We owe the creation of all of our consumer electronics to the microprocessor, because without them our devices would be much larger. Microprocessors are the achievement of generations of research and development. Microprocessors were invented in 1972 by Intel Corporation and allowed computers to shrink in size to the size we know today. Before, computers took up space because transistors or vacuum tubes were individual components. Microprocessors unified technology on a single chip while reducing costs. Microprocessor technology has been the most significant revolution in the computer industry over the past forty years, as microprocessors have enabled our consumer electronic devices to exist. Before the technological revolution that was microprocessors, making a computer was an important task for any manufacturer. In the past, computers were built solely on discrete or individual transistors soldered together. Microprocessors act like the brain of a computer and perform all the mathematics. Depending on the planned power of the machine, the production of individual components could take weeks or even months. This laborious task put the cost of a computer beyond the reach of any ordinary person. Before lithographic technology, computers were massive and were primarily used in laboratory scenarios (Brain 1). Computers did not have the power to run on a GUI, or graphical user interface, system. A graphical interface is a system of windows and icons in which the user clicks on icons to operate the computer. Computers of the time ran text interfaces requiring the user to understand commands and communicate with the computer via text prompts. This was not ideal for the average user because it took time to learn how to use the device. Processes are individual parts...... middle of paper ......>.Brain, Marshall. “How microprocessors work.” How things work. Discovery Communications LLC, February 14, 2011. Web. February 13, 2011. .Britt, Matt. “Microprocessor.” British Encyclopedia. NP, 2011. Web. February 15, 2011. .Dockery, Gabriel. “How microprocessors are made.” eHow. eHow Inc., and Web. February 11, 2011. .Grundmann, Marius. Semiconductor physics: an introduction including devices and nanophysics. New York: Springer, 2006. Print. Hardesty, Larry. “Self-assembling computer chips.” MITnews March 16, 2010: n. page. MIT. Internet. March 1, 2011. .How it's done. Discovery. Spring 2002. Youtube. Internet. February 12. 2011. .