I have the main unit, monitor and keyboard.
type computer
country USA
year 1982
os CP/M 2.2, MS Basic-80
cpu Zilog Z80A
speed 4.0 MHz
ram 64 KB
rom 6 KB
disk 2 x 8″ floppy
graphic CRT black&white 80×24,
4×4-resolution graphic
colors mono
ports 2 x serial RS232, 2 x parallel
The Xerox 820-II — The Office Computer from PARC’s Creator
The Xerox 820-II was a CP/M business computer produced by Xerox Corporation — the company whose Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) had invented the graphical user interface, the mouse, Ethernet networking, and the laser printer. Released in the early 1980s, the 820-II used a Zilog Z80 processor and ran CP/M, targeting the business market with Xerox’s reputation for office technology quality. It represented Xerox’s attempt to compete in the microcomputer market alongside the more famous Xerox Star workstation — the first commercial computer with a graphical user interface, released in 1981.
Xerox PARC — The Invention Factory
Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center, established in 1970, was arguably the most productive research laboratory in the history of computing — a place where researchers invented technologies that would transform the entire industry, including the graphical desktop interface, the mouse, object-oriented programming, Ethernet, and the laser printer. Ironically, Xerox failed to commercially exploit most of these inventions, famously allowing Apple’s Steve Jobs to observe the GUI and mouse during a 1979 visit that directly inspired the Macintosh. The Xerox Star workstation, which implemented many of these ideas, was priced at $16,595 — far beyond the reach of most businesses.
The 820-II in Context
The Xerox 820-II was Xerox’s more affordable, mainstream business computer — a CP/M machine that competed on price and compatibility with Kaypro, Osborne, and other CP/M computers rather than trying to sell the revolutionary but expensive Star workstation concept. Running standard CP/M software including WordStar and dBASE, the 820-II offered Xerox’s build quality and service infrastructure at a price accessible to small businesses. It represents the practical side of Xerox’s computing business, alongside the visionary but commercially unsuccessful Star.