacity, and it was backed by IBMs large sales organization. By 1990 some personal computers had become small enough to be completely portable; they included laptop computers, which could rest in ones lap; notebook computers, which were about the size of a notebook; and pocket, or palm-sized, computers, which could be held in ones hand. At the high end of the PC market, multimedia personal computers equipped with CD-ROM players and digital sound systems allowed users to handle animated images and sound (in addition to text and still images) that were stored on high-capacity CD-ROMs. Personal computers were increasingly interconnected with each other and with larger computers in networks for the purpose of gathering, sending, and sharing information electronically. The uses of personal computers continued to multiply as the machines became more powerful and their application software proliferated.

Computers have become a crucial part of our everyday life. They are capable of carrying out complex and repetitive tasks, without error, which humans are incapable of consistently doing. They handle data with unchallenged speed, regardless of its integrity. These machines, however, can currently only do what they are programmed to do. They are incapable of reasoning, creativity, forming intent or feeling.

They are merely work-horses, from which no genius can be expected. Let us recognize them for what they are and utilize them for the betterment of mankind.

Research essay sample on Personal Computers Apple Ii