The fourth generation of computers (1971 – present) was ushered in by the invention of the microprocessor. The technology had advanced to the point where now thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip. What in the first generation of computers would fill an entire room could now fit in the palm of the hand.
The Intel 4004 chip (pictured here), developed in 1971 was the first microprocessor to hit the market. In 1981 IBM introduced its first home computer, and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh.
The fourth generation of computers brought about networks of computers and eventually the ultimate computer network – the internet. Fourth generation computers also saw the development of the GUI – Graphical User Interface as well as the mouse, other handheld input devices, and cloud computing.
Microprocessors are no longer the exclusive domain of desktop computers. Most modern appliances from the television to the refrigerator use microprocessors, and many can be networked. The microprocessor and the computer in general have truly become ubiquitous in modern society. We are always using a networked computer of some form, be it smart phone, tablet, portable media player, e-reader, notebook or desktop, we are living in an always online society. It seems the only think the computer can’t do is think for you.
Andre Pedraza's CSCI-120 Term Project 