U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for August 11

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 11: PERSONAL COMPUTER

Profile America — Sunday, August 11th.  The era of the personal computer made one of its biggest advances this week 32 years ago, when IBM introduced its model 5150 — which soon became known simply as the "PC."  There had been consumer models of computers for some years before, such as the Commodore, but the IBM machine marked a turning point. Previously, the company was famous for its pioneering, large mainframe computers, and even by 1984, barely over 8 percent of American households had personal computers.  Now, more than three-quarters of American households have computers, with the Asian population's figure reaching nearly 83 percent.  Over 93 percent of college graduates live in homes with at least one computer.  You can find more facts about America's people, places and economy from the American Community Survey at www.census.gov.

Sources:  http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/pc/pc_1.html
               U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use in the United States

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau