- October 20
- Apple Computer introduces the MessagePad 2100 handheld computer. It features Newton 2.1 operating system, 4.9 x 3.3 inch 480×320 pixel 16-shade grayscale LCD display, 4 MB RAM, stylus, two Type-II PC Card slots, four AA batteries. Size is 8.3 x 4.7 x 1.1 inches; weight is 1.4 pounds; price is US$999. [1173.56] [2605.202]
- The U.S. Justice Department asks a federal court to hold Microsoft in contempt of court because it may be forcing PC makers to distribute Internet Explorer as a condition of selling Windows 95. Microsoft is formally charged with violating the terms of the 1995 Final Judgement. The federal court is asked to impose on Microsoft a US$1 million per day fine until the company stops tying the browser with Windows. [1711.8] [1897.131] [674.16] [765.15] [775] [939.64] [1000.1,43] [1559] [1564.269] [1627.5]
- October 22
- Intel releases a 120 MHz mobile Pentium with MMX technology, designed for very small notebook computers. Price is US$177. [1559]
- October 23
- In Japan, NEC Computer releases 26 models of the PC98-NX series, its first industry-standard (Windows-Intel) personal computers. NEC also releases 15 new models in its proprietary PC98 series. [1559]
- October 26
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A missile is fired, with the “Intel Inside” logo on the outside. [1922]
- October 27
- Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 4.0 on CD-ROM for retail distribution. Price is US$49. [913] [1559]
- Intel and Digital Equipment settle the lawsuit launched by Digital in May. Intel will purchase Digital’s chipmaking plants for about US$700 million. Intel will fabricate Alpha processors for Digital, and will take over development of Digital’s StrongARM embedded processors. Digital will begin making servers and workstations based on Intel’s IA-64 architecture. Both companies will enter into a ten-year cross-licensing agreement. [674.1] [1559] [1741.112]
- (month unknown)
- SyQuest releases the SparQ 1 GB removable cartridge storage drive. Price is US$199 for internal EIDE connection or external parallel port connection. Price is US$99 for three cartridges. [1131.37]
- Nomai USA releases the Nomai 750.c 750 MB removable cartridge storage drive. Price is about US$300 for external parallel port connection, or about US$250 for internal SCSI-2 connection. Price is US$70 per cartridge. [1131.37]
- Digital Equipment makes a deal to sell its chip plant to Intel. [942.112]
- Franklin Electronic Publishers introduces the Franklin Rex-3-DS PC Companion PDA. It features Type II PC Card, two lithium batteries for about six months use, storage for 3000 contacts/tasks/appointments, 9 lines by 32 characters 1.3 x 2.1 inch monochrome LCD display, five buttons. Price is about US$180. [1158.114]
- Franklin Electronic Publishers introduces the Franklin Rex-1 PC Companion PDA. It features Type II PC Card, two lithium batteries for about six months use, storage for 750 contacts/tasks/appointments, 9 lines by 32 characters 1.3 x 2.1 inch monochrome LCD display, five buttons. Price is about US$130. [1158.114]
- Hewlett-Packard introduces the HP 620LX Palmtop PC. It features 16 MB RAM, 256-color 640×240 pixel 6.5-inch diagonal display, Windows CE 2.0, and lithium ion battery pack giving about 5.5 hours use. Price is about US$900; weight is 20.6 ounces. [1158.116]
- Nokia introduces the Nokia 9000i Communicator, combining handheld computer, digital cell phone, and fax. It features 4.5 x 1.4 inch LCD screen, QWERTY keyboard, GeoWorks operating system, Intel 24 MHz 386 procesor, and 8 MB RAM. Price is US$850-1000 plus monthly cell phone charge; weight is 14 ounces; size is 6.5 x 2.5 x 1.5 inches. [1158.116]
- Psion introduces the Psion Series 5 handheld computer. It features EPOC32 operating system, 5.25 x 2.0 inch 640 x 240 16-shade grayscale LCD display, 8 MB RAM, stylus, keyboard, CompactFlash slot. Two AA batteries power the unit for about 35 hours use. Size is 6.7 x 3.5 x 0.5 inches; weight is 12.5 ounces; price is US$699. [1173.56] [1158.120]
- 3Com introduces the 3Com PalmPilot Professional handheld computer. It features six buttons and LCD display, stylus, 1 MB RAM, and two AAA batteries giving about ten weeks use. Price is about US$370; weight is 5.7 ounces. [1158.120]
- Geofox introduces the Geofox-One Professional handheld computer. It features Psion EPOC32 operating system, 33.6 kbps PC Card modem, one Type II PC Card slot, about 25 hour battery life, 6.8-inch diagonal 640×320 monochrome LCD display. Weight is 13.7 ounces; size is 7.4 x 4.7 x 0.8 inches. [1158.114]
- Borland International releases Borland Visual dBASE 7 for Windows 95 / NT 4.0. Price is US$349.95. [1142.70]
- Quantum releases the Quantum Rushmore NTE 3000 storage device. It is a 268 MB solid state DRAM memory system, with a 17-mm IDE harddrive. Price is US$5832. [1142.70]
- Microsoft ceases selling retail copies of Windows 3.1. [800.43]
- Quote by Dell Computer chairman and CEO Michael Dell, when asked what he would do if he was in charge of Apple Computer: “I’d shut it down and give the money back to shareholders”. [1559]
- Hewlett-Packard introduces the HP 320LX Palmtop PC. It features Windows CE 1.1, 6.25 x 2.5 inch 640×240 pixel 16-shade grayscale LCD display, 4 MB RAM, stylus, keyboard, PC Card slot, CompactFlash slot, and is powered by two AA batteries. Size is 7,2 x 3.67 x 1.1 inches; weight is 15.6 ounces; price is US$499. [1173.56]
- November 3
- Umax Computer introduces the C500/240 Macintosh-compatible computer. It features 240 MHz PowerPC 603e, 3 GB hard drive, 24 MB RAM, CD-ROM. Price is US$1295. [1559]
- November 4
- Apple Computer announces a deal with CompUSA for a “store within a store” for Apple products in all 148 retail locations. [2605.292]
- November 10
- Apple Computer introduces the Power Macintosh G3 computer. It features 233 or 266 MHz PowerPC 750 processor, 66 MHz system bus, 4 GB hard drive, 32 MB SDRAM, 512 kB cache, 24X CD-ROM drive. Price starts at US$1999. [1193] [1205.36] [1559] [2605.134,292]
- Hitachi announces the SuperH SH-4 200 MHz processor. Performance is reported to be 360 MIPS. Price is US$40 in quantities of 10,000. Volume production is expected for summer 1998. [1559]
- Hewlett-Packard introduces the HP 360LX handheld computer. It features Windows CE 2.0, 8 MB RAM, 10 MB ROM, Hitachi 60 MHz SH-3 processor, 640×240 pixel grayscale display. Price is US$699. [1173.57] [1559]
- November 12
- Iomega announces it has sold ten million Zip drives. [1559]
- November 14
- The ANSI X3J16 and ISO WG21 C++ committee approves the latest C++ language draft, and submits it for official sanction. [1126.115]
- Intel releases a software work-around for operating systems to avoid hanging when encountering the “F0” bug. The bug affects Pentium processors with and without MMX. [1559]
- November
- Seagate Technology ships its 100 millionth disc drive, a Seagate Medalist 2.5 GB 3.5-inch hard drive. The drive is presented to the Tech Museum of Innovation in California. [227]
- Microsoft reports selling the 20 millionth Microsoft Office license. [1631.40]
- Casio introduces the Cassiopeia A-11 Plus handheld computer. It features Windows CE 1.0, 4.6 x 2.4 inch 480×240 pixel 4-shade grayscale LCD display, 6 MB RAM, stylus, keyboard, PC Card slot, and it runs on two AA batteries. Size is 6.9 x 3.6 x 1.0 inches; weight is 13.4 ounces; price is US$399.95. [1173.56] [1559]
- November 17
- The COMDEX trade show is held in Las Vegas, Nevada, over five days. 4718 exhibitors and 519,000 visitors attend. [953.202] [1466.244] [1573.43]
- November
- At the Fall Comdex show, Philips Mobile Computing Group introduces the Philips Velo 500 handheld computer. It features 16 MB RAM, 16 MB ROM, 75 MHz 3.3-volt 32-bit MIPS-based Philips PR31700 RISC processor, two AA batteries or a nickel-metal-hydride battery pack (lasting about 12-15 hours), 6.25-inch diagonal 640×240 pixel 16-shade monochrome LCD display, two Miniature Card slots, 61-key keyboard, 28.8 kbps modem, and Windows CE 2.0. Weight is 15.3 ounces; size is 6.75 x 3.75 x 1 inches; price is about US$640. [1124.56] [1158.112] [1186.60]
- At Fall Comdex, NEC Computer Systems Division of Packard Bell NEC announces the NEC MobilePro 700 handheld computers. It features 4-gray-scale backlit 7-inch diagonal 640×240 pixel display, Windows CE 2.0; 8 MB RAM, 33.6 kbps fax/modem, two AA batteries lasting about 30 hours, and keyboard. Size is 9.6 x 4.8 x 1.2 inches; weight is 24 ounces; price is US$699. [1158.112] [1173.56]
- At Fall Comdex, NEC Computer Systems announces the NEC MobilePro 750C handheld computers. It features color 7-inch diagonal 640×240 pixel display, Windows CE 2.0; 8 MB RAM, 33.6 kbps fax/modem, lithium ion battery pack lasting about 11 hours, and keyboard. Weight is 28.8 ounces; width is 9.6 inches; price is about US$1000. [1158.112]
- At the Fall Comdex, Sharp Electronics announces the Sharp Mobilon HC-4500C handheld computer. It features 6.5-inch 640×240 pixel 256-color LCD touch screen display, 16 MB RAM, 33.6 kbps fax/modem, one Type II PC Card slot, lithium ion battery pack, keyboard, and Windows CE 2.0. Price is about US$1000. [1158.112] [1559]
- At the Fall Comdex, Sharp Electronics announces the Sharp Mobilon HC-4000 handheld computer. It features 4 MB RAM, 33.6 kbps fax/modem, one Type II PC Card slot, runs on two AA batteries for about 25 hours, keyboard, and Windows CE 2.0. Price is about US$600. [1158.112]
- At the Fall Comdex, Sharp Electronics announces the Sharp Mobilon HC-4100 handheld computer. It features 12 MB RAM, 33.6 kbps fax/modem, one Type II PC Card slot, runs on two AA batteries for about 25 hours, keyboard, and Windows CE 2.0. Price is about US$700. [1158.112]
- November 18
- Cyrix shareholders approve a merger with National Semiconductor. Total value of the deal is US$550 million. [1559] [1634.60]
- November 19
- Hard drive maker Micropolis files for bankruptcy protection, indicating its intent to liquidate its assets. [1559]
- Bell Laboratories in New Jersey announces that it has developed a 60-nanometre MOS transistor that is five times faster and one quarter the size of current transistors. It also uses 60 to 160 times less power. [1000.1]
- November 25
- Toshiba announces it is discontinuing the Infinia line and pulling out of the consumer desktop PC market. [1158.81] [1559]
- (month unknown)
- Palm Computing introduces the PalmPilot professional handheld computer. It features Palm OS 2.0, 3.25 x 2.5 inch 160×160 pixel monochrome LCD display, 1 MB RAM, stylus, two AAA batteries. Size is 4.7 x 3.2 x 0.7 inches; weight is 6 ounces; price is US$369. [1173.56]
- Philips Mobile Computing Group introduces the Velo 1 handheld computer. It features Windows CE 1.0, 4.5 x 2.75 inch 480×240 pixel 4-shade grayscale LCD display, 4 MB RAM, stylus, keyboard, DRAM slot, Flashcard slot, ROM socket slot, 19.2 kbps modem, two AA batteries, rechargeable battery pack. Size is 6.25 x 3.75 x 1.0 inches; weight is 14.8 ounces; price is US$399.99. [1173.57]
- Sharp Electronics introduces the ZR-3500X handheld computer. It features Synergy operating system, 2.25 x 3.5 inch 320×240 monochrome LCD display, 2 MB RAM, stylus, keyboard, 14.4 kbps modem, two AA batteries. Size is 6.3 x 3.5 x 1.0 inches; weight is 11.8 ounces; price is US$399. [1173.57]
- Microsoft releases Office 97 Service Release 1. [1113.222]
- IBM’s Austin Research Lab runs the world’s first 1 GHz microprocessor. [1143.10]
- Over 77 million copies of Windows 95 are in use. [1125.5]
- Iomega begins shipping Jaz 2 GB drives. [946.150]
- Dragon Systems releases Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred Edition 2.0 for Windows, speech recognition software system. Price is about US$160. [1158.131]
- Elitegroup Computer Systems introduces the PowerSpec 1660 computer. It features 166 MHz Cyrix Media GX processor, 16 MB RAM, 1 GB hard drive, 12X CD-ROM drive, 1.44 MB floppy drive, 33.6 Kb fax/modem, two speakers, one PCI/ISA slot, Windows 95, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Money Home Banking, Microsoft Entertainment Pack. Price is US$499. [1092.72]
- Microsoft introduces the IntelliMouse mouse, with scroll wheel. Price is US$84.95. [1679.16]
- Apple Computer introduces the Apple MessagePad 2100 handheld computer. It features Newton 2.1 OS, 8 MB ROM with various applications, 4 MB DRAM, 4 MB flash RAM, optional 2-4 MB flash PC Cards, two Type II PC Card slots, 16-shade 4.9 x 3.3 inch display, four AA batteries, and a stylus. Weight is 22.4 ounces; size is 1.1 x 4.7 x 8.3 inches; price is about US$1150. [1158.103]
- Casio introduces the Casio Cassiopeia A-20 handheld computer. It features Windows CE 2.0, 8 MB RAM, 8 MB ROM, 6.2-inch wide 640×240 pixel 4-gray-scale display, keyboard, serial port, Type II PC Card slot, Compact Flash card slot, and two AA batteries or litium ion battery pack. Price is about US$600; weight is 15.2 ounces. [1158.108]
- December 2
- Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 4.01 Update Release. [913] [946.45] [1559]
- December 5
- Texas Instruments announces that it has created a manufacturing technique to create integrated circuits using copper wiring. This approach could lead to processors that are 10 times faster than today’s chips, while using less power. [1000.1]
- December 11
- US District Judge Thomas Jackson issues a preliminary injunction against Microsoft, requiring Microsoft allow Windows 95 licensees the option of not including Internet Explorer. The request for imposition of a US$1 million per day fine is turned down. [756.12] [765.15] [775] [939.64] [1000.1] [1462.94] [1559] [1564.276] [1711.9]
- December
- Manufacturers of 56k modems agree to cooperate on a common standard. [1626.48]
- Hewlett-Packard introduces the Vectra series of personal computers, with a base price os US$999. [1092.66]
- Microsoft releases Windows 98 Beta 3 to testers. [946.59]
- Opera Software releases the Opera v3.0 web browser. [932]
- U.S. market share for Apple Computer: 3.4%. [851.19]
- December 24
- Shareholders of Hayes Microcomputer Products approve the merger with Access Beyond. The merged company will be called Hayes Corporation. [1559]
- October-December
- Intel-compatible microprocessor market share during October to December: Intel 87%. [1444.9]
- Market share of Intel-compatible personal computer processors in the US during October to December: Intel 91.1%, Advanced Micro Devices 4.4%, Cyrix 2.7%, IBM 1.8%. [1575.52] [1627]
- Market share of personal computers in the US during October to December: Compaq Computer 19%, Dell Computer 9.9%, Gateway 8.3%, IBM 9.9%, Hewlett-Packard 6.8%, Apple Computer 3.4%. [1559]
- Year
- Software shipments in North America on DVD: 5.5 million units. [1608.12]
- Shipments of desktop personal computer operating systems in the USA during the year: 80 million. [1559]
- Personal computer market share in Canada based on sales for the year: Compaq 19.8%, IBM 16.0%, Dell 7.4%, Hewlett-Packard 4.8%, Toshiba 4.4%, Packard Bell NEC 4.4%, Apple Computer 4.1%, Seanix 3.0%, Sidus 2.5%. [1439.21]
- Market share of web browser software: Netscape Navigator 54.6%, Microsoft Internet Explorer 29.5%. [155.19]
- Shipments of handheld computers in the US for the year: 2.4 million. [792.28] [890.9] [1814.28] [1643.28] (3.1 million [839.28]) (2.6 million [945.232])
- Market share of handheld computers in the US during the year: PalmPilot 41%. [1643.28]
- Worldwide shipments of handheld computers for the year: 5.5 million. [945.232]
- Shipments of Windows CE devices during the year: 430,000. [1428.146]
- Worldwide shipments of PalmPilot handheld computers for the year: about 350,000. [890.9] (1 million [1559])
- Market share of handheld computers in the world during the year: Philips Electronics 2.9%. [1559]
- Desktop use of Windows operating systems: Windows 95 48%, Windows 3.x 48%, Windows NT 4%. [1142.57]
- Market share of x86 processor shipments: Advanced Micro Devices 7.5-10%. [1092.70] [1752.116]
- Market share of office software application suites: Microsoft Office 79%, Lotus SmartSuite 13%, Corel WordPerfect Office 5%. [1008.62]
- US shipments of CD-R drives for the year: about 2.4 million. [1158.152]
- US shipments of CD-ROM drives for the year: about 30 million. [1158.152]
- Shipments of notebook computers in the US during the year: Toshiba 1.2 million, IBM 785,000, Compaq Computer 777,000, Acer 505,000, Dell Computer 395,000, Packard Bell/NEC 267,000, Fujitsu 181,000, Hitachi 175,000, Gateway 173,000, Sharp 158,000, Apple Computer 129,000, Hewlett-Packard 106,000, Micron 90,000, Panasonic 59,000, AST 38,000, other 919,000. [1639.152]
- Worldwide shipments of notebook computers for the year: 13 million. [904.191]
- Shipments of personal computer operating systems for the year: Windows NT 4.0 13 million. [903]
- Shipments of personal computer printers in Canada for the year: about 1.6 million. [874.25]
- Worldwide personal computer unit sales during the year: Compaq 8.2 million, IBM 6.5 million, Dell 4.2 million, Hewlett-Packard 4.0 million, NEC 4.0 million. [1194.108]
- Market share of personal computer shipments worldwide during the year: Compaq Computer 13.1%, IBM 8.6%, Dell Computer 5.5%, Hewlett-Packard 5.3%, Packard Bell NEC 5.1%. [1559]
- 43 percent of US households have a personal computer. [1632.6]
- Total US households with a personal computer: 44 million. [1633.6]
- Worldwide shipments of personal computers for the year: 78-92 million. [835.10] [843.35] [947.101] [948.9] [1420.21] [1757.94]
- Worldwide non-Apple personal computer market share: Compaq Computer 12%, IBM 9%, Packard Bell/NEC 5%, Dell Computer 6%, Hewlett-Packard 5%. [948.9]
- Market share of personal computer operating systems worldwide during the year: Windows 95 69.4%, MS-DOS 10%, Windows NT workstation 9.2%, Mac OS 4.6%, Linux 2.4%, Unix 1%, OS/2 0.8%, other 2.7%. [1427.57] [1639.105]
- Market share of home personal computers in the US for the year: Packard Bell NEC 23.3%, Compaq Computer 18.8%, Gateway 11.1%, IBM 7.0%, Acer 5.9%, Apple Computer 5.0%, other 28.9%. [1748.108]
- During the year, 94.5% of personal computers and workstations were shipped with a Microsoft operating system. [929.53]
- Shipments of cable modems for the year: 200,000. [938.38]
- Shipments of personal computer operating systems for the year: Linux: 2.0 million. [175.64]
- Market share of desktop operating systems in the US: Windows 95/98 69.4%, Windows NT Workstation 9.2%, Windows 3.x (with DOS) 7.7%, Mac OS 4.6%, Linux 2.4%, DOS (IBM, Digital Research, Microsoft) 2.3%, Unix 1.0%, OS/2 Warp 0.8%, other 2.7%. [1427.54,58]
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