For many the history of computers is a string of western events and discoveries, all attached to a single line that led to the development of modern PCs. But even as the IBM 5150 (NYSE: IBM) was being developed in the United States, Japan was already making history with its own personal computers and the PC-98 is perhaps the most important of them all.

A rising sun

The PC-98 started as project PCX-04, NEC’s (TYO: 6701)  first venture into the 16-bit computing era. The series’ first model, the PC-9801, was released in 1982. It came equipped 5Mhz processor running on Intel’s then new 8086 (NASDAQ: INTC) architecture. Much like the first IBM 5150 PC built during the same time period, it allowed easier use with its superior hardware specs, and consequently, improved graphical user interfaces as operating systems were maturing to the point of just beginning to offer robust GUIs.  As one may remember, the concept of the GUI is perhaps the most important breakthrough in computers, and this goes the same for Japanese computers for that era.

But more than just specs and usability, the PC-98 introduced several other specific breakthroughs, the most notable of which is the inclusion of a dedicated VRAM designed for fast Japanese text display. Though the Kanji letter database had the inconvenience of being in a separate, external ROM, the faster output processing power gave users the capacity to squeeze more time in using the unit, thus improving productivity. In addition, the hardware architecture was still largely based on NEC’s previous PC-8000/8800 series, which meant that businesses already familiar with its use could simply switch to the newer PC-98 models and enjoy its upgraded features. It vastly outclassed all of the other Japanese PCs that preceded it, and effectively rendered them obsolete business-wise.

The internal invasion

From a purely business standpoint, it is easy to point out that the best selling feature of the PC-98 was its enhanced number crunching and word processing capabilities. However, this was actually short lived, as other companies like Fujitsu (TYO: 6702) and Sharp (TYO:6753) eventually developed PCs that had better hardware specs. Its popularity was maintained largely by the increased number of software programs developed for the system.

This was especially the case with the release of the first games on the PC-98. Games developed for the system in time gained massive popularity (with Touhou Project as its most successful example). This then gave software companies the privilege to easily port well-known arcade games into the system, thus further increasing its demand. The significantly larger user base both from business and casual users then made software programs in general easier to distribute. The continued rotation of this positive cycle, along with the massive failure of NEC’s PC-88VA in 1987, finally established the PC-98 as one of the biggest selling PC model series of all time in Japanese computer history.

Towards modernity

The ubiquity of the PC-98 series in Japan stemmed from some of the fundamental aspects that we can commonly see in popular consumer tech today. First, it had hardware compatibility. The PC-98 was designed to be similar to its predecessors, and was built with more or less the same components that were used on IBMs PC/AT systems. Second, it featured a universal software program that makes it an attractive option for many users. It was the first system to use a dedicated VRAM for Japanese text input, and one of those that first adopted the DOS/V operating system. Lastly, it had software universality. Despite its rather steep price, the number of released software for the PC-98 is what kept its dominance in the market (sounds familiar?), staving off its competitors for at least one more decade before its decline by the end of the 20th century.

But the most important innovation that the PC-98 introduced that shaped Japan’s PC industry today was its popularization of the concept of a “hobby PC”. While the PC-8000/8800 series already introduced the concept of Japanese hobby PCs, it was the PC-98 series that finally fulfilled this idea. Long before today’s all-in-one PC systems and custom PC rigs, it demonstrated how PCs can be game software engines, showcasing faster gameplay and better graphics. It even introduced a few game genres (e.g. bishoujo games, bullet hell shooters, etc.) that are still quite popular in Japan’s PC software market today.

The PC-98 series went on to adapt further to the growing PC market in the 1990’s. By 1993, newer models had already switched to Windows 3.1, and by 1997, NEC finally introduced the Windows 95-powered PC-9821 series. However during last years of the decade, it suffered heavily from the distribution of cheaper PC models using the same DOS/V engine that it uses to display Japanese text. The era of the PC-98 finally ended in the year 2000, after NEC released the PC-9821 Ra43.

The PC-98 may be just part of history now, but its legacy goes on. As part of Japan’s technology culture, it essentially introduced the current development model for Japanese PCs today. We can even say that at least part of it still lives on to every PC in Japan.

The post How the PC-98 Shaped Japan’s PC Industry appeared first on VR World.

In this current era of smartphones, tablets, and wearable tech, it’s easy to forget a time when PDA’s and other similar pocket devices were still a thing. However in Japan, electronic dictionaries have not only withstood time, but this iconic gadget has even evolved to a point that they are now generally considered as mini-notebook PC’s.

But why? How in the world does this otherwise antiquated gadget still manage to retain a considerable level of popularity in the country? Even netbooks met its rather early demise due to the prevalence of tablets in the years following the release of the first iPad. So really, what’s the reason? Well, let’s first see why it became so popular in Japan in the first place.

An essential aide

Electronic dictionaries have been around since the late 1970’s, at a time when the historical Apple-1 was just around a few years old. Sharp (TYO: 6753) was the very first company that developed and released the electronic dictionary in the form that we know today. The company’s first model, the IQ-3000, featured definitions and search options for at least 5,000 Japanese words and about 2,800 foreign words. While its specifications are relatively miniscule compared to electronic dictionaries today, its release was phenomenal, and it became immensely popular for students taking entrance exams and Japanese travelers overseas.

Over time, electronic dictionaries evolved to have more and more options suited for its very wide student user base. Sanyo (TYO: 8011) introduced digital Kanji letters with its cheaper 1987 model Denjirin, while Sony’s (TYO: 6758) 1990 model DD-1 was designed to be compatible with the time period’s external media. By the time the third generation models came out during the last years of the 20th century, the electronic dictionary already gained the status of a pocket computer. It became a common investment for students, who needed something that can function as a computer but at a significantly lowered cost, and with the convenience of portability. In essence, it became the netbook of Japan’s consumer electronics market.

In general electronic dictionaries have three basic advantages, which are: Easy and fast word searching, specific keyword searching, data storage equivalent to a large number of books.

Does any of these functions sound familiar? It should be, because the same functions can be found in most mobile devices today. But the funny thing is you’d still see electronic dictionaries being sold in Japan, even having their own section in certain local tech shops. Does this mean electronic dictionaries are still massively popular in Japan today?

Stranger in a smartphone land

One thing that needs to be clarified first is that electronic dictionaries are technically outdated, and it is indeed generally going out of vogue with some due to the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets.

However, even as we end the first month of 2015 some of the better known electronic dictionary developers in Japan today, such as Seiko Instruments, are still planning to launch newer line ups which further gives evidence that the electronic dictionary still has a following.

So, what makes the Japanese electronic dictionary market so resilient? Largely the industry has a captive market in students. This means that electronic dictionaries serve the most important straightforward need of providing education, much like a standard issue textbook. Remember: the electronic dictionary evolved with Japan’s education system, which technically means it is completely optimized to be used efficiently in study, as opposed to tablets which can more or less do just a mix of different things without specialization.

Also, as mentioned earlier, electronic dictionaries serve the important role of a communication tool. This is especially true for overseas Japanese businessmen as early as during the IQ-3000 era, which coincided with the peak of the ‘Japanese miracle’ as the rising sun of Japan’s big corporations expanded abroad to the United States. Call it, perhaps, an old habit.

There is also the issue of accuracy. Electronic dictionaries already have its dictionary software and lexical database built in, which is backed up and confirmed by approved academic institutions. Some Japanese believe that using a tablet might not be as effective or as efficient as using an electronic dictionary for the same purpose, especially considering that it is more than just a look-up-and-see device. Oh, and we also haven’t mentioned the simple fact that electronic dictionaries are a number of times cheaper than tablets (of the same size and specs of course).

In fact, ask around a few ex-pats in Japan about the electronic dictionary, and they would pretty much tell the same story of convenience that Japanese students would probably tell you. What’s more is that electronic dictionaries today have even evolved to provide the same functions as netbooks a few years back, with some models even using the Android OS, and providing capacitive touch input.

In a few more years, we might finally see the electronic dictionary hit the first wave of its obsolescence. However, as of this moment, the electronic dictionary is still the iconic pocket education device for students in Japan, more than tablets, and probably a bit more than smartphones. It has basically transcended its normal status as a mobile device, evolving into cultural tech icon. One might even say that the electronic dictionary is a symbol of the country’s ever busy society.

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The word “differential analyzer” might not sound too familiar compared to “adding machine”, but it had nevertheless the same historical significance in computer technology development. Today, more than 70 years after Vannevar Bush’s differential analyzer was first put into operation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , that very same machine will now take a step forward into the twenty-first century.

Scientists and researchers from the Tokyo University of Science, National Institute of Informatics and National Institute of Information and Communications Technology have started a project to reconstruct Bush’s differential analyzer. If the name still doesn’t provide an ample hint, it is a machine that is built to crunch differential equations. This Japanese version of the first practical differential analyzer wasn’t particularly the first one to be reconstructed recently, but it is the first project that successfully rebuilt it to be completely functional.

The project started last year in May, with the development team studying the original designs, building the components, adjusting the machine and finally doing test runs. It was reported to have been completed by the end of November this year, though it was only earlier this week that the research institutions have made a public announcement.

While the old mechanical differential analyzer worked by crunching out numbers in a physically seen medium, the one reconstructed by Japanese researchers is actually integrated to a PC. That’s right; this age old machine is actually built to communicate with our modern computers, and is capable of relaying its calculations digitally to be seen on a modern display. If you like the classic touch though, the machine itself is still able to produce calculation printouts of its own.

It should be pointed out that Bush’s differential analyzer wasn’t the first one to have been conceived or invented. However, it was the first one that was built for practical use. Completed in 1930 at MIT, the designs eventually made its way to the United Kingdom, with complete units built at Manchester University, Cambridge University and Queen’s University Belfast.

The reconstructed mechanical differential analyzer is now being displayed as an exhibit at Tokyo University of Science’s Museum of Science.

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