Fascinating Look Back at Sol-20, the World’s First Computer with a Built-in Keyboard and TV Output

Released in 1976 at an MSRP of $1,495 USD ($8,006 in 2023), the Sol-20 by Processor Technology was officially first fully assembled computer that came equipped with a built-in keyboard and TV output. This eventually lead to what we know today as the home computer.

Hardware wise, it features an Intel 8080-based motherboard, a VDM-1 graphics card, a 3P+S I/O card to run the keyboard, and circuitry to connect to a cassette deck for program storage. Users could have also opted for additional expansion via five S-100 bus slots inside the computer as well as ‘personality modules’, or swappable ROMs, containing a rudimentary operating system. This system was produced until 1979, as the Apple II, Commodore PET and TRS-80 had taken over the PC market, driving Processor Technology into bankruptcy.