THE INTEGRATED CIRCUIT Whether using them to text talk or exchange e mail computers have IN SPACE become a foundation of communication throughout the world The integrated circuit and the Apollo space program which started in 1961 had an Computers are also embedded in everyday life in countless ways important relationship The Apollo Guidance Computer which had an integrated circuit that may be less obvious Many if not most household machines use helped navigate the spacecraft to the computer technology From washing machines to microwaves and moon Experts also say the need for better remote controls these devices incorporate computer technology technology for the space program pushed Outside of the house a trip to the grocery store getting cash from an faster advances for technology in everyday life Because research and development of ATM or taking public transportation all involve computers too new technology is so expensive some argue On a larger scale computers are an integral part of fields such as it might not have progressed so far and so fast without the financial input from NASA medicine business and science Consider a simple visit to the doctor's office where patient records are now computerized Most medical tests involve a computer at some stage in the process And computers now allow doctors to perform extremely delicate and complex surgeries In business computers are essential for record keeping and data processing It would be almost unimaginable to think of an office or store without a computer And the ways computers are involved in science would likely be impossible to count Computers are an important part of many industries and many classrooms use computers daily
THE SPEED OF INNOVATION Moore's Law is often mentioned in relation to computer innovation It is not actually a law Gordon E Moore is a cofounder of Intel Corporation In the 1970s he wrote a paper about his ideas on the speed of computer innovation He believed processing speeds or overall processing power of computers would double every two years This has proved true However some people in the technology industry question whether it will be true in the future They believe the speed of innovation will increase and happen even faster There is no doubt then that computers have transformed our lives And the speed and rate of this transformation can seem truly astounding Since the development of the integrated circuit components have been continuously improved This has led to faster data processing and larger capacity for storing information on smaller and smaller computers with a lower cost As one writer expressed in 1996 Today's computers are literally millions of times better than the first computers on almost all measures of this kind Presumably those millions in 1996 could be multiplied many times to describe the capacity of computers today
TIMELINE THE COMPUTER 1931 Vannevar Bush's Differential Analyzer an analog computer is built 1947 1944 1945 1958 The integrated circuit is invented The semiconductor transistor is invented The Harvard Mark I is built The ENIAC is built 1977 1984 1971 The microprocessor is invented 1975 Bill Gates and Paul Allen form Microsoft Three of the first personal Computers the Apple Commodore PET and TRS 80 come out The Apple Macintosh is introduced The IBM PC is released 1985 1993 2007 2008 2010 Microsoft Windows 1 0 is released The first smartphone Simon is introduced The Apple iPhone is introduced The first Android phone is released The Apple iPad is announced 15
