Throwback tech: what was hot in the world of tech 30 years ago

By Gary Elinoff, contributing writer

Ah, the 1980s: the time of MTV, rock stars with big hair, and the final death rattles of the Soviet Union and international communism. It was also a time of unprecedented technological progress and that saw the establishment of the computer as the fundamental tool of our daily lives. Let’s look back at what was technologically hot back in the ’80s and how the powerful echoes of these devices still affect us to this day. 

The IBM PC

The IBM PC. Image Source: computerhistory.org.

First up, the IBM Personal Computer, also known as the IBM PC. While it wasn’t the first computer that didn’t have to be housed in a separate room, it was the first to be built and consecrated by Big Blue itself, legitimizing the whole concept. It was created by a team of engineers and designers in Boca Raton, Florida, in the early 1980s. The rest, as you know, is history.

The first killer apps 

They were MS-DOS, Lotus 1-2-3, and Microsoft Word. MS-DOS was the operating system that ran the show — and what a show it was! Lotus 1-2-3 freed those in the know from the drudgery of arithmetic, and Microsoft Word turned every two-fingered klutz into a typist.

The Apple IIGS

The last of the venerable Apple II line, this 16-bit wonder was the first computer with color. The “GS” stands for graphics and sound, and it was the first Apple machine sporting a color interface, forever earning Apple its reputation as the computer for artists. This breakthrough device would have had an even grander past had Apple not essentially abandoned it in favor of its groundbreaking Macintosh. 

The first cell phone

The M2 Pocket Phone by Excell Communications. Image Source: ssplprints.com.

The M2 Pocket Phone from Excell Communications was the first cell phone small enough to fit in your pocket, and at £2,500, or about $3,700, it would be considered pricey today. At about 7 inches tall and 3 inches wide, it was the wonder of its day, as the only remotely similar devices available at the time were so much larger that they were only practical as automobile-based devices.

The Tomy Omnibot 2000

This robot, though state-of-the-art for the 1980s, didn’t sport artificial intelligence. Rather, movement commands initiated by the operator were recorded on a cassette tape and played back on command. It couldn’t run on two legs like today’s astounding robots can, but it could pour drinks — a very important attribute then, as now.

The Airbus A320

The Airbus 320A was one of a line of aircraft noteworthy in many respects. However, its main claim to immortality was that it was the first commercial aircraft deploying what is now known as a fly-by-wire flight control system. Based somewhat on the development of the Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter, this trendsetting plane translated the pilot’s commands into strings of ones and zeros that were transmitted digitally and reinterpreted at the flight control surfaces, such as the wing flaps, to control the operation of the aircraft. The days of hydraulic controls for top-of-the-line aircraft were over.

Time sure is flying. What tech do you remember from 30 years ago? Leave a comment below.