1977 wasn’t the first year that microcomputers were released, but it was the first year people could get computers and use them right out of the box. And there were three of them: The Commodore PET, Apple II and the TRS-80. (The TRS-80 was later renamed the TRS-80 Model 1 when the Model 2 was introduced.
They weren’t cheap: The Commodore PET cost $795, the Apple II cost $1298 and the TRS-80 cost $600. (Equivalent to $3354, $5476 and $2500, respectively, in 2019 dollars.)
Most people are familiar with the Apple II, but the TRS-80 was the best-selling computer up until 1982. It’s price was an advantage and you could buy it at your neighborhood Radio Shack.
The Commodore PET was introduced in 1977 and discontinued in 1982. It was succeeded by the VIC-20.
The Apple II was introduced in 1977 and discontinued in 1979, when it was replaced by the Apple II+. We had an Apple II+ in high school. Our teachers knew nothing about computers, so a few of us students picked up the manual and taught ourselves and became the de facto computer teachers. We would write programs and we had to hide our disk because one of the teachers would erase our programs, thinking that we would somehow harm the computer.
The TRS-80 (later named the Model 1) was introduced in 1977 and discontinued in 1981. It was replaced by the TRS-80 Model 3, which was introduced in 1980. But what about the Model 2? That really was an entirely separate computer, aimed at a business market. It was much more expensive, costing $3450 for the 32K version and $3899 for the 64K version. ($12153 and $13735 respectively in 2019 dollars)
I didn’t have any of these systems, our family had the Atari 400 computer.
If you are interested in trying them out, you don’t need to fight with collectors, there are emulators that will allow you to have the 1977 experience. I’ve chosen some that run in a browser, no installation required.
Commodore PET Emulator
Apple II Emulator
TRS-80 Emulator (Actually a TRS-80 Model 3 emulator, I couldn’t find a model 1 emulator that worked in a browser.
But a big question is “Why retrocomputing? Why be interested in these old computers?” For some it’s just pure nostalgia, reliving the computing experiences they had when they were young, like watching old reruns. For some people it’s history. These early computers of the 70s and 80s are part of computing history and by trying them out, they’re getting a taste of what it was like back then. I like some of the old games, they were simple, but fun. And like any other hobby “Why not?” is always a reasonable option.
EDIT: Added some videos