First PC versus current 2010 smartphone
This topic came up yesterday and I was intrigued by what some quick research showed.
My first PC was an IBM JX, circa 1985. My new smartphone is a HTC Desire. And now to the numbers:
| Item | PC JX | HTC Desire smartphone |
| CPU speed | 4.7 MHz | 1000 MHz |
| ROM | 96 KB | 500,000 KB |
| RAM | 0.5 MB | 576 MB |
| “Disk” storage | 1 MB | 16,000 MB |
| Screen resolution | 640 x 200 | 800 x 480 |
| Screen colours | 16 | 16. Well… 16 million. |
| Price (approx AUD) | $2500 | $650 |
Then there’s Ethernet, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, 3D graphics acceleration, ‘mouse’, touch screen, multi-tasking…okay I can stop there.
Notes:
- “Disk” storage: Non-volatile data storage (survives with power off) My JX used diskettes. No hard drive (!) Maxed out at 2 x 360 Kb (3”) + 1 x 360 Kb (5”) drives. So about 1 MB total. Desire supports user-changeable microSD cards. I have 16 GB.
- JX had a special 720 x 512 graphics mode, but only in 2 colours (!).
- JX screen was physically bigger, of course.
This wasn’t my first computer, I deliberately said “first PC”. I can’t quite recall, but I think the first one I used regularly was a Commodore 64, but I don’t think it was mine; maybe one of the brothers’ (?) A bit later, I know I then paid for a Commodore Amiga. Pre-dating both of these, I’m sure someone had a Sinclair ZX-81 that I used to briefly tinker with, maybe a neighbour.
