Computer Technology And Its Impact On Computer Capabilities

The early 1980’s were the real turning point in the prevalence of personal computers for home usage. What was once seen as an elite level piece of machinery used for military operations and mathematicians alike had now become one of many tools created for home use. A computer’s accessibility had increased tenfold, becoming available and attractive to casual users and enthusiasts alike, allowing for a rapid evolution of every aspect of a personal computer. Enthusiast level magazines such as “Byte”, a series of magazines published by McGraw-Hill dedicated to the technological advances of computer capabilities and their components, heavily influenced this trend in making home personal computers more popular. Byte especially pushed the educational value and entertaining qualities of a computer. Byte really painted the personal computer as a multi-feature tool whose utility expanded far past computations, and into a multimedia platform for equal parts creativity and logic.
The computer had a long standing status as a tool, being strictly business and to the point, performing necessary and calculated operations. The computer was far beyond the use of a typical white collar worker at the time, reserved for those whose job required it. The last thing a consumer would expect a computer to be was an entertainment device, but as a result of the plethora of knowledge computer-centric magazines like Byte provide, the applicability of the computer shifted from professional to home life. Byte mostly offered material on subjects only dedicated computer enthusiasts could understand, limiting their reach somewhat. The information available however, was profound in its nature, often detailing somewhat unexplored frontiers within the computer worl...

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...ossession for casual and enthusiast use alike. This is in part thanks to publications like Byte, which reinforce the utility of a personal computer. Byte also highlights the importance computers can play in the classroom, allowing a more efficient learning process. This opened up many new target demographics to computer manufacturers, in turn causing an exponential growth within many different capabilities of computers. Using this information, Byte really spun the computer into a personal device, fostering a new partiality towards computers from those who thought otherwise. The implementation of the computer into more areas than governmental use allowed the sheer population of those interested make a lasting impression on the computer industry, both through their contributions to the development process, and through the popularizing and the publicity of the machine.