People who grew up with the computers discussed in the Hall of Fame won't be surprised by the comparisons below, but for the more recent generations it might help to explain some of the challenges that were faced (and usually overcome) using these older machines. Even if it doesn't it should at least give an idea of how much things have changed in such a short space of time.
Memory
| Date | Memory | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1kB | The amount of memory in a Sinclair ZX81 |
| 1985 | 128kB | The amount of memory in a Commodore 128 |
| 1987 | 512kB | The amount of memory in a Commodore Amiga 500 |
| 1989 | 2MB | The amount of memory in an Atari TT |
| 2001 | 64MB | The minimum memory requirements of Windows XP |
| 2010 | 1GB | The average amount of memory in a small laptop |
| 2012 | 1GB | The minimum memory requirements for Windows 8 |
| 2013 | 6GB | The typical amount of memory in a consumer laptop |
| 2023 | 8GB | The typical amount of memory in a consumer laptop |
In just over 30 years, the amount of memory in a common home computer increased by a factor of six million! To run Windows 8 you need the equivalent of over one million ZX81s!
Storage
| Date | Memory | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 160kB | Everything written to audio cassettes (estimate based on a Sinclair ZX Spectrum saving to a C15 cassette) |
| 1985 | 150kB | The capacity of an Amstrad 3 inch floppydisk |
| 1987 | 360kB | The capacity of an original Atari STFM floppy disk |
| 1989 | 40MB | The capacity of an Apple Macintosh SE30 hard disk |
| 2001 | 1.5GB | The minimum disk requirements of Windows XP |
| 2008 | 16GB | SanDisk announce a 16GB SDHC flash memory card |
| 2007 | 1TB | Hitachi announce a 1 terabyte hard disk |
| 2008 | 8GB | The amount of onboard storage on a Nokia N85 mobile phone |
| 2012 | 32GB | The amount of onboard storage on a Google Nexus 7 tablet |
| 2014 | 32GB | Capacity of a cheap (less than £20) MicroSD card |
| 2023 | 128GB | Capacity of a cheap (less than £20) MicroSD card |
In those same 30 years, the amount of storage available to a home computer is two hundred thousand times larger! A MicroSD card can store the equivalent of more than 200,000 3 inch floppy disks or 800 Mac SE30 hard disks in a device not much bigger than than your fingernail! Imagine how much less power it requires too.