Computer monitor history

Updated: 09/12/2023 by Computer Hope
Computer monitor

Listed below are the important events in history relating to a computer monitors, flat pannel displays, and other displays that were used with computers.

1964

The Uniscope 300 machine had a built-in CRT (cathode ray tube) display. While not a true computer monitor, it was a precursor to CRT monitor technology.

1965

Touch screen technology was invented by E. A. Johnson in 1965.

1973

The Xerox Alto computer, released on March 1, 1973, included the first computer monitor. The monitor used CRT technology and had a monochrome display.

1975

The first resistive touch screen display was developed by George Samuel Hurst in 1975. However, it was not produced and used until 1982.

1976

The Apple I and Sol-20 computers were the first computers to have a built-in video output port, allowing for a computer monitor or video screen.

1977

LED display technology was developed by James P. Mitchell in 1977, but LED (light-emitting diode) monitors were not readily available for purchase on the consumer market until about 30 years later.

The Apple II, released in June 1977, allowed for color display on a CRT monitor.

1985

One of the first LCD (liquid-crystal display) monitors for desktop computers was the Eizo L66, manufactured and released by Eizo Nanao Technologies in the mid-1990s.

1987

The first VGA (video graphics array) monitor, the IBM 8513, was released by IBM in 1987.

1989

The SVGA (super video graphics array) standard for computer displays was officially defined by VESA in 1989.

By the late 1980s, color CRT monitors were capable of a 1024 x 768 resolution display.

1997

Apple, IBM, and Viewsonic began developing color LCD monitors that offer comparable or better quality and resolution compared to CRT monitors.

1998

The Apple Studio Display was one of the earliest affordable, color LCD monitors for desktop computers, manufactured by Apple in 1998.

2003

LCD monitors outsold CRT monitors for the first time in 2003. By 2007, LCD monitors consistently outsold CRT monitors, and became the most prominent type of computer monitor.

2006

The first interface-free, touch-based computer monitor was introduced at TED by Jeff Han in 2006.

2009

NEC was one of the first companies to manufacture LED monitors for desktop computers. Their first LED monitor, the MultiSync EA222WMe, was released in late 2009.

2010

AMD and Intel, with a handful of computer monitor manufacturers, announced they were phasing out support for VGA starting in December 2010.

2017

Touch screen LCD monitors started to become cheaper, more affordable for the average consumer in 2017. Prices for 20 to 22-inch touch screen monitors dropped below $500.

Computer History