Before the IBM PC, 8-bit computers were called microcomputers. After the introduction of the IBM PC, the term fell into disuse.
No it didn't. -- JasonGrossman
The term applies to any computer that doesn't take up a whole room.
Really? I thought it was pretty well limited to all computers built around a CPU that is implemented using MicroProcessors, usually no more than two (a main CPU and a floating-point coprocessor). Recall that the PdpEight, always held up as an example in these discussions, could fit on a desktop, although extras like DiskDrives and RAM (I think) were separate components and a whole kit might do a good job of filling a small room.
This was an unusual thing when the first microcomputers, the
AltairComputer,
ImsaiComputer, and Apple's
AppleOne and
AppleTwo were sold.
The Commodore 64 (
CommodoreSixtyFour) was the best selling microcomputer, with over 6 million sold in the US and twice that worldwide.
Other computers of that era include the
AtariComputer, the
RadioShack TrashEighty (TRS-80), the low-end
CommodoreVicTwenty, and the even lower-end
SinclairZxEightyOne.
Once computers like the IBM
PeeCee, the
AmigaComputer, and the
AppleMacintosh came out, people started calling them
HomeComputers and
PersonalComputers.