A computer designed for use by one person at a time. Personal computers do not need to share the processing, disk, and printer resources of another computer. IBM PC–compatible computers and Apple Macintoshes are both examples of personal computers. Acronym: PC.
(PC) Another name for microcomputer. The term is also used, more specifically, to mean the IBM Personal Computer and computers compatible with it.
The first IBM PC was introduced in 1981; it had 64 kilobytes of random access memory (RAM) and one floppy-disc drive. It was followed in 1983 by the XT (with a hard-disc drive) and in 1984 by the AT (based on a more powerful microprocessor). Many manufacturers have copied the basic design, which is now regarded as a standard for business microcomputers. Computers designed to function like an IBM PC are IBM-compatible computers.
In the US 1994, $8 billion was spent on PCs—only $0.3 billion less than was spent on televisions.
A small computer based on a microprocessor; SYN. PC, microcomputer.