Definition: 8-bit computing

CPUs that process 8 bits as a single unit. The first personal computers in the late 1970s, such as the Apple II, Radio Shack TRS-80 and various Z80-based CP/M computers, all used 8-bit CPUs. Personal computers migrated to 16 bits when IBM selected the Intel 8088 CPU for the PC and later to 32 bits with the Intel 386. Today, low-cost 8-bit processors are made by the billions and embedded in myriad devices (see 8-bit MCU). See 8088, 386, 16-bit computing and bit specifications.