Talk about a blast from the past! Two of the world’s first desktop computers over fifty years old are discovered during a house clearance in London
You may think your desktop computer is old, but that’s nothing compared to these ancient relics.
Two of the world’s very first desktop computers were discovered during a house clearance in London.
The accidental discovery revealed two of only three remaining Q1 computers in the world.
Although it is often overlooked now, the Q1 paved the way for the computers we have today when it was launched over 50 years ago.
Brendan O’Shea, head of Just Clear which discovered the items, said: ‘Never did I think we would find something so important in the field of technology and the history of computers.’
Two of the world’s very first personal computers, the Q1, were accidentally discovered during a house clearance in London
Employees from Just Clear, a waste management company, were clearing out a house in London when they discovered these incredible artefacts hidden under a pile of boxes.
The company says it tries to salvage or reuse as many items as possible, but initially had no idea what these items were.
Mr O’Shea says the team tried searching online for more information but were unsuccessful until he contacted a computer expert.
He says: ‘The computers were buried under a wealth of boxes and initially we thought they were two nice pieces of computer history from the 1970s.
“However, after consulting with our advisors and conducting research over time, we realized that we had in fact discovered two extremely rare items, only three of which are currently known to the world.”
Released in 1972, the Q1 is believed to be the first ever fully integrated desktop computer, powered by a single-chip microprocessor
Instead of being recycled, these incredible relics of computing history will now be displayed in an exhibition at Kingston University’s computer science department.
Mr O’Shea can be forgiven for not recognizing the Q1, as the device is now almost completely forgotten.
However, when the Q1 came onto the market in 1972, it was revolutionary.
Launched with Intel’s brand new 8008 processor, the Q1 may have looked like a typewriter, but it was the first fully integrated personal computer.
This means that all the computer hardware, such as the screen, keyboard and even the printer, was in one unit.
This was also the first ‘personal computer’ to run on a single-chip microprocessor.
Paul Neve, co-curator of the exhibition, says: ‘Without the Q1 Corporation there would be no PCs, no Macs, no Apple or Android phones.’
These incredible artifacts will now be on display in an exhibition at Kingston University’s computer science department
In fact, the Q1 preceded the very first fully integrated computers from IBM and Apple.
In 1977, the IBM Model 5100 was released and marketed as one of the world’s first “portable computers.”
In a now hilarious full-page ad, IBM proudly claims that the Model 5100, weighing 50 pounds (23 kg), was light enough to take anywhere.
Likewise, the first quarter was more than five years before Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak would build the first 200 Apple 1 computers.
However, upon release, the Q1 was extremely expensive and marketed primarily for use in office and professional environments.
In 1979 the Q1 sold for $20,500 (£16,295), the equivalent of $90,000 (£71,542) today. It seems like it’s mainly aimed at businesses
According to a 1979 edition of the Association of Computer Users’ ‘Benchmark Report’, the Q1 sold for $20,500 (£16,295) at the time, the equivalent of $90,000 (£71,542) today.
For comparison, the IBM 5100 costs between £7,217 ($8,975) and £16,000 ($19,975) and the Apple 1 for less than $700 (£556).
However, the reviewer also noted that the Q1 was “accessible and easy to operate for the novice.”
Mr Neve concludes: ‘The early pioneers in the 1970s and 1980s laid the foundation for today’s ‘everything’ device: the modern computer, which is so ubiquitous in everyday life.’
The exhibition with these computers runs until Saturday, February 17.
The exhibition features 60 different computers and gaming machines, including Atari, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, Amstrad, Commodore and the Dragon 32.
The Q1 computers will be offered for auction or sold privately after the free exhibition.