A history of the microcomputer industry in 300 adverts

Solve the "Which microcomputer to buy" puzzle in six easy moves

There's nothing quite like an advert without a photo of the thing you're selling to really promote it, although this one does at least feature a custom Rubik's cube. That's maybe because this appears...

There are spreadsheets and spreadsheets. And there's Multiplan

Multiplan was part of the wave of spreadsheet software that followed on from the release of VisiCalc for the Apple II in 1979. It had been written in such a way that it could be easily ported, and so...

Intertec offers the warranty your first computer should have offered

Intertec - based in Columbia, South Carolina, US - had been founded as a terminal manufacturer in 1973. It then launched its Z80-based SuperBrain micro in 1979, which seemed to be everywhere throughout...

Personal computers from Fujitsu. Japan's leading computer manufacturer

Founded in 1923 as a joint venture between Furukawa Electric Co. Limited and Seimens of Germany, originally as a telecommunications company, Fujitsu was part of the much-feared Japanese invasion of the...

The ORB Microcomputer from ABS Computers

Possibly the funkiest-looking microcomputer ever built, the Orb from ABS Computers of Brighton came in one of eight possible colours, including orange which, according to PCN, made it look twice as hideous....

The Xcalibur portable: The Apple IIe-based system for people on the move

This is another advert for an official Apple clone from the days before Apple changed its mind and decided it wasn't going to allow such things. Rather than a straight-up Apple II clone, like 1980's...

To get the most out of your new computer, you really need to use your feet

The SX-64 "portable" wasn't a new idea as there had been similar attempts at luggables in the past, for instance the Digital Group's Mini Bytemaster - although this did have a much larger screen. However,...

The new Argus Pro-personal. Above all, a true 16-bit computer

Ferranti was a major UK-based electrical engineering firm which had been established in 1885. It had built its first computer in 1951, but was perhaps more well-known in the microcomputer industry as...

PC 20: Now you can master a business computer in just a few simple steps

This advert is almost an epitaph for Commodore as well as the whole early micro industry since the first "modern" personal computer, Commodore's own PET. From those first few machines through the explosion...

The Comart Communicator: One computer system that won't sink in to obsolescence

One popular theme that ran through microcomputer advertising throughout this era is that of a simmering paranoia about being "left behind". This was, of course, understandable as things were rapidly...

Triumph Adler makes it all refreshingly simple with the Alphatronic micro

Triumph-Adler, originally of Germany, was first bought out by the US Royal Typewriter Co. in 1969 and then, more implausibly, by German car-giant Volkswagen, which acquired a majority stake in 1979. ...

Every week, more and more people like you are going to work with an Osborne personal business computer

The Osborne One was designed by Lee Felsenstein, who had designed Processor Technology's Sol computer back in 1976, and was heavily influenced by Alan Kay's NoteTaker concept at Xerox PARC. It was launched...

As your company goes places, will your computer grow with it?

It's another advert for the Alpha Micro, not to be confused with the Alphatronic Micro produced by Triumph-Adler. The AM-1062 model shown in the advert was an upgrade to the original Alpha AM-100 -...

Microframe - Future-proof computing systems from under £3000

With a futurist "space cargo"-style modular box construction, the "future proof" Microframe seemed to live up to its name. Although not directly billed as an IBM compatible, it did use an Intel 8088...

The new British Minstrel with Winchester drive

This machine and advert is such a spectacular throw-back that it had to be included. It's for the "New" British Minstrel, as produced by the oddly-named Hotel Microsystems Limited of London - a name...