In 1975, a primitive machine called the Altair , was launched in the USA. It can properly be described  as the first 'home computer' and it pointed the way to the future. This was followed, at the end of the 1970s, by a machine name an Apple. In the early 1980s, the computer giant, IBM produced the world's first Personal Computer. This ran on an 'operating system' called DOS, produced a then small company named Microsoft. The IBM Personal Computer was widely copied. From those humble beginnings, we have seen the development of the user-friendly home computers and multimedia machine which are in common use today.