the Xerox Alto of 1973, the first computer to use the desktop metaphor and mouse-driven graphical user interface (GUI) The 1970s were also the start of: fiber optics, which transformed the communications industry microwave ovens, which became commercially available Betamax and VHS VCRs which became commercially available and especially VHS would become widely used for home entertainment in the 1980s and 1990s. the first voicemail system, known as the Speech Filing System (SFS), invented by Stephen J. Boies in 1973 e-commerce, invented in 1979 by Michael Aldrich DiscoVision in 1978, the first commercial optical disc storage medium positron emission tomography, invented in 1972 by Edward J. Hoffman and fellow scientist Michael Phelps cell phones, with the first call transmitted in 1973, Martin Cooper of Motorola car phone services, first available in Finland in 1971 in form of the zero-generation ARP (Autoradiopuhelin, or Car Radiophone) service Apple Computer Company, founded in 1976 and incorporated the following year by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak Rail British Rail introduced high-speed trains on InterCity services. The trains consisted of British Rail Class 43 diesel-electric locomotives at either end with British Rail Mark 3 carriages. The trains were built in the United Kingdom by British Rail Engineering Limited. The high speed trains ran at speeding up journeys between towns and cities and is still known as the InterCity 125. Amtrak was formed in the United States in 1971, assuming responsibility for inter-city passenger operations throughout the country. In 1976, Conrail was formed to take over assets of six bankrupt freight railroads in the northeastern US. Automobiles The 1970s was an era of fuel price increases, rising insurance rates, safety concerns, and emissions controls. The 1973 oil crisis caused a move towards smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles. Attempts were made to produce electric cars, but they were largely unsuccessful. In the United States, imported cars became a significant factor for the first time, and several domestic-built subcompact models entered the market. American-made cars such as the "quirky" AMC Gremlin, the jelly bean shaped AMC Pacer, and Pontiac Firebird's powerful Trans Am "sum up" the decade. Muscle cars and convertible models faded from favor during the early-1970s. It was believed that the 1976 Cadillac Eldorado would be the last American-built convertible; ending the open body style that once dominated the auto industry. Cars in the U.S. from the early 1970s are noted more for their power than their styling,