Essential Guide to Computing: The Story of Information Technology, The

Microprocessor Families

Developments in computer systems don't always follow logically from the underlying technology. In many cases, change is accelerated or slowed according to perceptions of the business environment. A brief description of the major microprocessor manufacturers will illustrate this relationship.

Intel Corporation

Intel, established in 1968, created the world's first microprocessor, the 4004, in 1971. Intel's founder, Robert Noyce, was a co-inventor of the integrated circuit, and a one-time protégé of William Shockley, one of the inventors of the transistor. Gordon Moore and Andrew Grove were other key principals of Intel from the earliest days.

Intel's first microprocessor was made under contract for a Japanese company that ...