1980s Technology: Gadgets, Computers And Tech Trends

The home computer boom, the CD, the Walkman everywhere and the first mobile phones.

Below: the gadgets in ordinary 1980s 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 1980s

• 1980 - The decade opened with the SAS on live television and John Lennon's death in December. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1980
• 1981 - A royal wedding, riots in several cities and the first London Marathon. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1981
• 1982 - The Falklands, the launch of Channel 4 and the arrival of the Spectrum. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1982
• 1983 - Breakfast television, the pound coin and a general election landslide. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1983
• 1984 - The miners' strike, the Brighton bombing and Band Aid at Christmas. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1984
• 1985 - Live Aid, the first EastEnders and a very bad year in football. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1985
• 1986 - The Hand of God, Chernobyl and Neighbours arriving on daytime television. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1986
• 1987 - The great storm, Black Monday and a third election win. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1987
• 1988 - Acid house, Kylie's first number one and a grim run of disasters. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1988
• 1989 - Hillsborough, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the decade. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1989
• That is every 1980s year we have written up so far: 1980 to 1989.

Gadgets of the 1980s

• The Sony Walkman, launched 1979, becomes the thing everyone wanted.
• Compact discs arrive in the UK in 1983 and are sold as indestructible.
• VHS wins, video shops open on every parade, and rentals boom.
• Camcorders replacing cine film for holidays and weddings.
• The first mobile phones in 1985 - enormous, and priced for businesses.

Computers in the 1980s

• The ZX Spectrum in 1982 and the Commodore 64 the same year.
• The BBC Micro in schools, with the BBC Computer Literacy Project behind it.
• Amstrad CPC and PCW making computers and word processors affordable.
• The Amiga and Atari ST from 1985 for games and graphics.
• The IBM PC and its clones becoming the standard in offices.

Tech trends of the 1980s

• Games loaded from cassette, sold in newsagents, written by teenagers.
• Type-in listings in magazines that never worked first time.
• Fax machines becoming standard business kit.
• Computers in classrooms for the first time, usually one per school.

What people remember

• The loading screech of a tape, and R Tape Loading Error after five minutes.
• Taping the Top 40 with a finger on pause.
• Be Kind, Rewind, and a late fee if you forgot.
• Setting the video timer wrong and recording the wrong programme.

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 1980s 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 1980
• Look back to 1981
• Look back to 1982
• Look back to 1983
• Look back to 1984
• Look back to 1985
• Look back to 1986
• Look back to 1987
• Look back to 1988
• Look back to 1989
• 1980s calendar: year by year
• 1980s trivia: fun facts
• 1980s holidays and travel
• 1980s food and recipes
• 1980s music: albums, artists and songs
• 1980s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
• 1980s books, films and TV
• 1980s party playlist
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1980s
• 80s kids' TV shows
• 80s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Computers and consoles we grew up with
• Saturday morning TV
• Cassette tapes and taping the charts
• 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
• Wedding cards
• Wedding cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What gadgets did people have in the 1980s?

The Sony Walkman, launched 1979, becomes the thing everyone wanted. The full list above covers the equipment found in ordinary homes that decade.

What were computers like in the 1980s?

The ZX Spectrum in 1982 and the Commodore 64 the same year. The computing section above covers the machines and how they were used.

What were the big tech trends of the 1980s?

Games loaded from cassette, sold in newsagents, written by teenagers. 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.