HP 9100A
| Industry | Computer hardware |
|---|---|
| Founded | January 1, 1939 |
| Founder | Bill Hewlett, Dave Packard |
| Headquarters | Palo Alto, California , United States |
| Products | HP 9100A programmable calculator |
The Hewlett-Packard 9100A (commonly known as the HP 9100A) represents one of the pioneering programmable calculator devices introduced in 1968. Hewlett-Packard marketed it as a desktop calculator because, according to Bill Hewlett, branding it as a computer risked alienating customers who anticipated a machine resembling those from IBM.
An advertisement published in Science during 1968 is notable for being among the earliest instances where the phrase personal computer was utilized.
History
The development of the HP 9100A originated from a prototype created by engineer Thomas "Tom" E. Osborne, who joined Hewlett-Packard specifically to further this initiative.
This device marked a significant engineering achievement, employing logic circuits constructed entirely from discrete components rather than expensive integrated circuits. Equipped with a CRT display, magnetic card storage, and an integrated printer, it was sold at an approximate price of .
Performance-wise, the HP 9100A outpaced its contemporaries considerably—executing addition and subtraction operations in 2 milliseconds, multiplication in 22 milliseconds, and division in 27 milliseconds. It could also perform advanced calculations such as trigonometric functions in 330 milliseconds and logarithms in 130 milliseconds. These capabilities positioned it as the first modern scientific calculator and introduced Hewlett-Packard’s implementation of Reverse Polish notation (RPN) within their calculators.
Because of its resemblance in features and architecture to Olivetti’s Programma 101, including the use of magnetic card technology, Hewlett-Packard paid Olivetti royalties totaling approximately .
See also
External links
- HP 9100A Calculator (marketing brochure), 1968 – Available through the Computer History Museum
- HP 9100A/B – The Museum of HP Calculators
- Bell, C. Gordon; Newell, Allen. Computer Structures: Readings and Examples, McGraw-Hill, 1971, Chapter 20: The HP Model 9100A computing calculator, p. 243 [1]
- Interview with Tom Osborne by Steven Leibson