For thirty years, a computer was something only governments and corporations could own—an entire room of machinery. Newt tells how that changed in 1975, when a $439 kit computer on the cover of Popular Electronics inspired a Harvard student named Bill Gates and an HP engineer named Steve Wozniak to imagine something radical: a computer anyone could own. From Microsoft's garage-built software to Apple's Apple II to IBM's industry-legitimizing PC, this episode traces how outsiders—not the institutions running the computer industry—saw what was coming and put computing power directly into ordinary people's hands.

<p>For thirty years, a computer was something only governments and corporations could own&mdash;an entire room of machinery. Newt tells how that changed in 1975, when a $439 kit computer on the cover of Popular Electronics inspired a Harvard student named Bill Gates and an HP engineer named Steve Wozniak to imagine something radical: a computer anyone could own. From Microsoft's garage-built software to Apple's Apple II to IBM's industry-legitimizing PC, this episode traces how outsiders&mdash;not the institutions running the computer industry&mdash;saw what was coming and put computing power directly into ordinary people's hands.</p>

Join Newt Gingrich, former U.S. Speaker of the House and Ph.D. historian, for the most diverse, informative, and entertaining podcast available. Every episode is an education.

<p>Join Newt Gingrich, former U.S. Speaker of the House and Ph.D. historian, for the most diverse, informative, and entertaining podcast available. Every episode is an education.</p>

Newt's World

Episode 1022: Greatest American Inventions — The Personal Computer

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/213ff15c-3b9e-4915-9496-b4980151e930/transcript