Personal Computer Day

What Is Personal Computer Day?

September 28th is "Personal Computer Day" (パソコン記念日, Pasokon Kinenbi) in Japan. It commemorates the release of NEC's personal computer, the "PC-8001," on September 28, 1979. The PC-8001 is known as the machine that sparked Japan's personal computer boom. NEC's own official records simply give the release as "September 1979," so the specific date of September 28 is the widely circulated account.

From "Maikon" to "Pasokon"

When the PC-8001 appeared, small computers for individuals were generally called "maikon" (short for microcomputer).

• Priced at 168,000 yen: The keyboard and main unit were built into a single case weighing about 4 kg. It was sold as a finished product that needed no assembly.
• About 250,000 units in total: Around 250,000 PC-8001 units had been shipped by the time sales ended in January 1983, and a large range of software and peripherals was created for it.
• "Personal computer" up front: The PC-8001 was advertised with "personal computer" as its headline label, and it became Japan's representative personal computer of the early 1980s.

The Series That Followed

NEC went on to release the PC-8800 and PC-9800 series. The PC-9800 series in particular was widely used by Japanese companies and schools through the 1980s and 1990s, and helped bring personal computers into everyday use in Japan.

Fun Facts About Personal Computers

• What "PC" means: "PC" stands for "personal computer," and the name PC-8001 itself carries the idea of a computer for individuals.
• Moore's Law: The rule of thumb that the number of transistors on a chip doubles roughly every two years, proposed by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore.
• A world of 0s and 1s: Inside a computer, text, images and sound are all handled as combinations of 0 and 1 (binary).
• The OS as a foundation: An operating system (OS) is the software foundation that applications run on.
• Posture and breaks: For long hours at a computer, it is recommended to adjust screen height and seating and to rest your eyes and body regularly.

Ways to Spend Personal Computer Day

• Tidy up your desktop and delete files you no longer need
• Learn one new keyboard shortcut for something you do often
• Check that your important data is backed up
• Share memories of the first computer you ever used with colleagues or family

How One Computer Changed the Way We Work

September 28th is a day to look back on the history of personal computers in Japan, which took off with the release of the PC-8001. Computers that once belonged only to companies and research institutions are now indispensable tools for both work and daily life. Why not take a moment today to tidy up the computer you use every day and make your working environment a little more comfortable?