The terms microcomputer and personal computer are interchangable, but PC which stands for personal computer- sometimes has a more specific meaning . In 1981. IBM called its first microcomputer the IBM - PC . Within a few years,Many companies were copying the IBM design, creating "clone" or "compatibles" that were meant to function like the original. For this reason, the term PC has come to mean the family of computers that includes IBMs and IBM- compatibles . The vast majority of micro computers sold today are part of this family. The Apple Macintosh computer, however, is neither an IBM compatible. It is another family of microcomputers, made by Apple computer. So it is accurate to say that a Macintosh such as the iMac is a personal computer. Even so , some people consider it misleading to refer to the "Mac" as a PC. this book uses the term PC as a simple abbreviation for personal computer, referring to both IBM - compatible models and Apple's Macintosh line.
One source of the Pc's Popularity is the rate at which improvements are made in its technology. Microprocessors, memory chips, and storage devices make continual gain in speed and capacity, while physical size and price remain stable or some cases are reduced. For example compared to the typical PC of ten years ago, machine of the same price today will have about ten times as much RAM, about 100times more storage capacity, and a microprocessor at least100 times as fast. What's more , many analysts believe that this pace of change will continue for another 10 to 20 years.
One result of increasing Pc power is that the differences among mainframes, minis and microcomputers are not as great as they once were. In fact , the processing power of PC's often rivals that of current mainframes are still popular because they can handle the input and output needs of many users at once, so they are still the right choice for the massive databases that many people need to systems is their reliability. Mainframes are known for their robustness and ability to handle tremendous loads without failing.
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