Looking at the Evolution of the Computer - Adapting the Bull-Curve Diagram

[The Bell-Curve Diagram I created to show a basis for the evolution and popularity spread of the computer.]

The invention of the computer can be laid out following the bell-curve diagram. In 1822, the English mathematician Charles Babbage developed a steam-driven calculating machine that computes a table of numbers. This was later followed by Alan Turnings invention of a device that was capable of computing anything that is computable. This is what our current computers are based on. These all fall under the exploratory phase, but Turning's invention is what really drove more research and production to go underway leading to the second phase. The take off began later in 1970 when people got excited about many companies advancing to develop their own version of the computer. People saw the spread that started with the workplace, and suddenly wanted in on the action to work from home. In 1984 the first Apple computer, the Macintosh, was launched with 128kb memory whereas the modern computers have 8 million kb (a serious upgrade!) This began the curve or the tipping point, where more and more people had an easier access to getting a computer and an early majority had jumped at the chance once they realized the convince and time saved. This later led to the adaptation of the MacBook Air in 2008, which was a light and thin laptop that included high-capacity battery. The late adopters or the saturation phase was around 2014 when over 80% of the adult population, according to the Computer History Museum, had a computer in their household.



[https://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/computers/].



Lastly, it brings us to today in 2019 where the maturation stage has kicked in and the percentage for computers in households has grown and even babies, kids, and even grandparents have their own devices! I believe that some overall disadvantages to the computer are that overuse could make a person physically weak or lazy, eye-strain from the monitor, wasted time when sucked into other activities outside of work/tasks, and sitting at a computer for long periods of time can cause your blood circulation to become poor due to less activity. Though overall, the benefits of Internet/search access, increase in productivity, and connection to people all over, truly makes it worth it and I know its success will continue to rise with the coming years.