10 Old-school computer ads that prove just how far tech has come

Computers have come a long way since their birth in the earlier part of the 20th century. 

Still technology is rapidly advancing . The traditional desktop computer still exists, but more and more people use laptop computers so they can take them absolutely anywhere today. Intel is even releasing a Compute Stick that contains a quad-core Atom processor, 32 gigabytes of storage, 2 gigabytes of RAM, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support — yes, a full Windows 8.1 PC on a stick. 

Even if you don’t have a conventional computer, tablets and smartphones possess so much computer functionality that you’re not missing out on much if you have one of those. 

If you want a good idea of how far they’ve actually come, skim through these computer advertisements that have been put out in newspapers and magazines through the years.

1. The $3398 Hard Disk you’ve been waiting for…

2. Lotus brags about the Magellan 2.0 “search” feature in the 1990s.

3. You can see what you’re going to print before you print it.

4. The OSBORNE 1 was a fully functional computer system the size of your briefcase.

5. What in the name of Adam do people do with Apple Computers?

6. Honeywell introduces an ad pondering what exactly “e-mail” is. We don’t have to ask that question today. “Tomorrow’s automated office will clearly include Electronic Mail.”

7. Penril modems are sexy? 

8. Sony invents the 3.5-in. drive technology that has taken floppy disk memory all the way two megabytes!

9. “The Microsoft Mouse lets you move the cursor freely and naturally then execute commands at the push of a button.”

10. Apple provided the public with an in-depth Macintosh introduction in a 1984 Newsweek Advertising Insert. The company shows off its cut-and-paste feature below.

Bonus: Watch the commercial below for the IBM 5100 First Portable Computer from 1977.