First "Desktop computer"
It is cliche to say the past 25 years had been a turbulent and exciting time for the computer technology and all of us as it's users. From the first text editor on IBM 286 in the office back in the 80s to the latest Smpartphone in your pocket - a paradigm in the way we work, play and interact had shifted. Here is a little reminder of what we had in mind when someone mentioned a computer in the 60's - when Google was just a word for a very huge number :)
Programma 101, was the first commercial "desktop computer".It was produced by Italian manufacturer Olivetti, based in Piedmont, and invented by the Italian engineer Pier Giorgio Perotto. It was launched at the 1964 New York World's Fair, volume production started in 1965. A futuristic design for its time, the Programma 101 was priced at $3,200 ($23,000 if adjusted to 2011). About 44,000 units were sold, primarily in the US. This is less than a new iPhone would sell in a day in 2013
The Programma 101 was able to calculate the basic four arithmetic functions like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, plus square root, absolute value, and fractional part. And if that was not enough to wow you, it would also clear, transfer, exchange, and stop for input. Any Facebook updates? Ummm, not so much...
