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The Most Influential Technologies Round 1: Desktop and Laptops

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The Most Influential Technologies Round 1: Desktop and Laptops

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The Most Influential Technologies Round One: Desktop and Laptops

Want to get tech fans fighting? Ask them to pick the 10 products that most shaped the industry. It’s an experiment we attempted earlier in the week, to fairly disastrous results. Since our very opinionated editors and analysts couldn’t whittle the list down to anywhere close to that number, we’ve decided instead to leave the voting up to you, the PCMag reader.

We’ve split our coverage up into five categories—desktops and laptops, software, cell phones, consumer electronics, and gaming. Each round, we’re offering up five products that we believe have had a profound impact on the industry as we know it. When we say “profound impact,” we don’t necessarily mean that they were the first (though in many cases they were). In some cases, the product is the first in its class to really capture the imagination of the development community or the public at large. We’ve got a pretty broad timeline here, as well. In fact, the first entrant in this first round was released in 1977.

Of course, “the most influential” is a fairly subjective title, so we expect that there will be a fair amount of debate, both in terms of our finalists and the winners. So please, if you feel that we’ve made any glaring errors on our list—or would just like to convince fellow readers to vote for your favorite candidate—please let us know in the comments.

Here we go with round one: Desktops and Laptops. Each slide features an image of the product and an explanation about why it was so important and influential. The poll is on the final page.

1. Apple II, 1977

Apple II, 1977

There’s no denying the Apple II’s impact on the industry—in fact, by most accounts, the system really invented the space. Largely designed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, the computer built on lessons learned from 1976’s Apple I, which was essentially a circuit board targeted at hobbyists, only 200 of which were actually created. The Apple II fared much better, with almost six million units sold in its various forms before Apple finally ended production on the line in 1993.

2. Commodore 64, 1982

Commodore 64, 1982

Introduced five years after the first Apple II, the Commodore 64 really brought home computing to a whole new level, thanks to a competitive price, a high level of customization, and distribution through non-traditional (at the time) sales channels like department and toy stores. The system was also at the epicenter of a massive enthusiast culture—one that still exists today in small pockets around the Web. The C-64 would go on to become the best-selling home computer model of all-time.

3. Apple Macintosh, 1984

Apple Macintosh, 1984

In the mid-80s, Apple reinvented the personal computer space that it had played such a large role in creating. The company certainly can’t be accused of underselling the system, heralding its launch with a $1.5 million Ridley Scott directed commercial that aired during that year’s Super Bowl. The original Macintosh offered a user-friendly graphical interface and introduced the mouse to a wide audience. The “1984” commercial was right on the mark with this one—it really was the beginning of a revolution.


Image via Wikipeda(Opens in a new window)

4. Toshiba T1100, 1985

Toshiba T1100, 1985

Where would be without laptops? Odds are we’d all be walking around with hunched backs from carrying around our desktops all day. Released in 1985, the Toshiba T1100 wasn’t the first laptop (That distinction is a little murky. The 24 pound Oborne 1 was the first “portable” to achieve some note of success.), but this system is generally considered the first mass-produced laptop. The Toshiba T1100 weighed roughly 9 pounds, had no internal hard drive (relying on floppies instead), and ran a pricey $1,899.


Image by Johann H. Addicks(Opens in a new window)

5. IBM ThinkPad 700C, 1992

IBM ThinkPad 700C, 1992

IBM had just launched its Personal Computer wing when it rolled out this 5.7 pound system. The company really hit it out of the park with its new ThinkPad line. The 700C was the first laptop with a 10.4 inch color screen. It also introduced the company’s perennial favorite TrackPoint pointing stick—a terrific solution for an industry attempting to figure out the ideal way to interface with portable systems. IBM set a high bar with this portable system.

6. Poll

Poll


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