Intel Advertises the 4004 Microprocessor
Intel publicly introduced the 4004 microprocessor through an advertisement dated November 15, 1971.
Published · Updated · 1 min read
The Event
Intel publicly introduced the 4004 microprocessor through an advertisement dated November 15, 1971. The chip was part of a system initially developed for a calculator project.
The Wider Story
Putting a central processing unit on a small integrated circuit helped open new possibilities for programmable devices. The 4004 worked with supporting chips rather than functioning as a complete computer on its own.
Putting the Event in Perspective
Its importance should not be simplified into the claim that one chip instantly created personal computing.
Reading the Historical Record
Later processors, memory, software and manufacturing developments all contributed to that transformation.
About the Historical Recreation
The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: a magnified illustrative 4004-era chip on an electronics workbench, no modern circuit boards. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.
Sources
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