- July 20
- Intel introduces the 1.1 GHz Pentium M Ultra Low Voltage 733 processor. Price is US$262 in 1000-unit quantities. [1559]
- Intel introduces the 1 GHz Pentium M Ultra Low Voltage 723 processor. Price is US$241 in 1000-unit quantities. [1559]
- Intel introduces the 1.4 GHz Pentium M Low Voltage 738 processor. Price is US$284 in 1000-unit quantities. [1559]
- Intel introduces the 900 MHz Celeron M Ultra Low Voltage 353 processor. Price is US$161 in 1000-unit quantities. [1559]
- July 27
- Microsoft releases Service Pack 1 for Office 2003, containing bug fixes and stability improvements. [1559]
- July
- Hewlett-Packard introduces the HP rz1715 iPAQ handheld computer. It features 203 MHz Samsung processor, and 25 MB RAM. Price is US$279.99. [1608.90]
- Hewlett-Packard introduces the HP h6315 Phone Edition iPAQ handheld computer. It features Wi-Fi / Bluetooth / GSM / GPRS voice networking support, Texas Instruments 168 MHz processor, and Windows Mobile 2003 Software For Pocket PC - Phone Edition, 3.4-inch transreflective TFT screen, integrated 640x480 pixel camera, 64 MB SDRAM, 64 MB flash memory, integrated keyboard. Size is 4.68 x 2.95 x 0.73 inches. Price is US$599.99. [1608.90]
- July (month)
- Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: City of Heroes. [1560.32]
- (month unknown)
- Alienware introduces the Area-51 ALX computer. It features 4 GHz Intel Pentium 4 (overclocked from 3.6 GHz processor), PCI Express architecture, liquid cooling. Prices start at US$5400. [1609.6]
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- OQO releases the OQO model 01 portable computer. It features 1 GHz Transmeta Crusoe TM5800 processor, 256 MB RAM, 20 GB hard drive, Silicon Motion Lynx 3DM graphics processor, 5.1-inch transflective LCD 800x480 display, Bluetooth and 802.11b wireless communications, Microsoft Windows XP Professional operating system, keyboard, TrackStik digital pen, USB 1.1 port, FireWire port. Price is US$1999; size is 4.9 x 3.4 x 0.9 inches; weight is 1 pound. [1622.55]
- August 3
- id Software releases the Doom 3 game for Windows computers in the US. [1545.34] [1552.60] [1568.72]
- August 4
- Thailand issues a 3-baht postage stamp promoting the Information Technology program, depicting a personal computer keyboard and monitor. [2529.492]
- August 6
- Microsoft releases Windows XP Service Pack 2 to computer manufacturers. [1557.16] [1784.75] [1897.133] [2318.38]
- August 7
- Microsoft releases the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 operating system. [1897.133]
- August 9
- Sharp Systems of America introduces the LL-151-3D 15-inch LCD TFT display, using a parallax barrier to provide 3D images without the use of special glasses. Price is US$1499. [1559] [1608.7] [1619.26]
- August
- At the LinuxWorld trade show, Hewlett-Packard announces the nx5000 notebook computer in the US. It features Centrino processor, Novell SuSE Linux operating system, OpenOffice suite, DVD player, CD writer, wireless and Bluetooth support. Prices start US$1140. [1608.6]
- August 16
- Microsoft releases the Microsoft Works 8 software. Applications include word processor, spreadsheet, database, email, calendar, standalone dictionary, and PowerPoint slide viewer. Price is US$49.95. [1559] [1621.40]
- The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejects ten patent claims of the University of California, in a review of the patent for how a Web browser opens plug-in applications. [1559]
- August 18
- Microsoft releases Windows XP Service Pack 2 for automatic updates. [1559]
- August
- Advanced Micro Devices demonstrates its first x86 64-bit 90-namometer dual-core processor. [1610.44]
- Apple Computer begins shipping the 2.5 GHz Power Mac G5 computer. [1903.23]
- August 31
- Lindows changes its company name to Linspire. [1559]
- At the Apple Expo in Paris, France, Apple Computer announces the Apple iMac G5 computer. It features 17- or 20-inch color LCD display, 1.6 or 1.8 GHz PowerPC G5 processor, 256 MB RAM, 512 KB L2 cache, 80 or 160 GB hard drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW or DVD-R SuperDrive, 64 MB NVidia GeForce 5200 graphics, 10/100 BaseT Ethernet, three USB 2.0 ports, two FireWire 400 ports, AirPort. The 2-inch thick display contains the computer components. Price range is US$1299 to $1899 (919-1349 pounds Sterling). [1559] [1621.28] [1910.188] [1918.204] [2320.46]
- August (month)
- Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: Doom 3. [2421.38] [2526.88]
- (month unknown)
- Hewlett-Packard releases the HP iPAQ hx4700 handheld computer. It features 4-inch VGA color LCD display, touch pad, 624 MHz Intel processor, Pocket PC operating system. Weight is 6.6 ounces; price is US$649. [1621.40]
- Hewlett-Packard releases the HP iPAQ rx3715 handheld computer. It features 1.2-megapixel camera, and Pocket PC operating system. Price is US$499.99. [1621.40]
- September 1
- Logitech introduces the Logitech MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse, the first commercial mouse to use an invisible laser to detect movement. It features 800 dpi resolution, 5.8-megapixel-per-second image processing rate, ten buttons, scroll wheel, 21-day battery charge. Price is US$79.95. [1559] [1609.7] [1620.46]
- September 10
- Screen Gems releases the film Resident Evil: Apocalypse in the USA. A Sony VAIO laptop computer appears. [1997]
- September 14
- Electronic Arts releases The Sims 2 game for Windows computers in the US. (One million copies are sold in the first ten days.) [1559] [1560.36] [1568.74] [1649.166] [2175.25] [2423.11]
- September
- In San Francisco, California, the Intel Developer Forum is held. Intel demonstrates a dual-core processor. [1609.102] [1610.43]
- September 26
- Yemen issues three postage stamps depicting computer chips and a computer. [2529.1083]
- September 28
- Research In Motion announces the BlackBerry 7290 handheld computer in the US. It features GSM/GPRS wireless networking, color screen, 32 MB flash memory, 4 MB SRAM, Price is US$149. [1559]
- September 30
- The U.S. Patent Office issues a preliminary rejection of Microsoft's patent on the File Allocation Table (FAT) used in DOS and Windows since 1981. The agency rules that the ideas for FAT would have been obvious based on existing inventions at the time. [1559]
- September (month)
- Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: The Sims 2. [1563.34] [2527.84]
- July-September
- Shipments of handheld computers during July to September worldwide: Windows CE-based 1.3 million, Palm OS-based 850,000, Research In Motion 565,000. This is the first quarter for shipments of Windows-based handhelds to exceed Palm-based handhelds. [1559] [1612.7]
- Market share of x86 personal computer processors in the USA during July to September: Intel 81.9%, Advanced Micro Devices 15.8%. [1559]
- Market share of personal computers worldwide during July to September: Dell 17.9%, Hewlett-Packard 15.9%, Lenovo 8%, Acer 3.6%. [1559]
- Market share of personal computers worldwide during January to September: Dell Computer 16.4%, Hewlett-Packard 13.9%, IBM 5.2%, Fujitsu 3.8%, Acer 3.2%, Toshiba 3.2%, NEC 2.6%, Gateway 2.2%, Lenovo 2%, Apple 1.9%. [1559]
- Market share of personal computers in the US during July to September: Gateway 5.2%, Apple Computer 3.3%. [1559]
- (month unknown)
- Dell releases the Axim X50v handheld computer. It features 624 MHz Intel PXA270 XScale processor, CompactFlash clot, SecureDigital slot, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, 480x640 color display, Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition operating system. Price is US$500. [2072.23]
- Dell announces a recall of AC power adapters on 4.4 million Dell notebook computers issued between September 1998 and February 2002. [1610.7]
- Intel announces it has shipped 50 million Pentium IV processors with Hyper-Threading Technology. [1610.7]
- October 4
- PalmOne releases the Tungsten T5 handheld computer in the US. It features 416 MHz Intel XScale processor, 256 MB flash memory, SecureDigital slot, 320x480 color display, Palm OS 5, Bluetooth wireless connectivity. Price is US$400. [1559] [2072.22]
- India issues a 5 rupee postage stamp depicting a computer. [2422.890]
- October 6
- Microsoft releases Windows XP Service Pack 2 for retail sale. [1559]
- Microsoft releases Virtual PC 7 software for the Apple Macintosh. The product emulates a Pentium processor, allowing the Microsoft Windows operating system and applications to run on the Macintosh. Price is US$249, including Windows XP Professional. [1559]
- October 14
- Intel announces it has scrapped plans to develop and release a 4 GHz Pentium 4 processor. Instead, it will focus on other ways to boost performance. [1559]
- OQO releases the OQO model 01 portable computer in the US. It features 1 GHz Transmeta Crusoe TM5800 processor, 256 MB RAM, 20 GB hard drive, Silicon Motion Lynx 3DM graphics processor, 5.1-inch transflective LCD 800x480 display, Bluetooth and 802.11b wireless communications, Microsoft Windows XP Professional operating system, keyboard, TrackStik digital pen, USB 1.1 port, FireWire port. Price is US$1999; size is 4.9 x 3.4 x 0.9 inches; weight is 1 pound. [1559] [1622.55]
- October
- Gateway resumes selling user-configurable desktop computers, offering three lines for budget, midrange, and high-end (7200 series) systems. [1610.6]
- Microsoft releases an update to Office 2004 software for the Macintosh. [2180.18]
- Microsoft releases the Windows XP Starter Edition operating system in Thailand. [1559]
- Microsoft releases the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 operating system. [1610.9] [1897.133]
- October 19
- The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California inducts five visionaries as fellows: Dan Bricklin, Bob Frankston, Niklaus Wirth, Erich Bloch, and Bob Evans. Bricklin and Frankston created the VisiCalc spreadsheet software. Wirth created the Pascal programming language. Bloch and Evans were key members of the IBM team that created the System/360 mainframe architecture. [1559]
- Apple Computer introduces a new low-end iBook portable computer. It features 1.2 GHz G4 processor, DVD reader / CD writer drive, 12-inch LCD screen, 256 MB DDR266 RAM, 133 MHz bus, ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 with 32 MB DDR RAM, 30 GB hard drive, 1024x768 pixel graphics, AirPort Extreme wireless networking, two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 port, 100BaseT Ethernet port, 56 Kbps v.92 modem. Price is US$999. [1559] [1904.28] [1910.188] [1918.204] [2180.20]
- Apple Computer introduces a new midrange iBook portable computer. It features 1.33 GHz processor, DVD reader / CD writer drive, 14-inch screen, 256 MB DDR266 RAM, 133 MHz bus, ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 with 32 MB DDR RAM, 60 GB hard drive, 1024x768 pixel graphics, AirPort Extreme wireless networking, two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 port, 100BaseT Ethernet port, 56 Kbps v.92 modem. Price is US$1299. [1559] [1910.188] [2180.20]
- Apple Computer introduces a new high-end iBook portable computer. It features 1.33 GHz G4 processor, 256 MB RAM, 60 GB hard drive, DVD/CD writer SuperDrive, 14.1-inch 1024x768 resolution LCD display, AirPort Extreme card, 802.11g woreless, 2 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 port, Ethernet port, v.92 modem. Price is US$1499. [1559] [1904.28] [1910.188] [1918.204] [2180.20]
- Apple Computer introduces new Power Mac G5 computers. They feature single 1.8 GHz to dual 2.5 GHz processors, 80 or 160 GB hard drive, Nvidia GeForce Fx 5200 Ultra card in 8X AGP slot, 256 MB DDR400 SDRAM, 8X SuperDrive, three 33 MHz 64-bit PCI slots, AirPort Extreme slot, two FireWire 400 ports, one FireWire 800 port, three USB 2.0 ports, 600 MHz front-side bus. [1559] [1910.189] [1918.205] [2180.20]
- Advanced Micro Devices releases the 2.4 GHz Athlon 64 4000+ processor. It features 1 MB cache. Price is US$729 in 1000-unit quantities. [1610.8,17]
- Advanced Micro Devices releases the 2.6 GHz Athlon FX-55 processor. It features 1 MB level 2 cache, 0.13-micron fabrication. Price is US$827 in 1000-unit quantities. [1610.8,17]
- October 20
- Intel releases the 2.1 GHz Pentium M 765 processor for notebook computers. It features 2 MB of cache. The chip is manufactured using a 90-nanometre manufacturing process. Price is US$637 in 1000-unit quantities. [1559]
- Sharp Electronics announces it will cease development and retail sales of its handheld computers in the US. [1559]
- October 25
- PalmOne debuts the Treo 650 handheld computer in Europe. It features cell phone, built-in 1.3 megapixel camera, 320x320 pixel screen, 312 MHz Intel XScale processor, Bluetooth connectivity, Garnet operating system, tiny keyboard, removable battery. [1559]
- October (month)
- Top selling computer game in the USA for the month: World of Warcraft. [1568]
- November 2
- Intel releases the 3.46 GHz Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processor. It features 1.066 GHz bus speed, 2 MB cache, and 800 MHz front-side bus. Price is US$999. [1611.16] [1613.8]
- November 5
- Apple Computer releases the Mac OS X 10.3.6 operating system. The minor release includes many updates and improvements. [1559]
- November 8
- The Computer & Communications Industry Association settles a lawsuit with Microsoft, receiving about US$12 million. [2325.13]
- Microsoft agrees to pay US$536 million to Novell to settle legal claims related to Novell's NetWare operating system. [1559]
- Sony Online Entertainment releases the EverQuest II online game for personal computers. [2620.13]
- November 9
- Mozilla releases the Firefox 1.0 Web broswer. (5.6 million copies are downloaded in the first two weeks.) [1559] [1610.9] [1613.12] [1868.19] [1897.133] [1910.22]
- November 12
- Novell files a lawsuit against Microsoft, claiming the company used anti-competitive tactics against Novell from 1994 to 1996, by withholding technical information about Windows, and using its monopoly power to prevent hardware manufacturers from offering the WordPerfect word processor. [1559]
- November 15
- Intel releases the 3.8 GHz Pentium 4 570J processor. It features 1 MB cache, 800 MHz front-side bus, and 90 nanometer fabrication. Price is US$637 in 1000-unit quantities. [1559] [1611.16] [1613.8]
- In San Jose's Tech Museum of Innovation, Sun Microsystems' Chairman and CEO Scott McNealy unveils Solaris 10 operating system. The software is set to ship at the end of January. [2325.40]
- November
- Seagate unveils a 400 GB model of the 7200.8 hard drive. It features 133 GB per platter, and 7200 rpm rotation speed. Price is US$300-400, depending on interface. [1559]
- November 18
- Apple Computer holds the MacExpo 2004 trade show in London, England, over three days. 25,000 people attend. [1910.14]
- November 20
- Apple Computer opens its first European Apple Store, in London, England. [1910.14]
- November 21
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A child mentions that he used to stand on an overpass and drop computers on the freeway. A woman responds "That's how we got our Kaypro". [2255]
- November 22
- Advanced Micro Devices begins shipping the Sempron 3000+ processor for notebook computers. Price is US$134 in 1000-unit quantities. [1559]
- November 23
- Blizzard Entertainment releases the World of Warcraft game for personal computers in the US. 240,000 copies are sold in the first 24 hours, making it the most successful PC game launch to date. [1568.79,122] [1650.24] [2485.17] [2632.49]
- (month unknown)
- Adobe releases the Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0 software for the Macintosh. Price is free. Price for Adobe Acrobat Standard is US$299. Price for Adobe Acrobat Professional is US$449. [2180.15]
- December 7
- IBM announces it will sell its PC division to Lenovo Group of China, for about US$1.75 billion. IBM will retain 18.9 percent of Lenovo shares. [1559] [1612.7]
- December 11
- File downloads of the Firefox Web browser reach ten million. [1559]
- December 12
- The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A character is shown using a personal computer to access the Internet. [2256]
- December 29
- Tulip Computers of the Netherlands agrees to sell its Commodore International company to Yeahronimo Media Ventures for about US$32.7 million. [1559]
- December 31
- Microsoft officially ends support for Windows NT 4.0. [2403.20]
- October-December
- Market share of desktop personal computer shipments in the US during October to December: Dell 34.7%, Hewlett-Packard 20.9%, Gateway 7.7%, IBM 3%, Apple Computer 2.9%. [1876.17] [1918.32]
- Market share of portable personal computer shipments in the US during October to December: Dell 28.9%, Hewlett-Packard 19%, Toshiba 12.5%, IBM 7.9%, Apple Computer 5%. [1876.17] [1918.32]
- Market share of x86 personal computer processors in the USA during October to December: Intel 82.2%, Advanced Micro Devices 16.6%. [1559]
- Year
- Total shipments of personal computers worldwide during the year: 178-191.4 million. [1559] [1694.8] [1897.148]
- Total shipments of personal computers in Europe, Africa, Middle East during the year: 62 million. [1805.22]
- Total shipments of personal computers worldwide during the year: Dell 31.4 million, Hewlett-Packard 27.76 million, IBM 10 million. [1559]
- Total shipments of notebook computers worldwide during the year: 45.8 million. [1559]
- Total shipments of personal computers in the US during the year: 58.3-62.5 million. [1805.22]
- Total shipments of personal computers in China during the year: 14.9 million. [1696.3]
- Total shipments of personal computer game titles in the US during the year: 45 million. [1687.12]
- Total shipments of handheld computers worldwide during the year: 9.2 million. [1559] [1850.4]
- Current installed base of personal computers in the US: 223 million. [1897.133]
- Software piracy rate in Canada: 36%. [2189.7]
- Market share of personal computer types worldwide during the year: desktops 73.3%, notebooks 23.9. [1559]
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