Historical Look at Intel 486 CPU Announcement in 1989: Price, Performance, and Contemporary Analysis
By
jnord
Pure flour-power. Hearty enough to carry you through lunch.
Summary
The article looks back at the Intel 486 CPU announcement on April 10, 1989, examining contemporary reactions and analysis from tech publications of the time. It discusses the chip's initial high price of $950, the sixfold speed increase from 4.77 MHz to 33 MHz over 8 years, and analyst skepticism about whether such performance gains could continue. The piece also notes that the 'killer app' for the 486 didn't emerge until about a year after its release.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledIntel announced the 486 CPU at Comdex on April 10, 1989.
It was an expensive chip, priced at $950 each in quantities of 1,000.
Don't get used to the speed increase - one prominent analyst didn't expect the sixfold speed increase from 4.77 MHz to 33 MHz in 8 years to repeat.
The killer app for the 486 didn't come out until a year or so later.
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