Microcomputer

A microcomputer is a complete computer on a small scale, designed for use by one person at a time. An antiquated term, a microcomputer is now primarily called a personal computer (PC), or a device based on a single-chip microprocessor. Common microcomputers include laptops and desktops. Beyond standard PCs, microcomputers also include some calculators, mobile phones, notebooks, workstations and embedded systems.

Smaller than a mainframe or minicomputer, a microcomputer uses a single integrated semiconductor chip for its central processing unit (CPU). They also contain memory in the form of read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM), input/output (I/O) ports, and a bus or system of interconnecting wires, all housed in a single unit usually referred to as a motherboard.

Microcomputer Application

Personal microcomputers are often used for education and entertainment. Beyond laptops and desktops, microcomputers can include video game consoles, computerized electronics and smartphones.

In the workplace, microcomputers have been used for applications including data and word processing, electronic spreadsheets, professional presentation and graphics programs, communications and database management systems. They have been used in business for tasks such as bookkeeping, inventory and communication; in medical settings to record and recall patient data, manage healthcare plans, complete schedule and for data processing; in financial institutions to record transactions, track billing, prepare financial statements and payrolls, and auditing; and in military applications for training devices, among other uses.

Microcomputers vs. microprocessors

A microprocessor is a computer processor on a microchip that contains all or most CPU functions. Microprocessors do not have RAM, ROM or other peripherals. As such, microprocessors cannot perform standalone tasks. Rather, systems such as microcomputers, which contain microprocessors, can be programmed to perform functions on data by writing specific instructions for their microprocessors into their memory.

A microcomputer can technically be described as the combination of a microprocessor and its peripheral I/O devices, circuitry and memory - just not on a single chip.

Microcomputers vs. minicomputers

While microcomputers generally refer to laptops or desktops, minicomputers were a variety of computer primarily used in the 1960s to 1980s. Minicomputers were larger than microcomputers - some stood more than 6 feet tall and weighted up to 700 pounds and boasted higher processing speeds at a significantly smaller size and price than mainframes and supercomputers available at the time. While microcomputers were often used at home and in the office, minicomputers were primarily found in academia, research labs and small companies, and they were used for word processing, accounting and teaching aids.

Digital Equipment Corporation's Programmed Data Processor-1, or PDP-1, was announced in 1960 and sold for $120,000 ($1,021,776 in 2018 dollars). Its descendent, the PDP-8, was introduced in 1965 and sold for nearly $18,500 ($148,022 in 2018 dollars). Considered one of the most successful minicomputers and first example of a commercial minicomputer, the 12-bit PDP-8 has been compared to the size of a small household refrigerator. Minicomputers did not contain microprocessors. In the 1980s, the minicomputer's prevalence declined as microprocessors became more powerful and available at lower cost.