Sony 3.5-inch HD Floppy Drive
Sony Electronics announces the 3.5-inch floppy disk drive, double-sided, high-density, holding up to 1.44MB
The Microsoft Mouse
Microsoft introduces the Microsoft Mouse, a low-cost, hand-held pointing device for use with the IBM PC, as well as any MSDOS-based personal computer.
The Macintosh
Apple introduces the Macintosh, a computer using a mouse and a graphical interface.
WordPerfect
Satellite Software International introduces WordPerfect, a powerful new word processor for the IBM PC.
The Apple DuoDisk Floppy Disk
Apple Computer introduces the DuoDisk dual 5.25-inch floppy disk drive unit for the Apple II line.
The 68040
Motorola announces the 68040, a 32-bit 25Mhz microprocessor.
The Intel 80386
The Intel 80386 microprocessor features 275,000 transistors – more than 100 times as many as the original 4004. It handles data 32 bits at a time and multitasks, meaning it can run multiple programs at the same time.
CD-ROM drives
The first CD-ROM drives make their debut on PC’s, featuring a 650MB read-only capacity – enough for a 74 minutes of digital audio.
The Apple Unidisk
Apple Computer introduces the Unidisk 3.5 single floppy disk drive, with the capability to daisy-chain additional drives through it.
5.25″ Form Factor Hard Drives
5.25-inch form factor hard drives shrink considerably in terms of height. A standard hard drive measures about 3 inches and weighs only a few pounds, while lower capacity “half-height” hard drives measure only 1.6 inches high.
3.5″ Form Factor Hard Drives
3.5-inch form factor hard drives begin to appear. These compact units weigh as little as a pound and are about the size of a paperback book. They are first integrated into desktop computers, and are later incorporated into laptops weighing less than 12 pounds (5.4 kg).
The PrairieTek 220 Hard Disk
The PrairieTek 220 is released – the first 2.5-inch hard disk for portables. Capacity: 20MB spread over two platters, for a total of just over two volumes of Encyclopedia Britannica.
The Intel 80486 DX
The Intel 80486 DX makes point-and-click computing practical. The 486 is the first processor to offer a built-in math co-processor, which speeds up computing because it offers complex math functions from the central processor.
Linus Torvalds
A young student at the University of Helsinki, Linus Torvalds, releases a new UNIX variant, Linux.
SimCity
Maxis releases SimCity, a video game that helps launch simulation games as a new class of educational and entertainment software.
The GPS
US President Ronald Reagan issued a directive to make GPS (Global Positioning System) available to civilians. The first GPS satellite was launched headed by Roger Easton, the primary inventor of GPS.