You wouldn’t necessarily call the HP-85 a portable computer, but the 20-pound case was definitely a huge step towards the laptops that HP sells today – and a sign of the easy upgradability you expect in desktop PCs today.These machines had modest performance, but considering it was 1980, people were more than willing to buy one for about $3,200.
As you may have guessed from the picture, the HP-85 personal computer was a totally self-contained, portable system for both technical professionals or the beginning small-computer user. The HP-85 was based on an 8-bit microprocessor and combined an alphanumeric keyboard, CRT screen, thermal printer tape drive unit, user read/write memory and a ROM operating system in one portable package. It had 32K ROM and 16K RAM.
In short, it was “Designed for Today and Tomorrow….whether you’re in science, engineering, industry or business.” The idea of an upgradable machine was a big selling point back then.
What else happened in 1980?
There were a number of advances – though you might not think some of them as life-changing – in 1980. I know a number of people who spent entire allowances on Pac-Man. In 1980, Pac-Man (a.k.a. Pakkuman in Japan) first gobbled pellets. Rubik’s Cube is first sold as a brain-bending toy.
And then there were some serious events. Mount St Helens blew its top in Washington State. Ronald Reagan got elected to office in Washington. Unfortunately, John Lennon was assassinated in Central Park. The USSR invaded afghanistan and the US protested by boycotting the 1980 Olympic Games. This is also the year CNN first introduced the 24-hour news cycle when it was first established in 1980.
Via: h20435.www2.hp.com
The analyst firm found that sales of colour toner across EMEA rose 2.7 per cent year on year, counter to the overall collapse of the print and consumables market seen last year.“Demand for colour toner was kept afloat by a number of factors,” said IDC in a statement.“Ongoing colour adoption in the office continued despite the economic slowdown, and many businesses are believed to have used extensively internal production of colour marketing collaterals during the economic slowdown to reignite sales.”
OEMs with a high proportion of colour in their toner consumables offering did somewhat better than rivals, especially as colour lasers are increasingly being adopted through managed services contracts. There is also relatively little competition from third-party providers, according to IDC senior analyst Mario Lombardo.“Colour toner third-party providers have come a long way in recent years, developing decent-quality products,” he said.“However, complexity of compatible colour toner development and high investments required in the process make the majority of third-party providers still focus on low-end monochrome products.”
Overall, the toner consumables market in EMEA is expected to recover this year, with a 3.4 per cent compound annual growth rate predicted until 2014. Colour is 25 per cent of the total toner market, but this share is tipped to expand.“We expect the overall colour toner market to be further boosted by growing availability of cheaper compatible colour offerings,” added Joanna Pupkowska, EMEA programme manager for consumables at IDC.“Naturally, this trend will also be strongly triggered by a general transition to colour devices in office space.”
Via: channelweb.co.uk
Dell is committed to becoming the greenest technology company on the planet. We are reducing our environmental impact by designing energy-efficient products, undertaking responsible manufacturing and running easy-to-use recycling programs. Environmental considerations are built into every stage of the Dell product lifecycle. Our measures start with development and design, span manufacturing and operations and continue across customer use and product recovery.
Other environmental measures at Dell include increasing our use of recycled-content paper and paper certified by the US Forestry Stewardship Council.
One of the most direct ways we can reduce our impact on the environment is by helping our customers recycle their computer equipment – either to make the most of devices that still work, or to dispose of old equipment responsibly. By doing this, we help prevent waste and pollution.
Dell is a global industry leader in recycling. In 2006, we became the first technology company to offer free recycling of its products to consumers anywhere in the world – with no exceptions. In 2006, our product recovery programs nearly tripled – growing 264 percent. Dell is the first computer company to offer no-charge worldwide computer recycling for its products. As a result, we dramatically expanded our consumer recycling programs. Dell’s goal is to recover 125 million kilograms of discarded product by fiscal year 2010 through asset recovery programs. Since introducing its computer recycling service to Australia and New Zealand in 2004, Dell Australia has helped customers reuse and recycle more than 800 tonnes of computer equipment.
For more information about Dell’s sustainability activities, please refer to the Dell Sustainability Report located at www.dell.com/environment.
Via: acseducation.edu.au