2007

January 8

• In Las Vegas, Nevada, the Winter Consumer Electronics Show is held, over four days. [2197.21] [2395.14]

January

• At the Consumer Electronics Show, Intel releases the 2.4 GHz Core 2 Quad processor, and Xeon 3200 series in 2.13 GHz and 2.4 GHz speeds. [2301.24]

January 8

• In San Francisco, California, the Macworld Conference and Expo is held, over five days. [2197.21] [2248.49] [2304.95] [2395.14]

January 9

• At the Macworld Conference and Expo show, Steve Jobs announces that the Apple Computer company is changing its name to just Apple. [2301.24] [2338.28] [2379.40]

January 16

• Blizzard Entertainment releases the World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade game for Windows/Macintosh computers in North America and Europe. In the first 24 hours, about 2.4 million copies are sold, making this the fastest selling game in both areas. [2291.1] [2369.22,107]

January 30

• Microsoft releases the Windows Vista operating system for personal computers. [2338.20] [2379.26] [2380.29] [2386.11]

January 31

• Dell announces the resignation of CEO Kevin Rollins, and says Michael Dell will be back. [2340.62] [2380.33]

January (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. [2369.112]

February 5

• Apple Corps of the United Kingdom and Apple Inc. of the USA reach an accord on sharing the name "Apple". The Apple name will now be controlled by Apple Inc., with Apple Corps retaining licensing rights. [2340.31]

February 11

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA. A laptop computer is used for writing a story. [2295]

February

• Microsoft releases Windows Mobile 6 operating system. [2431.14]
• Michael Dell returns as CEO of Dell company. [2431.14]

February 23

• A Federal jury in San Diego orders Microsoft pay US$1.5 billion to Alcatel-Lucent for patent infringement of MP3 audio compression technology. [2381.32]

February (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. [2406.100]

March 1

• The Dominican Republic issues a 25-peso postage stamp depicting a computer and keyboard. [2466.72]
• Great Britain issues two postage stamps depicting a man at a personal computer. [2376.63]

March 4

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA. A personal computer is used to write a newsletter. [2296]

March 11

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA. A laptop computer is used by an accountant. [2297]

March

• In Seattle, Washington, Microsoft holds the Most Valuable Professional Summit. Microsoft announces it will terminate development of FoxPro. [2396.22]

March (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: The Sims 2: Seasons. [2407.120]

April 22

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA. A laptop computer with mouse and scroll wheel is used in a house to access the Internet. The Web browser indicates this is an Apple computer. An online game is played, "Earthland Realms". Another desktop computer is used to play the online game. [2351]

April 23

• The April 23 issue of Business Week magazine shows an office with a computer shown running "SOLITAIRE", a reference to the game included with Microsoft Windows. [2341.52]

April (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. [2408]

May 9

• Intel releases the 1.8 GHz Core2Duo Mobile T7100 processor, with 4 MB cache, and 800 MHz front-sidede bus. Price is US$209 in quantites of 1000. Model T7300 (2 GHz) costs US$241; model T7500 (2.2 GHz) costs US$316; and model T7700 (2.4 GHz) costs US$530. [2390.8]

May 13

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA. A desktop personal computer with keyboard and mouse appears. A snake sees the computer mouse transform into a real mouse, and it tries to eat the entire computer. "Clippy", the electronic paperclip mascot of Microsoft Office appears, asking the snake if it needs help. [2352]

May 14

• Business Week magazine publishes an article listing the World's 25 Most Innovative Companies. Number 1 is Apple, number 5 is Microsoft, number 19 is Intel. [2398.55]

May

• Intel releases the Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro computer platforms. [2389.7]

May 20

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA. A desktop and laptop computer appear. [2353]
• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA. A personal computer is used to access the Internet and send email. A personal computer with separate keyboard, mouse, and CRT monitor is used for hosting a live Webcam on the Internet. Another two computers view the show. [2354]

May 24

• Dell announces it will start selling its personal computers in retail stores, beginning with two models in Wal-Mart stores. Also, Dell begins offering systems pre-loaded with Ubuntu Linux 7. [2382.29] [2452.12]

May 30

• The conference D: All Things Digital is held in Carlsbad, California. Jeff Hawkins reveals the Palm Foleo handheld device. It features 10-inch screen, keyboard, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, runs Linux OS. Weight is 2.5 pounds; battery life last about 5 hours; price about US$600. Apple's Steve Jobs and Microsoft's Bill Gates appear on stage together. [2382.56] [2454.4] [2510.22]

May 31

• Dell announces job cuts of 10 percent over the next twelve months, a reduction of about 8800 employees. [2399.27]

May (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. [2409.104]

June 21

• Tunisia issues a 600m postage stamp for the Carthage Investment Forum, depicting a personal computer. [2428.88] [2529.637]

June 30

• To date, Microsoft has sold over 60 million licenses to Windows Vista. [2322]

June (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. [2410.104]

April-June

• Shipments of personal computers during the quarter: Apple 1.764 million. [2511.18]

July 16

• Intel releases the Core 2 Extreme Mobile X7800 processor, at US$851 in quantities of 1000. [2461.8]
• Intel releases the Core 2 Duo E6540 and E6550 processors, at US$163 in quantities of 1000. Model Duo E6750 costs US$183; model Duo E6850 costs US$266; model Quad Q6700 costs US$530; model Extreme QX6800 costs US$999; model Extreme Qx6850 (3 GHz, 8 MB cache, 1333 MHz front-side bus) costs US$999. [2461.8]

July 27

• Intel releases the 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo E6600 processor, with 4 MB cache and 1066 MHz front-side bus. Price is US$316 in 1000-unit quantities. Model E6700 (2.66 GHz) costs US$530; model X6800 (2.93 GHz) costs US$999. [2461.8]

July (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: World of Warcraft. [2432.128]

August 6

• BusinessWeek magazine publishes the Interbrand ranking of the 100 Best Global Brands. Number 2 is Microsoft, number 7 is Intel, number 33 is Apple. [2400.56]

August

• The lawsuit of SCO against Linux comes to an end. [2431.15]

August 20

• Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 6400+ processor, US$251 in quantities of 1000. [2462.8]

August 27

• Acer of Taiwan announces it will buy Gateway of the USA for US$710 million. [2322] [2401.26]

August (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: World of Warcraft. [2433.164]

September 8

• Cuba issues a 65c postage stamp depicting a person at a computer. [2524.69]

September

• Palm cancels the Foleo handheld computer. [2454.4]

September 17

• The European Court of First Instance rules that Microsoft must obey a 2004 order to share networking protocols and offer a version of Windows without a built-in copy of audio/video Windows Media Player, and pay a US$613 million fine. [2322] [2438.30] [2453.10]

September 23

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A "Restoration Software" store appears, with LCD monitors on a desk. [2466]

September 24

• The One Laptop Per Child organization launches the Give 1 Get 1 marketing plan. For US$399, a buyer will purchase two XO computers, receiving one in early 2008, with the other being sent to a child in Cambodia, Rwanda, Afghanistan, or Haiti. [2439.31]
• Business Week magazines publishes an article on The Best Places to Launch a Career. At number 6 is Microsoft. [2402.51]

September 30

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A personal computer appears. [2467]

September (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: The Sims 2: Bon Voyage. [2434.160]

July-September

• Worldwide shipments of perconal computers: 66.9-68.5 million. [2462.7]
• Market share of personal computer shipments worldwide: Hewlett-Packard 18.8-19.6%, Dell 14.4-15.2%, Lenovo 8.1%, Acer 7.9%. [2322] [2462.7]

(month unknown)

• Cuba issues two 75c postage stamps depicting a man and a girl at a computer. [2524.71]

October 15

• Belgium issues a postage stamp depicting a boy at a computer. [2467.54]

October 18

• Ubuntu releases the Ubuntu 7.10 Linux operating system. Code name during development was Gutsy Gibbon. [2455.6]

October 26

• Apple releases the Mac OS X "Leopard" operating system for Macintosh computers. Price is US$129 for a single user or $199 for up to five computers in a single household. (Sales in the first four days: 2 million copies.) [2322] [2441.8]

October 30

• Apple ships the 2 millionth copy of Mac OS X Leopard. [2462.10]

October (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: The Orange Box. [2435.104]

November 5

• Chile issues a 250p postage stamp depicting children at a computer. [2524.66]

November 6

• Netherlands issues a 44-cent + 22-cent postage stamp depicting a child and a computer. [2467.74]

November 11

• Intel unveils new processors using a 45-nanometer processor. Code name during development was Penryn. [2322]
• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A personal computer appears. [2468]

November 15

• Electronic Arts releases the SimCity Societies game for personal computers in the USA. Price is US$49.95. [2441.98]

November 19

• Advanced Micro Devices releases the Phenom 9500 processor, at US$251. Model 9600 costs US$283. [2463.8] [2546.59]

November 25

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A laptop computer appears, to be used to set off dynamite by its defective battery. The "Clippy" helper icon from Microsoft Office appears. [2469]

November 27

• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment releases the film Bender's Big Score on DVD in the USA. A personal computer of the future appears. [2486]

November (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. [2485.104]

December 7

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A laptop computer appears. [2470]

December 12

• Bolivia issues a 3b postage stamp depicting a personal computer in a classroom. [2538.64]

December (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. [2488.108]

October-December

• Shipments of personal computers worldwide: Dell 11.3 million. [2322]
• Market share of global personal computer shipments: Hewlett-Packard 19 percent, Dell 14.6 percent, Acer 9.6 percent, Apple Computer 5.7 percent. [2322]

Year

• Personal computer operating system market share: Apple Mac OS X 7.3 percent. [2544.14]
• Worldwide shipments of personal computers: 264 million. [2499.6]

2008

January 2

• China's Lenovo Group introduces three new IdeaPad notebook computers in the United States. One is for sale now for $799. The others will be released in coming weeks and months. [2322]

January 6

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. Laptop computers appear, on a pool table, in a bar. [2471]

January 15

• At Macworld Expo, Apple introduces the MacBook Air laptop computer. It features Core2 Duo processor, 2 GB RAM, fixed battery, no optical drive, USB and micro-DVI ports, iSight camera, 80 GB hard drive, 64 GB solid-state drive, 13.3-inch diagonal widescreen LED 1280x800 color screen, AirPort Extreme WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, full-size keyboard and trackpad. Battery life is 5 hours. Weight is 3 pounds; size 12.8 x 8.9 x 0.76 inches; price is US$1799. [2512.58] [2550.45]
• Microsoft releases the Office:mac 2008 office software for the Apple Mac computers in the US. price is US$400, or US$240 upgrade from a previous version. [2548.71]

January 27

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. Two personal computers appear, and Microsoft stock is shown. [2472]

January (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: World of Warcraft. [2489.95]

February 1

• Lenovo releases the ThinkPad X300 portable computer online to resellers. [2550.45]

February 26

• Lenovo launches the ThinkPad X300 portable computer. It features 13.3-inch 1440x900 pixel LED display, DVD drive; under 1-inch thick, about 3 pounds weight. [2550.20]

February 27

• The European Commission fines Microsoft 899 million euros (US$1.35 billion) for using high prices to discourage software competition, in defiance of a 2004 order from Brussels to provide the information on reasonable terms. [2322]

February (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: World of Warcraft. [2490.100]

March 1

• Time Warner AOL ceases support, development, and security fixes for Navigator. Last released version is 9.0.0.6. [2505.12] (February [2502.10])

March 2

• Intel announces the name for its new low-power microprocessor family: "Atom". [2322]

March 9

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A personal computer appears, used to play poker. [2473]

March 26

• Advanced Micro Devices unveiled the "Phenom" microprocessor for desktop personal computers. [2322]

March 30

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A personal computer appears, showing a Power Point presentation. Another computer appears in a bedroom. [2474]

March (month)

• Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: The Sims 2 Free Time. [2491.102]

April 2

• At the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai, China, Intel introduces the low-power Atom microprocessor, in speeds up to 1.86 GHz. [2322]

April

• At the CTIA conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, Microsoft launches the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system. [2436]

April 27

• Advanced Micro Devices unveils its first computer brand, AMD Business Class desktop personal computers, initially aimed at the small- and medium-size business market. The desktops include AMD Phenom X3 triple-core, AMD Phenom X4 quad-core, and AMD Athlon X2 dual-core processors. [2322]

April (month)

• Top selling computer game in the US for the month: The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff. [2514.96]

May 4

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A laptop computer appears, in writing a review of a film. [2475]

May 18

• The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A laptop computer appears, showing a coin web site. [2476]

May (month)

• Top selling computer game in the US for the month: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. [2515.92]

June 1

• Algeria issues a 15d postage stamp depicting a personal computer. [2538.59]

June 14

• In London, England, David and Richard Darling are made Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for their "services to the computer games industry". The brothers co-founded Galactic Software in 1982, and co-founded Codemasters in 1986. [2322]

June 17

• Mozilla releases the Firefox 3.0 web browser for download. 8.3 million downlaoads are recorded in the first 24 hours. [2322] [2500.14] [2501] [2506.9]

June 23

• Research firm Gartner estimates that the number of personal computers in use around the world has surpassed 1 billion. [2322]

June 27

• Last official day for Bill Gates at Microsoft. [2553.64]

June 30

• Last day of Microsoft making Windows XP available to PC makers. [2322] [2552.49]

June (month)

• Top selling computer game in the US for the month: Spore Creature Creator. [2516.108]

April-June

• Shipments of personal computer in the USA during the quarter: Dell 5.25 million, Apple 1.4 million, Acer 1.33 million. Total shipments: 16.5 million. [2497]
• Market share of laptop computer sales in the USA for the quarter: Apple 10.6 percent. [2537.30]

July

• Lenovo releases its first consumer desktop PC outside China, with the IdeaCentre K210 on sale in the USA starting at US$399.99. [2506.8]

July (month)

• Top selling computer game in the US for the month: Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice. [2517.116]

August

• Microsoft releases Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 Beta 2. [2528.12]

August (month)

• Top selling computer game in the US for the month: The Sims 2: Apartment Life. [2522.132]

September 2

• Google releases a test version of its new Web browser, Google Chrome. [2322] [2541.11] [2554.62]

September 7

• Electronic Arts releases the Spore game for Windows and Macintosh computers. [2477.24] [2519] [2520.2] [2522.128]

September (month)

• Top selling computer game in the US for the month: Spore. [2523.132]
• Personal computer market share: Apple Mac OS X 8.23 percent. [2542.14]

July-September

• Worldwide notebook computer shipments exceed those of desktops for the first time ever, 38.6 million units to 38.5 million. [2322]

October

• At the Professional Developers Conference, Microsoft first publicly demonstrates the Windows 7 operating system. [2518.3]

October 28

• Electronic Arts releases the Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 computer game for Windows computers. [2523.113]

November 17

• Intel releases the Core i7 processor. It features four processing cores, 64 KB L2 cache per core, 256 KB L2 cache, 45-nanometer circuitry, shared 8 MB L3 cache, 731 million transistors, 262 mm2 area. Code name during development was "Nehalem". Model i7-920 Extreme is 2.66 GHz and sells for US$284 in 1000-unit quantities. Model i7-940 is 2.93 GHz and sells for US$562 in 1000-unit quantities. Model i7-965 Extreme is 3.2 GHz and sells for US$999 in 1000-unit quantities. [2322] [2543.8,14]

November (month)

• Personal computer operating system market share: Apple Mac OS X 8.9 percent. [2544.14]

December

• Logitech ships its one-billionth computer mouse. [2543.7]

December (month)

• Personal computer operating system market share: Apple Mac OS X 9.63 percent. [2544.14]

Year

• World personal computer shipments: 292 million. [2556.9]

2009

January 8

• At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Palm debuts its overhauled mobile operating system, the Palm Web OS. [2322]

January 9

• Microsoft releases the Windows 7 operating system for beta testing. Downloading the software will be available until January 24. [2501]

January 28

• A Federal judge in Arizona rules that MDY Industries is guilty of copyright infringement for its Glider software which plays Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft online game unattended. [2539.16]

March 4

• Apple introduces new models of its iMac (24-inch iMac US$1199-2199), Mac mini (6.5x6.5x2 inches US$599+), and Mac Pro (US$2499) desktops. [2322]

March 19

• Microsoft launches the Internet Explorer 8 Web browser, following a year of public beta testing. [2322] [2545.11]

March 20

• South Africa issues a 2.05r postage stamp for "Ergonomics in the office" depicting a personal computer. [2547.54]

April 20

• Oracle announces it will acquire Sun Microsystems for US$7.4 billion. [2322] [2540.13]

May 13

• The European Commission slaps a record 1.06 billion euro (US$1.45 billion) fine on Intel for antitrust violations, and orders it to halt illegal efforts to squeeze out Advanced Micro Devices. The antitrust fine, imposed after an eight-year investigation, is the biggest the European Union's executive Commission has imposed on a company. [2322]

June 30

• Microsoft discontinues its Microsoft Money software. [2556.11]

July 22

• Microsoft releases Windows 7 code to PC manufacturers in the USA. [2322]

August 13

• A U.S. District Court in Texas orders Microsoft to stop selling the 2003 and 2007 versions of Word software in the United States in two months, and orders the company to pay US$290 million in damages to i4i Limited Partnership and Infrastructures for Information, a small Canadian firm that accused the software giant of violating its patents. [2322] (August 11 [2558.11])

August

• US 10th Circuit Court of Appeals rules Novell does not own copyright ownership of Unix due to error by judge in 2007 who awarded Novell ownership. [2557.11]

September 3

• US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit grants Microsoft a stay of injuction issues August against selling Word. [2558.11]

September 11

• The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturns a US$358 million damages award against Microsoft in a patent dispute with French telecoms equipment firm Alcatel-Lucent. The judge agreed Microsoft did infringe the patents, but said the damages awarded were not justified. [2501]

July-September

• Market share of US personal computer market: Apple 9.4 percent. [2322]

October 20

• Apple unveils new line of redesigned iMac (starting at US$1199), MacBook (4.7 pounds, starting at US$999), and Mac Mini (US$599) computers, with touch-based mice (no buttons, balls, or wheels) and edge-to-edge glass. [2322]

October 22

• Microsoft launches Windows 7 operating system. Price is US$199.99 for the Home Premium version, or US$119.99 for an upgrade from older versions. [2322]
• The first branded Microsoft store opens in Scottsdale, Arizona. [2322]