10 vintage computer reviews from the dawn of technology

 By 
Megan Hess
 on 
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Computer reviews from the dawn of technology

From the pages of Byte Magazine. RIP.

Chris Wild

1975-1986

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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable
The RGS kit sells for $375, making this one of the least expensive kits on the market - BYTE MAGAZINE, 1975
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The Commodore PET sells for $595 and includes a keyboard, video display, cassette drive and 4K of programmable memory. - BYTE Magazine, 1978
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable
Hewlett Packard's new $3,250 personal computer has 32K of read-only memory. - BYTE MAGAZINE, 1980
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The new ZX80 computer is a remarkable device, widely advertised as the first personal computer under $200. A kit version is available. - BYTE Magazine, 1981
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable
There was water and food in a brown paper sack, so I typed 'Eat the lunch and drink the water,' to which the computer responded with gratitude for satisfying its hunger and thirst. - BYTE Magazine, 1981
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable
The IBM personal computer sells for $4,385. Up to 256K of user memory may be installed. - BYTE Magazine, 1981
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable
The case of the Osborne 1 is weather-proof and can fit under an airline seat. It would be most useful to a business person. - BYTE Magazine, 1982
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The desktop metaphor and the mouse present attractive concepts, but a factor keeping down the mouse population has been the shortage of things to point at. - BYTE MAGAZINE, 1983
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Time and again I've seen individuals with little or no computer experience use the same words to describe the Macintosh — 'amazing' and 'fun.' The question is whether 'powerful' can be added to that list. - BYTE MAGAZINE, 1984
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable
A megabyte of memory for $999. This is a preview of the Atari 1040ST. It is NOT a review. We provide this because we feel the Atari 1040ST is significant. - BYTE MAGAZINE, 1986
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