A pinwheel mechanical calculator used for multiplying and dividing numbers. It could also be used to add and subtract, but these operations took more time compared to dedicated adding machines. While in production, several million units were manufactured. A notable predecessor to the Felix is the Odhner Arithmometer, which was commercially manufactured in St. Petersburg between 1890 and 1918.

Interesting fact

The arithmometer included a bell that acted as a carry flag, indicating counter overflow. The upper limit was 9999999999999 (13 nines), while the lower limit was zero. The bell rang if the final result was outside this range.

The arithmometer supported operations with non-negative integers up to nine digits long and could display the results of addition, subtraction, and multiplication operations up to 13 digits long. It could also display the results of division operations up to eight digits long. The average calculation speed in operations per hour was 115 when multiplying five-digit numbers by four-digit numbers and 85 when dividing five-digit numbers by four-digit numbers. The Felix weighs 6 kg with its case.

In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple, which was in turmoil at the time. The first computer released by Apple after Steve Jobs' return was the iMac. It was officially presented to the public on August 15, 1998. It was later renamed the iMac G3, after the PowerPC G3 processor that it used.

The computer boasted an extremely futuristic design conceived by Danny Coster and Jony Ive. The computer was designed as an all-in-one machine. It had a built-in CRT display with an egg-shaped enclosure made of blue semi-translucent plastic, which was dramatically different from the typical blocky design of the time. The color wasn't simply turquoise or "sky blue". Instead, the color was given its own name: Bondi Blue, for the color of sea waves washing over Bondi beach near Sydney.

The cutting-edge design philosophy was accompanied by state-of-the-art technology. Apple abandoned the 3.5-inch floppy disk and discarded obsolete ADB and SCSI ports in favor of the new USB standard. An internal modem and 100 Mbps Ethernet port provided access to computer networks and the internet, and a dedicated IR port was used to connect external devices, such as digital cameras. The mouse and keyboard were similarly designed with semi-translucent plastic and colored features. The keyboard was smaller than average and featured two USB ports for connecting the mouse and additional hardware. The shape of the mouse was radically reimagined and resembled a hockey puck.

Interesting fact

Steve Jobs once called the iMac mouse the most beautiful mouse ever created, but its puck-like shape was only comfortable for small hands. Professionals who used computers daily complained that the mouse was too uncomfortable to use. To get a feel for the mouse yourself, try moving the cursor around and opening a couple of applications.

Apple would continue to improve their first iMac until it was superseded by the iMac G4 in 2004. The new computer boasted a faster CPU, more RAM and VRAM, and a new slot-type CD-ROM in place of the typical tray-type drive.

Interesting fact

The range of available colors also rapidly expanded. In total, the iMac G3 was available in 13 colors. They included all the colors of the rainbow except yellow, as well as more extravagant patterns, like Blue Dalmatian (cyan with white spots).

iMac sales saved Apple from going bankrupt: the company sold six million units by the end of 2002.

Technical specifications

CPU: PowerPC G3 500 MHz
RAM: 256 MB
Graphics card: ATI Rage 128
Hard drive: 40 GB
Screen: CRT, 15 inch, 1024×768
Interfaces: two USB 1.1 ports, two Firewire 400 ports, Wi-Fi 11 Mbps, RJ-45 Ethernet port, 56 Kb modem
Operating system: Mac OS 8, 9, and 10

The successor to the extremely popular iMac (G3) computer, the "New iMac" was unveiled on January 7, 2002. It continued the revolution started by its predecessor. The flat LCD screen offered great colors and was mounted on an inconspicuous flexible arm: it was as if the monitor hovered in the air above the hemispherical system block. The compact body housed excellent high-performance hardware: a new processor that ran between 700 MHz and 1.2 GHz, an nVidia graphics card, up to 256 MB of RAM, and a hard drive with up to 80 GB. All of this made working with videos, music, and images an extremely smooth and user-friendly experience, which became the standard for the new millennium.

Interesting fact

Users would come up with all sorts of nicknames for the iMac G4, such as "desk lamp", " Jobs lamp", and "iLamp". The computer also resembled Luxo Jr., the table lamp featured in the production logo of Pixar, which Jobs was also an active member of. 

The iMac G4 was only available in ice white. However, the speakers, keyboard, and single-piece one-button mouse were usually semi-translucent. All of this made for a very memorable design.

The iMac G4 was one of the last computers to support Mac OS 9, which preceded the modern macOS that we still use today. The computer supported two operating systems simultaneously, allowing users to boot either one.

Technical specifications

CPU: PowerPC G4 1.0 GHz
RAM: 2 GB
Graphics card: nVidia GeForce 4 MX 32 MB
Hard drive: 80 GB
Screen: 15 inches, TFT LCD, 1024×768
Interfaces: three USB 2.0 ports, two
Firewire 400 ports, 54 Mbps Wi-Fi, RJ-45 Ethernet port, 56 Kb modem
Operating system: Mac OS X 10.5.8 Leopard

A desktop PC powered by the Intel 80486SX and produced by Siemens Nixdorf. Several factors made it stand out from its contemporaries with similar CPUs, such as the smaller case and completely passive cooling system (fanless) for the processor and power supply unit. Had it not been for the annoying hum of the disk drive, it would be considered extremely quiet even by today's standards.

Interesting fact

The low and wide form-factor was common for desktop PCs during the late 80s and early 90s. They were often jokingly called "pizza boxes". Data General's 1991 marketing campaign even had the slogan "Who just fit mainframe power in a pizza box?" Other computers with similar form factors included the SPARCstation 1 and the SPARCstation 5 by Sun Microsystems, the NeXTstation by NeXT, and the budget Apple Macintosh LC series.

Siemens Nixdorf was formed in 1990 after the merger of Nixdorf Computer AG and the Data Information Services (DIS) division of Siemens AG. The company produced operating systems, mainframes, servers, personal computers, monitors, and other technical products. Siemens Nixdorf was the largest IT company in Europe until 1998.

Technical specifications

CPU: Intel A80486SX-25 25 MHz, 600-1000 nm semiconductor device fabrication, 1,185,000 transistors
RAM: 4 MB
Hard drive: Conner CFA170A 170 MB IDE
Sound controller: Creative Vibra 16 ISA
Interfaces: two PS/2 ports, two COM ports, LPT port, VGA video output
Operating system: MS-DOS 6.22 and Microsoft Windows 3.1

The PlayStation console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment was released in Japan in 1994 and the rest of the world in 1995. The PlayStation is considered a fifth-generation console. Other fifth-generation consoles include the Sega Saturn (1994) and Nintendo 64 (1996). The PlayStation was a major hit as soon as it entered the market. The console sold 100 thousand units on its release day and two million more units over the next six months. It also sold 800 thousand units during its first four months on the US market.

Interesting fact

The PlayStation was the first console ever to break 100 million units sold.

The system's games came on CDs. The original discs were made of black plastic, which appeared transparent to the IR laser in typical CD-ROM drives. The CD-ROM drive checked if a game was licensed and stopped the system from running unofficial CDs. In addition to games, the PlayStation could play audio CDs. 

Interesting fact

By mid-2007, the PlayStation library of games and programs boasted almost eight thousand titles.

Two consoles could be connected via a serial port for multiplayer.

Technical specifications

CPU: 32-bit R3000A-compatible RISC MIPS 33.8688 MHz
RAM: 2 MB
Video memory: 1 MB
Optical drive: CD-ROM drive with double speed of 300 KB/s

The Sega Mega Drive is a fourth-generation 16-bit game console. The system launched in Japan in 1988, was released in the United States in 1989, and finally made its way to Europe, Australia, and Brazil in 1990. More than 30 million units were sold in total.

Interesting fact

The console was known as the Mega Drive in Japan, Europe, Australia, and Brazil, but was called Genesis in the US. The company had to rename the console in the US as the name "Mega Drive" was already trademarked by an obscure company called Mega Drive Systems. 

The Sega Mega Drive housed two processors: the Motorola 68000 was used as the CPU, but the system also had a Zilog Z80. The system had 72 KB of RAM and 64 KB of VRAM. Its games came on cartridges.

Interesting fact

1990 saw the launch of the Sega Meganet, a Japan-exclusive online service that allowed users to play some titles over a network, a full year before the launch of the World Wide Web. Users connected to the service using a special device called the Sega Mega Modem. The US was supposed to receive a similar device, but it was canceled.

In 1993, a compact version of the console was released. It was called the Sega Mega Drive II (Sega Genesis II), which contained a smaller motherboard. It lacked a headphone jack and volume control switch.

One of the most well-known pieces in the Atari lineup, whose PCs dominated the home computer market between 1979 and 1992 in the US and Europe.

The Atari 800XL was presented at CES in 1983 and became the most popular model in its series: the company sold more than 600 thousand units in just a year and a half. The computer included a cartridge slot and was also marketed as a gaming system. Other interesting features included a built-in BASIC interpreter, as well as parallel and serial ports, which allowed users to connect more than 10 devices to the computer at the same time. The keyboard included hybrid mechanical-capacitive switches, which made the keys travel smoothly and silently. Try it for yourself.

The hallmark of the Atari 800XL was its multimedia features. The system included dedicated chips (ANTIC, GTIA, POKEY, and PIA) for graphics, sound, and I/O, which allowed the developers to reduce the load on the CPU and use it for other purposes. The flexible architecture and boosted performance made the Atari 800XL a strong competitor to the other big players at the time, such as the Apple II and Commodore PET.

The Atari 800XL continued to be produced in Hong Kong and Taiwan until 1985, when it was finally superseded by the Atari XE series. Technical specifications

CPU: 8-bit MOS Technology 6502C 1.79 MHz
RAM: 64 KB, expandable up to 128 KB
ROM: 24 KB
Graphics: 320×192, 16 colors from a 256-color palette
Sound: POKEY chip, four channels
Operating system: built-in BASIC interpreter

Interesting fact

The serial port (Atari SIO — Serial Input/Output) was developed by an engineer named Joe Decuir, who also helped develop the USB standard. Some USB patents belong to Joe.

An 8-bit computer from America. The Commodore 64 made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling computer ever with over 15 million units sold worldwide.

One of the keys to the C64's success was Commodore's aggressive pricing policy. At the relatively low price of $595, the computer boasted vivid high-definition graphics output by its dedicated GPU, high-quality sound produced by a three-channel sound synthesizer chip, the ability to switch between a monitor and a TV, and a wide range of external hardware available on the market. Commodore produced all of its chips in-house, which allowed the company to keep their prices low. This strategy reduced the production cost of one machine to $135.

The Apple II couldn't quite keep up in terms of hardware, while the Atari 800 was too expensive to manufacture despite having similar specs. Commodore sold its computer through various retail chains: it occupied shelves of electronics stores, as well as appliance and even toy stores. The C64 was discontinued in April 1994.

Technical specifications

CPU: 8-bit MOS Technology 6510 900 KHz or 1023 MHz
RAM: 64 KB
ROM: 20 KB
Graphics: VIC-II, 320×200 resolution, 16 colors
Sound: SID 6581

Interesting fact

It's widely believed that a subculture now known as the "demoscene" was first formed thanks to the C64. The demoscene is a digital art movement that involves writing programs that output real-time visual effects in sync with music and follow a sort of plot or visual theme. As a hobby, demoscene rests somewhere between programming and art. It still exists to this day.

An unofficial clone of the Japanese Famicom console, which is known as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the US and Europe. The Dendy was first produced by the Taiwan-based TXC Corporation. The consoles were assembled in Taiwan from Chinese-manufactured components and then transported to former Soviet countries by the Steepler company. The supply of these consoles to the former Soviet bloc started nine years after the Famicom was released. The Dendy was exceptionally popular in Russia. 1994 saw 2-5 thousand units sold every day across the country. That same year, the manufacturing of Dendy consoles and cartridges was moved to the city of Dubna, near Moscow, and its Tenzor hardware plant.

The console cost $94 in 1992. The price was later dropped to just $20. You can still find and buy them today.

Technical specifications

CPU: UMC UA6527P 1.79 MHz (similar to the Ricoh 2a03 chip), compatible with MOS Technology 6502
RAM: 2 KB
ROM: paged memory, 8 KB per page, the number of pages depends on the cartridge
Graphics: 256×240, 16 colors from a 52-color palette
Sound: built-in pAPU, five channels

Interesting fact

Starting October 1994, the Russian TV channel 2x2 broadcast a Dendy-themed show called "Dendy: A New Reality" with reviews of games available for the system. The program's second season (1995-1996) was aired on Russia's main TV channel, known then as ORT and now called Channel One.

One of the most popular PCs in history and first released by Sinclair Research in 1982. The word Spectrum and the rainbow on the computer case were meant to hint that the system supports full color.

However, a full-color display is not the only feature that made the ZX Spectrum stand out from the company's previous releases. The computer had an improved keyboard and sound, as well as support for a selection of external hardware, including third-party products. The ZX Spectrum's simple design and engineering made it a target for a number of bootlegs that were popular in many counties at the time, even the Soviet Union.

The other factor that made the computer so popular was its vast video game library. As a video game machine, the ZX Spectrum was unparalleled on the market at the time. However, its true appeal lay in its low price of just $200.

More than one million units were sold during the computer's launch year and its lifetime sales totaled up to 5 million units. Serial production ceased in 1992, but the system is still being manufactured and supported thanks to its thriving community.

Technical specifications

CPU: Zilog Z80 3.5 MHz
RAM: 16-48 KB
ROM: 16 KB
Graphics: color, 256×192 resolution, 15 colors
Sound: beeper

Interesting fact

The ZX Spectrum still sees new game and application releases even to this very day. In fact, Yandex is holding a programming competition for the best game on the system called Yandex Retro Games Battle.

One of the most popular home computers released by Commodore. The computer case combined the motherboard, CD drive, and keyboard. It also included space for a hard disk. The Amiga 1200 cost $599 in the US.

Amiga computers were ahead of their time. The vibrant graphics and high-quality sound were handled by the expertly crafted AmigaOS, which boasted a multitasking and memory allocation philosophy similar to current macOS computers. The expandable and scalable architecture, along with great performance at a low cost made these computers giants on the market. The Amiga line was conceived for home use, but it also found popularity in the film and TV industries. These computers were used for creating 3D models, ad bumpers, graphics, and CGI.

However, despite Amiga computers being the market leaders of their time, corporate mismanagement lead Commodore to bankruptcy in 1994. It only took one and a half years for the computers to vanish from the shelves. Production was later rejuvenated by ESCOM, but the company lacked the necessary long-term strategy and resources: the developers and engineers who had a hand in creating the original Amiga computers were long recruited by competitions, and there were no company leaders to drive the brand forward. By June 1996, ESCOM also declared bankruptcy and production finally ceased forever.

Технические характеристики

CPU: 32-bit Motorola 68EC020 14 MHz, overclocked with accelerators
RAM: 2 MB, expandable up to 256 MB
ROM: 512 KB
Graphics: Lisa chip, 320×200 to 1448×566, palette up to 16.8 million colors
Sound: 8-bit Paula chip, stereo, four hardware channels
OS: AmigaOS 3.0–3.9, Minix, Debian Potato, NetBSD

Interesting fact

An earlier Amiga release from 1985 is considered the first mass-produced PC to include a mouse out of the box.

Professional video monitors equipped with a Sony Trinitron CRT tube. Primarily used for quality control in the film and TV industries with occasional use in medicine.

The monitors provide high-definition resolution and a high-quality color space, boast instant response times, and support a multitude of video signal types as well as any refresh rate, even the most uncommon. This is crucial for retro computers, as many of them employ very unconventional video standards from various countries of origin.

Recently, the Sony PVM and similar products received a surge in popularity among retro hardware enthusiasts. These monitors now enjoy a new life and are being supported by the community that made it its goal to preserve the history of the tech industry.

Interesting fact

Unlike most LCD screens, Sony PVM displays support the light gun used by the NES and its clones.