The word microcomputer means “small computer”. Since
microcomputers originally designed for personal use they are also refereed to as
personal computer or PCs. Due to advances in hardware technology,powerful PCs
have been developed since the 1980s. The essential characteristics of these microcomputers are:
- Small size and low cost
- One user
- Easy to use
- Low computing power
- Commonly used for personal application
There are different types of microcomputers. The popular
versions are the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh. Programs written for IBM PCs
cannot run on Apple Macintosh, and vice versa, because they use different
operating systems.
IBM Microcomputers
Apple Macintosh Computer