Part 3: Technology in the 80's

Wham, Cyndi Lauper and Queen to mention a few, went global in the 80's but who would launch new tech products that would set the world alight with futureproof technology.

IBM launched the IBM PC 5150, starting the home PC market. Although primitive by today's standards, 64k RAM and 16-bit processor, it helped to kickstart a home computing revolution with software developers keen to make the most of these powerful new machines.

Nintendo's Game Boy and its release in 1989 cannot be underestimated. Suddenly gamers were no longer confined to their bedrooms and could take their entertainment wherever they wanted - even outside.

And with this came Tetris and Super Mario.

The Game Boy proved to be one of Nintendo's greatest launches.

Mobile phones are so ubiquitous these days that it's hard to imagine a time when no-one had a portable device capable of keeping them in contact with the world around them at all times.

The 1980s, with its iconic brick phones, can be seen as the start of the smartphone boom, with Motorola's DynaTac 800x, released in 1983, probably the most famous of the early handsets.?

VHS vs Betamax

Forget the Cold War, the conflict that really divided the world in the 1980s concerned how you watched your home videos.

Apple released the Macintosh.

First going on sale in January 1984, the original Apple Macintosh was designed by Steve Jobs, and named after colleague Jef Raskin's favorite variety of apple.

And lets not forget the ZX Spectrum.

The twin titans of the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 opened up a whole new world of gaming, with iconic titles still cited as inspiration by many studios and gamers today.?