Today I want to share a couple of very nice vintage computer ads that I found in an old issue of Personal Computer News. Unfortunately the magazine has no year of issue printed on it, but the magazine is from the early 80′s. I have used this in several of my presentations and especially the technology focused crowds find it amusing.
This ad is for an Aquarius computer. The specs alone can yield laughter among techies:
These are the specs of an average packet of biscuits today.
However, the most optimistic part of the ad clearly shows the problem of marketing computers:
My god, I want one of those. According to the marketing I would be able to connect my iPod, my mobile and my PDA into this one! That’s what I call future proof.
The slogan “With Aquarius you won’t get left behind” down to the left in the ad puts it all into place. The people that are lucky enough to own an Aquarius today won’t need this: “Help for the left behind”.
So – for the people that find the internet impressive. How about this:
“ACT Sirius 1 linked with telex puts the world at your finger-tips.”
Or this laptop. A custom made suitcase for your micro computer (that’s what they called them back in the 80′s).
I’ll promise to post back here if I find other marvels like these in my archives.
EVERYTHING looked better in the seventies and eighties. Somewhere at my grandma’s place I have two boxes of my dad’s old BYTE mags. I believe they are of vintage circa 1977-1982. I’m sure I can find something even fututreproofer in one of them!
It’s so cool to know that the chime my mobile phone makes when I get a new SMS, takes all the memory available on the Aquarius x 20.
I think the kids got something more advanced inside a chocolate egg the other day.
August 25th of 1983 is a Thursday (magazine says ‘Every Thursday’).
It also says ‘Vol 1′ and this page lists the magazine as 1983-1986: http://tv.cream.org/specialassignments/topshelf/arjcomp.htm
Cool. 1983 seems right. Thank you for your brilliant research!
[...] Some fantastic vintage computer ads Whatever happens in the future it will fit into this space [...]