What are we looking at?
 

Invented in 1969 by John Phillip Ray and Austin "Gus" Roche, two engineers. The world’s first personal computer that used cassette tapes as software launched in San Antonio, TX. The datapoint 2200 was designed as a programmable terminal to stand alone as a computer, allowing it to connect to various mainframes. Initially using a multi-chip CPU design which later influenced x86 architecture (a widely used computer architecture for central processing units). The multi-chip architecture of the 2200 laid the groundwork for later microprocessors, particularly the Intel 8008. The 2200 was originally marketed as a programmable terminal, capable of emulating other terminals by loading various terminal emulations from tape - there are two cassette tape drives built into the top of the system for loading, saving programs and data making it easier to store and update information.

 

The historical significance of the artifact?
 

The Datapoint 2200 Computer laid the foundation for personal computers. It wasn’t just used by engineers but also everyday people. Datapoint computer also came with typewriter-like keyboards to have some familiarity for people that were used to typewriters back in the 1970’s. Along with a monitor for user interaction being the first of all computers. Cassette tapes were also used for drives for data storage, revolutionizing data recording and retrieval. Datapoint 2200's multi-chip CPU served as a foundational model for the x86 architecture which became critical for the development of the original IBM PC and all its later versions shaping the technology that would transform personal computing.

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