1970s Technology: Gadgets, Computers And Tech Trends

Pocket calculators, Pong, video recorders and the first home computers.

Below: the gadgets in ordinary 1970s homes, what computing looked like at the time, what changed across the decade, and the details anyone who was there will remember.

Useful for a reminiscence session, a quiz round, or working out what someone grew up using.

Years covered in the 1970s

• 1970 - England defended the World Cup, the Beatles ended and eighteen-year-olds got the vote. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1970
• 1971 - Decimal Day, the first Glastonbury as we know it and Slade on the way up. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1971
• 1972 - Miners' strikes and power cuts, Ziggy Stardust and a very good year for glam. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1972
• 1973 - Britain joined the EEC, the oil crisis hit and Slade wrote Christmas. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1973
• 1974 - Two general elections, the three-day week and Abba winning Eurovision. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1974
• 1975 - Bohemian Rhapsody, the EEC referendum and Fawlty Towers. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1975
• 1976 - The heatwave, the drought and the first stirrings of punk. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1976
• 1977 - Silver Jubilee street parties, Star Wars and the summer punk went overground. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1977
• 1978 - Grease, the first test-tube baby and the start of the winter of discontent. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1978
• 1979 - The winter of discontent, the first woman Prime Minister and the last year of the seventies. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1979
• That is every 1970s year we have written up so far: 1970 to 1979.

Gadgets of the 1970s

• Pocket calculators - a Sinclair Executive in 1972 cost about eight weeks of pocket money.
• Video recorders arrive at the end of the decade; VHS and Betamax start their fight.
• Digital watches with red LED displays you pressed a button to read.
• Ceefax from 1974 and Oracle on ITV - text on the television screen.
• Home Pong consoles and handheld electronic games.

Computers in the 1970s

• The Altair 8800 in 1975 starts the home-computer idea.
• Apple II, Commodore PET and TRS-80 all arrive in 1977.
• Sinclair's ZX80 comes right at the end, in 1980, after years of kit computers.
• Space Invaders in 1978 puts computing in the chip shop and the pub.
• Offices still ran on typewriters, telex and carbon paper.

Tech trends of the 1970s

• Silicon chips talked about constantly and understood by almost nobody.
• Japanese electronics - Sony, Panasonic, JVC - taking over the living room.
• Hi-fi separates as a serious hobby with serious arguments.
• The three-day week and power cuts reminding everyone what ran on electricity.

What people remember

• Rewinding a cassette with a pencil to save the batteries.
• The whirr and clunk of a top-loading video recorder.
• A calculator passed round the classroom like contraband.
• Waiting for the telly to warm up before a picture appeared.

How to use this

• Reminiscence: ask what the first one they owned was, and what it cost - the price always gets a reaction.
• Quiz round: read a gadget and ask for the decade.
• Themed party: put the 1970s playlist on and lay a few old gadgets out on a table.
• Present: a print of the machine they learned on lands better than a generic card.

Shop prints and posters

How to write it so it lands

• Prices are the best prompt - work out what a gadget cost in a week's wages and the room goes quiet.
• Ask what broke and how it was fixed; repairs get better stories than purchases.
• Check the dates before using these in a quiz - launch year and the year it reached most homes are rarely the same.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1970
• Look back to 1971
• Look back to 1972
• Look back to 1973
• Look back to 1974
• Look back to 1975
• Look back to 1976
• Look back to 1977
• Look back to 1978
• Look back to 1979
• 1970s calendar: year by year
• 1970s trivia: fun facts
• 1970s holidays and travel
• 1970s food and recipes
• 1970s music: albums, artists and songs
• 1970s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
• 1970s books, films and TV
• 1970s party playlist
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1970s
• 70s kids' TV shows
• 70s quiz questions
• British Bulldog rules
• Kerby rules
• Sweets that disappeared
• Test card, Ceefax and three channels
• Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Guess the year quiz
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What gadgets did people have in the 1970s?

Pocket calculators - a Sinclair Executive in 1972 cost about eight weeks of pocket money. The full list above covers the equipment found in ordinary homes that decade.

What were computers like in the 1970s?

The Altair 8800 in 1975 starts the home-computer idea. The computing section above covers the machines and how they were used.

What were the big tech trends of the 1970s?

Silicon chips talked about constantly and understood by almost nobody. The trends section above lists what changed across the decade.

Do you sell technology or retro gadgets?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read, print and copy for a quiz or a care-home session.