When inexpensive microcomputer systems first became widely available in the late 1970s, many people predicted that soon there would be a computer system in every home.
After all, computers are useful tools, and look what happened in the case of other great inventions, such as the car, phone, and television. We are still far from a society in which every home as a desktop personal computer system.
However, those brainy little microcomputer and memory chips that are used to make desktop microcomputers are finding their way into scores of other products purchased for personal use. Following are several examples.
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Electrical Gadgets :
Today almost everybody uses a variety of electrical gadgets- television sets, stereo systems, videocassette recorders (VCRs), washing machines, cameras, phones, kitchen appliances, and so on. Increasingly these products are coming packaged with built-in microprocessors and solid- state memories that provide a variety of special functions.
The electronic Proponents in your VCR, for instance, enable you to “program” the stereo system provide features such as “quartz tuning” and let you save your favorite radio stations in memory for easy access through push buttons Electronic processors and memories in kitchen appliances can accept instructions, store them, and perform them according to a designated timetable.
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Computerized Cars :
The car is one product that has been enhanced in a variety of ways through built-in microprocessors and memories. Some of the earliest microprocessors were employed as control mechanisms, for instance, as regulators in electronic ignition systems.
Lately they have been employed in a variety of more “exotic” applications, and it is not unusual for a car to have over two dozen electronic chips of one form or another.
In fact, creative use of micro computing gadgets within cars is becoming a major selling point of cars themselves.
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Computerized Homes :
Today homes all over the world are being built with computer-controlled devices that greet and identify visitors, monitor and water your lawn while you’re away, and automatically regulate the temperature in your home.
Although the potential for this type of microcomputer application seems far-reaching, it is limited by the reality that many people want their homes to reflect an ambience in which computers play no part.
Personal Robot Servants :
Although most robots today are utilized to perform dangerous work in factories, personal robot servants are also being built and marketed for the home. A few “robot stores” have even sprouted up to sell robot kits or fully assembled robots to the public.
Home robots are still very much in their infancy, but some now can perform acts once thought impossible, such as greetings specific people by name and busing snacks to people around the house.
Home Banking and Shopping :
Electronic funds transfer (EFT) systems have long existed. The earliest systems enabled funds to be wired between banks. Later came the automatic teller machine.
Most recent to the scene are home-computer-based communication packages and services that enable you to make transactions at banks, brokerage houses, travel agencies, and/or retail stores.
Today the promise of home banking and shipping remains unfulfilled, although some industry observers see both of these applications as future giants.
Cottage Industries :
We are living in an age where information- the very thing that computers are best at producing- has become a highly salable commodity.
As business related computing products continue to drop in price, it is likely that many more of them will be used to create or enhance home-based businesses, cottage industries.
To some extent, this phenomenon has been observed with the availability of powerful desktop microcomputer systems.
The feasibility of home-based businesses has also been fueled by technologies such as desktop publishing, “personal copiers,” inexpensive facsimile machines, modems, laptop computers, and satellite dishes.