After all, for many of them, it was their first entry into the world of computers.
New billionaire Maxim Nogotkov, 35, also comes from the world of computers.
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" Sold in shopping malls and discount stores and not just small computer stores -- the norm for the time -- the C64 became many people's gateway into the world of computers, said Brian Bagnall, author of "On the edge: The spectacular rise and fall of Commodore.
They looked at the world of mainframe computers run by professional programmers and thought, anybody can have this.
Only in the world of personal computers could a company like Apple, essentially a has-been reduced to a miniscule market share, introduce a throwback model distinguished only by a differently colored plastic box, and have it treated by the media as if it was a history-making event.
It is the only country in the world where sales of computers and mobile phones are still booming.
Just look at what Intel has done to Advanced Micro Devices over the past 12 months: Thanks to a salvo of new processor designs--and a cutting-edge manufacturing process--Intel has grabbed 76.3% of the market for the "x86" processors that power most of the world's computers in the final quarter of last year, up from 74.4% during the year-ago period, according to Mercury Research.
Just look at what Intel has done to Advanced Micro Devices (nyse: AMD - news - people ) over the past 12 months: Thanks to a salvo of new processor designs--and a cutting-edge manufacturing process--Intel has grabbed 76.3% of the market for the "x86" processors that power most of the world's computers in the final quarter of last year, up from 74.4% during the year-ago period, according to Mercury Research.
Vizio , the maker of flat-screen TVs, is leaping into the world of smartphones and tablet computers.
And if the plans of Apple's rivals in the world of Windows-based computers are any indicator, Apple should by all rights be ready to make another leap into entertainment-oriented hardware.
In a 2011 article for the scholarly journal Science, researchers Martin Hilbert and Priscila Lopez estimated that the entire processing power of the world's stock of general-purpose computers in 2007 more or less equaled that of one human brain (about 6.4 quintillion instructions per second -- the standard measure of computer speed).
Tens of thousands of extremely bright people are crouched over their computers around the world every hour of every day tracking the latest cyberthreats and countering them in near real-time.
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The hardware is based on the kind of x86 processors found in most of the world's computers.
Intel chips currently power as much as 85% of the world's computers.
Its reputation has also been damaged by a proliferation of viruses which exploit vulnerabilities in the firm's software, run on most of the world's computers.
Microsoft's Windows operating system is on more than 90% of the world's 1 billion or so personal computers, of which around 80% are powered by Intel chips.
The processors run the vast majority of the world's computers.
Analysts say Linux and other open source software pose a growing threat to Microsoft's dominant Windows operating system, which is used on more than 90% of the world's computers.
All around the world, tens of millions of computers under the control of cybercriminals, and, unknown to their owners, are used to send spam, distribute malware, and carry out identity theft.
Last quarter, Intel's manufacturing edge helped it grab 76.3% of the market for the "x86" processors that power most of the world's computers, up from 74.4% during the year-ago period, according to Mercury Research.
In April 2006, Intel Chief Executive PaulOtelliniPaul Otellini announced a restructuring effort that led to more than 10, 000 layoffs and a renewed focus on the so-called x86 processors that power most of the world's computers.
The company was also told to give rivals more information about how Windows works, so they can make their own software integrate better with the operating system that runs some 90% of the world's computers.
Intel also delivered stronger-than-expected guidance for its current quarter, putting to rest fears that the weakening economy was taking a toll on the company that cranks out the microprocessors powering most of the world's computers.
In April 2006, Intel Chief Executive Paul Otellini announced a restructuring effort that led to more than 10, 000 layoffs and a renewed focus on the so-called x86 processors that power most of the world's computers.
One exception to the rally Thursday was the technology sector, after market research firm IDC reported world-wide shipments of personal computers fell 13.9% in the first quarter, the biggest decline since the reporting of quarterly numbers started in 1994.
Since the beginning of the decade, cybercriminals have increasingly used malicious software to hijack unwitting PCs, turning about 20% of the world's computers into "zombies" that can be controlled and collected by the thousands into subservient criminal armies, according to research by security firm Trend Micro.
More than half of the world's silicon chips and 85% of its personal computers are assembled in Asia.
The problem: While Intel makes a mighty fine central processing unit (CPU)--its Centrino 2 and Core 2 products can be found in most of the world's laptop and desktop computers--the company has stumbled repeatedly when it has tried to break out of that market.
Big caveat, of course: sales of PCs, particularly in the developed world, have stagnated as sales of smartphones and tablet computers are booming.
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They're risking the ire of distributors and dealers who sell most of the world's personal computers.
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