Chronology of Personal Computers

Copyright © 1995-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
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URL: http://kpolsson.com/comphist/

References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2023 October 25.


2006

January 3
  • Intel announces it is dropping the 25-year old "Intel Inside" campaign and the 37-year old Intel logo with dropped "e". The new logo is lowercase "intel" in an oval, with tag line "Leap ahead". [1804.26]
January 10
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 FX-60 processor. Price is US$999 in 1000-unit quantities. [2062.8]
January
  • Apple Computer introduces the first iMac computer with an Intel procesor. It features 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo T2500 processor, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB hard drive, 128 MB ATI Radeon X1600 graphics card, dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive, Mac OS X 10.4.4, 20-inch wide-screen LCD, AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 2, iSight camera, USB, FireWire, audio, Ethernet. Price is US$1699. [1899.32] [2245.16]
  • Palm introduces the Treo 700w handheld computer. It features Windows Mobile operating system, 60 MB storage, 1.3 megapixel camera, tiny keyboard, and color screen. [2231.24]
January 29
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A personal computer is on the desk of a school secretary. A woman says "...not to mention this PowerPoint demonstration he did just last week". [2266]
January (month)
  • Top selling personal computer game in the US for the month: World of Warcraft. [1990.136]
February
  • Borland Software announces it intends to sell off its Developer Tools Group. [2194.20]
  • Apple Computer introduces the Apple MacBook Pro computer. It features 1.83 GHz or 2 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 100 GB hard drive, 256 MB RAM, ATI graphics, 802.11a/g wireless, DVD+/-RW drive, iSight camera, 2 USB ports, FireWire 400 port, Express Card slot. Weight is 5.5 pounds; price range is US$1999 to US$3099. [1900.24] [2195.3] [2244.26]
  • Apple Computer ships a new Mac Mini computer. It features 1.5 GHz Intel Core Solo processor, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, 1 Gbit Ethernet, 802.11g wireless, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, four USB 2.0 ports, optical digital in/out ports, infrared remote. Price is US$599. Price for a 1.66 GHz Core Duo version is US$799. [2099.69] [2244.26]
February (month)
  • Top selling personal computer game in the US for the month: Star Wars: Empire at War. [1991.114]
March 1
  • Azerbaijan issues a postage stamp depicting a man at a personal computer. [2371.71]
March 12
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A personal computer is one of the items stolen from a school. [2267]
March
  • Intel launches the Community PC in India. Price is about US$550. [2094.40]
  • Linus Torvalds announces the release of Linux kernel version 2.6.16. Main new features are support for IBM's Cell processor, and a clustering file system from Oracle. [2186.20]
  • Intel introduces the Low Cost Full Featured PC miniature desktop computer. [2094.40]
March 16
  • Tunisia issues a postage stamp depicting a personal computer. [2370.82] [2529.636]

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March 19
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A "FeMac" computer appears, looking much like the Apple Computer "iMac". A female computer voice says "You've got mail", a reference to the America Online software. [2268]
March 22
  • Intel releases the 3.73 GHz Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 965 dual core processor. Price is US$999 in 1000-unit quantities. [2065.8]
March (month)
  • Top selling computer game in the US for the month: The Sims 2: Open for Business. [1988.120]
  • Market share of Web browsers during the month: Microsoft Internet Explorer 84.7%, Firefox 10.05%, Safari 3.19%. [2186.4]
(month unknown)
  • Samsung releases the Q1, the first Ultra Mobile PC. It features Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, 7-inch color display, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, RJ-45, 800x480 pixel graphics, 40 GB hard drive, 512 MB RAM, touch screen. Weight is 1.7 pounds; price is US$1099. [2250.17]
April 5
  • Apple Computer releases the Boot Camp software allowing the new Intel-based Apple computers to run Windows XP. [1914.24] [1916.28]
April 9
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A personal computer appears at a Department of Motor Vehicles. [2270]
April
  • Apple Computer releases a new MacBook Pro portable computer. It features 17-inch widescreen display, 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 667 MHz bus, iSight camera, 8X dual-layer SuperDrive, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB hard drive. Weight is 6.8 pounds, thickness is one inch; price is US$2799. [2246.18]
April 21
  • Korea issues a postage stamp depicting a personal computer. [2373.85]
April 24
  • Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy says he will step down, with Jonathan Schwartz taking over his position. [1916.28]
  • Intel announces a new personal computer platform: vPro, with security and management features built into the hardware. [1916.28]
April 30
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. Personal computers appear at an elementary school for girls. [2271]
April (month)
  • Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: Guild Wars: Factions. [2079.114]
(month unknown)
  • Sony releases the VAIO XL2 computer. It features dual-core 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium D processor, 1 GB RAM, 320 GB hard drive, CD/DVD unit that holds 200 discs. Price is US$2699.99. [2251.38]
May 1
  • Intel releases the 3.6 GHz Pentium D 960 dual-core processor. It features 2 MB cache, 800 MHz front-side bus, and 65 nanometre traces. Price is US$530 in 1000-unit quantities. [2065.8]
May
  • Intel unveils the ClassMate PC notebook computer. Price is about US$400. [2094.41]
  • Apple Computer releases new MacBook portable computers. They feature 1.83 GHz or 2 GHz Intel Core Duo, 512 MB RAM, 60/80 GB hard drive, 13.3 inch widescreen, Size is 1.1 x 12.8 x 8.9 inches, weight is 5.2 pounds, prices are US$1099/1299/1499. [2246.20] [2248]
  • Quark releases the QuarkXPress 7 software for the Mac OS. [2247.16]
  • Silicon Graphics files for Chapter 11 bankriptcy protection. [2188.1]
  • In Seattle, Washington, Microsoft hosts the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference. [2189.1]
  • Corel of Canada acquires compression software company WinZip. [2194.12]
May 16
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core processor, models 4200+ energy efficient, 4400+ energy efficient, 4600+ energy efficient, and 4800+ energy efficient. Prices are US$417, US$514, US$601, and US$671 respectively, in 1000-unit quantities. [2064.10]
May 18
  • Dell announces it will start using Advanced Micro Devices processors in its personal computers. [2094.72]
May 22
  • Microsoft announces FlexGo, software allowing the use of a computer with a pre-paid card number. [2094.40]
May 23
  • Microsoft releases a Beta 2 test version of Windows Vista. [2322]
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the 2.8 GHz Athlon 64 FX-62 dual-core processor. It features dual 1 MB L2 cache, dual 128 kB L1 cache, 128-bit DDR2 memory controller, 2 GHz HyperTransport link, and 90 nanometre traces. Price is US$1031 in 1000-unit quantities. [2064.30] [2065.8]
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the 2.6 GHz Athlon 64 X2 5000+ dual-core processor. It features dual 512 kB L2 cache, dual 128 kB L1 cache, 128-bit DDR2 memory controller, 2 GHz HyperTransport link, and 90 nanometre traces. The processor incorporates 153.8 million transistors. Price is US$696 in 1000-unit quantities. [2064.30] [2065.8]
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Fairly Oddparents TV show in the US. A personal computer appears briefly. [2429]
May 26
  • Barbados issues a postage stamp depicting children at a personal computer. [2371.73]
May 31
  • The Game Critics Awards are announced:
    • Best Original Game: Spore;
    • Best PC Game: Spore;
    • Best Simulation Game: Spore.
    [2322]
May (month)
  • Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: Guild Wars: Factions. [2114.96]
(month unknown)
  • Palm introduces the Treo 700p handheld computer. It features Palm OS operating system, 60 MB storage, 1.3 megapixel camera, tiny keyboard, Internet access, phone, and color screen. Price is US$649.99. [2231.24] [2251.42]
June 9
  • Chile issues a postage stamp depicting students using personal computers. [2374.60]
June 15
  • Bill Gates announces he will ease away from Microsoft duties over the next two years. Ray Ozzie is immediately shifted from chief technology officer to chief software architect. [2095.32]
June (month)
  • Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: World of Warcraft. [2115.102]
April-June
  • Market share of personal computers during April to June: Dell 19.2%. [2232.27]
  • Shipments of personal computers during the quarter: Apple 1.327 million. [2511.19]
July 3
  • Trinidad and Tobago issues a postage stamp depicting a personal computer keyboard. [2427.78]
July 10
  • Business Week magazine presents the Industrial Design Excellence Awards:
    • Gold award: Lenovo Opti Desktop PC, designed by ZIBA Design.
    • Silver award: Hundred-Dollar Laptop Computer, designed by Design Continuum.
    [2096.76]
July 11
  • Microsoft ceases providing new security patches for Windows 98, 98 SE, and Millenium Edition. [2101.55]
July 12
  • The European Commission fines Microsoft US$356 million for failing to comply with orders to share information about the Windows operating system for servers. [2098.24]
July 24
  • Advanced Micro Devices agrees to pay US$5.4 billion in cash and stock to acquire ATI Technologies of Canada. [2116.24] [2192.3] [2333.26] [2397.14]
  • A Business Week magazine article on ethics shows a portion of a computer keyboard with "Cheat" in place of "Enter", and "Excuses" in place of "Shift". [2098.10]
July 27
  • Intel releases the Core 2 Duo E6700 processor. It features dual processing cores, 4 MB shared L2 cache, 2.66 GHz clock speed, 1066 MHz front side bus, 65 nm process. Price is US$530. Code name of the Core 2 Duo during development was Conroe. [2236.22] [2237.8] [2238.101] [2332.60]
  • Intel releases the Core 2 Extreme X6800 processor. It features dual processing cores, 4 MB shared L2 cache, 2.93 GHz clock speed, 1066 MHz 128-bit front side bus, 65 nm process, 291 million transistors, maximum addressable memory 8 GB. Price is US$999. [2236.23] [2237.8] [2252.75]
  • Intel releases the Core 2 Duo processor, models E6300, E6400, and E6600. All have 1066 MHz front-side bus and 65 nm traces. Models E6300 and E6400 have 2 MB cache, the E6600 has 4 MB cache. Clock speeds are 1.86 GHz, 2.13 GHz, and 2.4 GHz, respectively. Prices are US$183, US$224, and US$316, respectively. Code name of the Core 2 Duo during development was Conroe. [2237.8] [2238.101]
July 28
  • Macao issues a postage stamp depicting a personal computer keyboard and mouse. [2375.76]
July (month)
  • Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: World of Warcraft. [2117.116]
August 7
  • In San Francisco, California, Apple Computer holds its Worldwide Developers Conference, over five days. [2247.16] [2249.18]
  • The August 7 issue of Business Week magazine presents a list of The 100 Top Brands in the world. Number 2 on the list is Microsoft. [2333.60]
August 8
  • Tunisia issues a postage stamp depicting a personal computer. [2427.80]
August
  • Sony begins a battery pack recall. [2196.8]
  • Borland Software re-introduces Turbo C++ for Windows. [2194.20]
  • Borland Software introduces Turbo C# for .Net. [2194.20]
  • Borland Software introduces Turbo Delphi for .Net, and Turbo Delphi for Windows. [2194.20]
  • Dell recalls 4.1 million notebook batteries at risk of overheating. [2232.29] [2334.28]
August 24
  • Apple Computer announces the second-largest personal computer battery recall in history, affecting 1.7 million older iBook and PowerBook systems. [2334.28]
August (month)
  • Top selling computer game for the month in the USA: World of Warcraft. [2284.148]
(month unknown)
  • Microsoft announces it will not develop a new version of Virtual PC emulation software for Intel-based Apple Mac computers. [2249.19]
  • Apple Computer updates the iMac computer:
    • 1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo, 17-inch display, iSight camera, 3 USB 2.0 ports, 2 FireWire ports, 1 Gb Ethernet, 512 MB RAM, Combo drive, 160 GB hard drive, US$999.
    • 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo, 17-inch display, iSight camera, 3 USB 2.0 ports, 2 FireWire ports, 1 Gb Ethernet, 1 GB RAM, SuperDrive, 160 GB hard drive, US$1199.
    • 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo, 20-inch display, iSight camera, 3 USB 2.0 ports, 2 FireWire ports, 160 GB hard drive, 1 GB RAM, SuperDrive, US$1499.
    • 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo, 24-inch display, iSight camera, 3 USB 2.0 ports, Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT with 128 MB RAM and 1920x1200 graphics, 4 MB shared Level 2 cache, 2 FireWire ports, 250 GB hard drive, 1 GB RAM, 8X SuperDrive, US$1999.
    [2282.16]
  • Apple Computer releases new Mac mini computers:
    • 1.66 Core Duo processor US$599.
    • 1.83 GHz Core Duo processor US$799.
    [2282.16]
September 3
  • FreeDOS 1.0 is released. [2237.10]
September 6
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 5200+ AM2 processor. Price is US$827 in quantities of 1000. [2237.8]
September
  • Corel of Canada acquires the InterVideo company for US$196 million. [2194.12]
September 10
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A gangster uses a Palm Pilot to schedule his meetings. [2272]
September 26
  • Microsoft releases Service Pack 1 for Visual Studio 2005 for Windows in the USA. [2195.24]
September 28
  • Sony issues a global recall of bad lithium-ion batteries. [2336.37]
September
  • Hewlett-Packard agrees to acquire the VooDooPC company. [2239.98]
September (month)
  • Top selling computer game for the month in the USA: The Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff. [2285.148]
July-September
  • Worldwide shipments of perconal computers: about 57.9-59.8 million. [2462.7]
  • Shipments of personal computers during the quarter: Apple 1.61 million. [2511.18]
  • Market share of personal computer shipments worldwide: Hewlett-Packard 16.5%, Dell 16.3%, Lenovo 8.1%, Acer 5.4%. [2322]
(month unknown)
  • Intel releases the Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor. It features four processing cores, 1066 MHz front side bus, 8 MB Level 2 cache, 2.66 GHz clock speed. Code name during development was Kentsfield. [2239.26]
October 4
  • Comedy Central airs the South Park TV show in the USA. The episode centers around the World of Warcraft computer game. Several characters play in the game, attempting to defeat a powerful player. [2254]
October
  • Global usage share of Web browsers: Internet Explorer 86 percent, Firefox 11.5 percent, Safari under 2 percent, Opera under 2 percent. [2322]
  • Advanced Micro Devices completes its acquisition of ATI Technologies. [2397.14]
October 18
  • Microsoft releases the Internet Explorer 7 Web browser. [2322] [2386.10]
October 19
  • In Monza, Italy, the 2006 World Cyber Games are held. About 700 players from 70 countries attend. Total prize money is US$435,000. [2322]
October 27
  • Mozilla Foundation releases the Firefox 2.0 Web browser. [2194.16] [2386.10]
October (month)
  • Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: The Sims 2: Pets. [2286.116]
November 6
  • YTV airs the TV show Weird Years in Canada. The game "WarQuest" is played on a personal computer, a play on game titles Warcraft and EverQuest. [2366]
November 19
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. The opening couch scene takes place on a computer desktop screen, looking like a Web browser on the Mac OS. [2273]
November 30
  • Microsoft officially releases the Windows Vista operating system to corporate clients. The software is comprised of 50 million lines of source code. [2337.58] [2389.15] [2395.10] [2504.65]
November (month)
  • Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: Neverwinter Nights 2. [2290.112]
(month unknown)
  • Apple Computer releases a new MacBook Pro computer: 17-inch 1680x1050 pixel wide-screen display, 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive, ATI Radeon X1600 with 256 MB, iSight camera, AirPort Extreme wireless networking, Bluetooth 2.0 and EDR wireless networking. Price is US$2799. [2301.42]
December 17
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. On seeing an altered photo, a woman says "That PhotoShopping freak!". [2275]
December (month)
  • Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: The Sims 2: Pets. [2290.112]
October-December
  • Shipments of personal computers worldwide: Dell 9.6 million, Apple 1.606 million. [2322] [2511.19]
  • Market share of global personal computer shipments: Hewlett-Packard 18.1 percent, Dell 14.7 percent, Acer 6.9 percent. [2322] [2380.33]
Year
  • Unit sales of personal computers worldwide: Dell 39.1 million, Hewlett-Packard 38.8 million, Lenovo 16.6 million. [2322]
  • Total sales of computer game software in the USA for the year: US$970 million. [2322]
  • Top selling computer game in the USA for the year: World of Warcraft. [2322]

End of 2006. Next: 2007.

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1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008-2009 2010-end


A list of references to all source material is available.


Last updated: 2023 October 25.
Copyright © 1995-2024 Ken Polsson (email: ken@kpolsson.com).
URL: http://kpolsson.com/comphist/
Link to Ken P's home page.

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